West Maui Loop - is it a safe ride?

Donnie’s shop does great supported rides (I’ve done about 10 of them over the years), but the last time I was there and spoke to Donnie, he told me that they can only do supported rides to the entrance of the Haleakala National Park at 6,500ft since the elimination of all commercial tours inside the park. Has Maui lifted that restriction? Otherwise, I don’t think Donnie would risk his license - he runs the Cycle to the Sun (the summer race up the mountain).

Yes, that is correct. They have someone ride up with you and also bring a vehicle. They do multiple stops along the way but are always near by. The final stop is just before the park gate. At that point you load up the food and water you need, grab your jacket, etc, and finish the ride. It actually works out really well. You then descend back down and head back to Donnie’s to pay your bill.

Donnie’s crew are all great and can give you a lot of insight into the locally cycling scene.

Awesome thank you so much @thesupermarket !! You’re right, I have to do it! I will kick myself if I don’t. Thanks for sharing your Strava feed-kudos to you! There was a picture with what looked like a beer at the top… did you bring that along or was it available to buy up there? Just trying to plan for… you know…nutritional needs…

Thanks so much @bobmac! All very good advice! I’m in for Haleakala and see if I can turn the west maui loop into a nice relaxing drive by the ocean with my wife! I have read about the early part of the ride that it can be tempting to try and ride harder while it’s “easy” but to resist the urge and pace yourself. Normally when I ride I kind of just try to go as fast as I can reasonably sustain but with having been inside on a ERG controlled trainer since November I am a little rusty at controlling speed/effort on my own. Would you say that monitoring heart rate is a good way to judge how you’re doing so you don’t let the volcano defeat you or do you recommend just doing it off of how you feel?

Hahaha Yeah, it’s a beer. Right as I pulled into the parking lot at the top a guy says, “Wow. Nice work. You want a beer?” I couldn’t pass that offer up. I thought my level of exhaustion coupled with the elevation was going to have me swerving all the way down but it had little to no lasting effects on my swerve.
I made it to the ranger station on 2 bottles and that involved a little bit of rationing. Not a wise decision but I felt fine. My only stop on the way up was right at the ranger where I got one of my bottles topped off by a couple on the side of the road. Saved my life. I thought the market was at the 17 mile marker but I think it’s actually at 15. You’ll save time if you fill up at one of the restrooms. On top of that. My buddy showed up and he hadn’t ridden at all for a year with the exception of a couple of spin classes. He was running out of daylight right near the top of the second set of switchbacks where he turned around. His time was slow, probably deep into the 5 hour mark, but had he gone for the top he would have made it.
I don’t know about you but I prefer to do these long steady rides alone. Pacing is so much easier. There’s no competitive urges and it’s much easier to know how your body is feeling without distractions so you can get into a real groove.
The weather changes quick. I started the ride in the rain and was pretty wet going up Baldwin but it cleared up and was perfect after 30 minutes or so. Renting the bike, even if it is reserved, can take 40 minutes so plan for that.

Sadly, one wrong turn, or the line of cars at the ranger station on the way up may have cost me bragging rights…

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How you feel . . .

I generally monitor my HR on long sustained climbs (I’m a climber) to keep my HR below my FTHR. However, as you ascend above 6500ft, your HR will likely naturally rise. I think the key thing for you will be enjoyment of the ride. And thus, while you will feel that you have lots of extra energy during the first 5-10 miles where the average gradient is about 3% (prior to hitting the town center of Makawao), I would strongly suggest highly resisting the urge to do so - save your energy. The road will turn upwards and you will still have a loooong way to go. You really want to have the energy available for after entering the park around 6500 with still 3500ft to climb and particularly as you hit 8k+ft where you will feel the effects of altitude. It is a very special climb. I’ll look forward to your Strava posting - please place it here when you after you do it.

btw: I apologize for the spousal reference re wife (wan’t thinking). I shouldn’t assume male/female nor orientation.

I didn’t bring a HR monitor when I went. I would have loved to see the numbers after the ride and during but I don’t think it would have had any impact how I rode.

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@bobmac no worries at all! I do have a wife so it was a happy coincidence! I work in construction so if I got worked up everyone was surprised that I’m a lady with a lady partner I wouldn’t have any energy to ride, let alone to try to defeat the volcano :wink:

Thanks again for the advice! I am really excited and have reached out to Donnie to get the bike all set up and configured!

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@thesupermarket okay so I need either a beer-dian angel like what you encountered at the peak or to plan ahead! Thank you! I really love riding alone so that is going to be just fine; hopefully the weather doesn’t beat me up too badly because riding solo has the obvious downside of being alone when things get hairy. I have read about hail and whatnot and then it gets a little messier being by yourself tired on a volcano but I’m going to be optimistic about it and just pack a windbreaker and a parka!

PS I think you still get bragging rights even if you are second. Awesome performance!

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Feel free to mention my name (Bob Machlin) and say hello to Donnie. You can tell him that I told him he needs to treat you well :slight_smile:

I wrote an extensive rave review for him for his website when he was just getting going that he highlighted and used for many years in his customer testimonials. I have also referred many cyclists to his shop for his guided tours.

@bdiederich24 Did you get to Maui and have a chance to climb Haleakala? If so, how was it? Did you do any other biking on the island?

I didn’t have time for Haleakala, but I did rent a bike there in Maui and started the West Maui loop, but ended up getting rained out.

It was a beautiful ride though.

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The rain!!! It rained every morning I was there this winter. But like clockwork, it cleared up around 9am. I guess you’ll just have to go back for another trip.