Haleakala Ride Tips? Clothing, Nutrition?

I did it in May 2019 and everything will feel totally worth it once you get up to the peak. There’s a lot of good advice/feedback here. Obviously, bring the food that you think you’ll need + more. Spam musubis are fantastic on-the-bike food! Pack a light jacket for the descent. In general, the weather will be a dice roll depending on the day. The day of my ride was completely clear but there were rain showers the next day. As mentioned, pace accordingly (the “all day” pace mentioned is spot on) and you should make it up with no problem. FWIW, I did it without any “actual” training and was not on TR back then but was at least somewhat fit on the bike and took about 5.5 hrs.

I rented a Scott Addict from Donnie’s shop (Maui Cyclery). It had a 50/34t crankset up front with a 11-34t cassette in the back. Started around 6am and it was quite warm already. The rolling hills and gradual climbs before getting on the “actual” climb are really nice. On the way up, you’ll see markings on the pavement indicating the elevation which should hopefully encourage you to keep going. There’s a series of switchbacks as you get closer to the top that could be brutal depending on the winds. Cars, including locals and tourists were courteous and gave me a ton of space. As I remember, the steepest part is the climb up to the visitor’s center. Once I reached the top, some of the tourists were really friendly and were pretty amazed I rode up all the way. The descent was an absolute blast! Unfortunately, the front hydro brakes on my bike were pretty mushy and not very effective (I should’ve tested this the day before when I picked it up), so I wasn’t able to take it too fast.

I’m sure you’ll have a great ride and don’t forget to report back!

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I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! I’m really looking forward to it.

Lots of great tips from you and everyone else posting here. I’ll be sure to report back on my experience!

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