The final ride of the camp is a climb up (and of course, a blazing fast descent back down) Haleakala – the dormant volcano that dominates the island of Maui. The route from Paia to the summit runs 56km and climbs 3000m. It’s known as the longest, steepest paved road in the world. And it’s one of the most challenging bicycle climbs. It starts in Paia at sea level. Sunny and warm with locals and tourists wandering the main street. We unloaded at Maui Cyclery and were met by another pro cyclist, Juan Antonio Flecha!

He finished the pro season and headed straight for Maui for some riding, surfing and relaxing. On this morning he was going to ride up to 6000 feet with us. Sure – just your average everyday ride up a volcano… that’s what all the pros do on their vacation. Thankfully Tyler and Ryder were riding over from the hotel – adding an extra 90 minutes to their ride. At breakfast Tyler told me that their plan was to catch us right at 6500 feet. I wanted to do everything I could to be well ahead of them!

The first part of the ride was pretty easy – riding along in the group at a steady 17 km/h. Once we got to a steep section in Makawao I decided to make a surge and try to breakaway from the group. At first I thought my move was in vain but by the top of the section myself and another rider were clear of the group. We continued together for a kilometre or so before he lost my wheel on a technical section just before we joined the Old Haleakala Highway.

It’s at this point of the climb that my mind started to wander… and I had a hard time determining whether the road was going uphill, downhill or if it’s flat? It’s crazy how it (Haleakala) plays tricks on your mind. The simple answer is that the road is always uphill. For the next 40 minutes or so I pedalled along by myself. I caught a couple of our other group riders who had started early to get ahead. That felt good and encouraged me to keep going.

As I neared 5000 feet the group of former pros caught me. I stuck on their wheels for a bit but had to drop off to avoid driving my heart through my chest and out onto the road! I continued along by myself in a silent race against the clock and one other rider in our group. I don’t think he knew I was using him as a target. Or maybe he did as he seemed to speed up every time he was able to see me on one of the switchbacks!

As we closed in on the 6500 foot stopping point I was happy that Tyler and Ryder had not caught me. And I pointed this out to Ed, one of our support drivers, as I pulled off the road. Ed quickly corrected me and said, “they caught you. Look over your shoulder.” Doh! They were right behind me, catching me almost exactly at 6500 feet as planned. Pro. (Side note: Tyler and Ryder finished the climb in 3:03 and it was an easy ride, with a stop of at least five minutes with me to have a Coke and some food. The winner of Cycle To The Sun this year did it in 2:54.)

From 6500 up the road gets steeper and you enter the National Park, requiring a payment of $5 at the gate. The lower part of the road through the park is really nice. Terrific pavement, nice views, etc. As you climb higher the road surface deteriorates a bit, and the landscape quickly changes from lush and green to something resembling the surface of the moon. It’s at this point that I started thinking about the magnitude of the explosion that created this mountain of debris. It’s mind-blowing.

Somewhere close to 8000 feet – where the thinner air starts to noticeably impact performance – Greg (a former pro racer) dropped back to ride with me to the summit. It’s amazing what a difference it makes having someone there with you. We rode the final few switchbacks together and made a final push for the top. Greg’s once-a-week-ride-to-the-top training really pays off on the final ramp up to the summit. It’s the steepest section of the climb, and at just about 10,000 feet it’s the most difficult section too. I was cooked and could barely turn over the pedals, while Greg steadily pulled away from me. A slightly disappointing end to an otherwise terrific climb.

A recovery ride from the hotel in Wailea to the Iao Valley. Last year I did not do this ride as I took the day off to be with my family. I was excited about a new route, and to just ride in recovery mode instead of nearly full-gas as we’ve been every day so far. The pros might disagree that we were full-gas but such is the life of a pro. The East Maui Loop was a terrific experience and an awesome challenge for my legs. I needed an easy day.

The Iao Valley is beautiful. And just about the only road that actually goes into the West Maui mountains. The road itself is also very nice – new pavement with great flowing turns. It’s a steady climb from Wailuku (one of the only ‘cities’ on Maui) but nothing thigh-busting. Averaging just 4% over 4.5km. The first stretch feels steeper but from then on it’s a fun road to ride. I rode with the group for the first 1.5km and then took off to chase down one of our riders that went on a flyer. I ride much faster when I have a target.

After refuelling at the top of the climb we retraced our route back towards the hotel. Again we cruised along at a nice speed, riding as a group and chatting the whole time. It’s funny how quickly the beach scenes start to all look the same while you’re riding past at 35km/h. I tried to take in as much as I could but don’t have many memories of it now…

We rolled past the hotel and continued along the coast heading for Makena. There are some folks with mega-money living in these parts! 10,000 square foot homes on the ocean – nice. Very nice.

As we neared the end of the road we stopped for some photos and conversation. It was clear that everyone enjoyed the recovery ride, and that we all needed it.

The East Maui Loop. Epic. From start to finish today was awesome. We loaded into the camp vehicles and made the half hour drive into the Upcountry (a few thousand feet up the side of Haleakala along the Kula Highway). From there we loaded up our bikes, put on our shoes and started the ride. We headed south and downhill for roughly an hour. The road surface is perfect – dry, fast, flowing. Much like a roller coaster ride. At what most folks would consider the end of the road we stopped for a refuel. This is when Donnie suggested that we only go with one water bottle until the road turns back to pavement. The road is too rough and the bottles will rattle out of the cages. He’s right. This is the beginning of the Hawaiian cobbles.

Ten miles or so of the worst road I’ve ever ridden. Seriously at what point do they decide that it makes more sense to just tear up the pavement and leave it as a gravel road? The potholes and the filled in spots are far more common than the actual paved sections. The road was so rough that my cleats shook loose from my shoe! And another rider had his DI2 connectors come loose inside his hoods. He was stuck in a really big gear for a stretch. Not pleasant on a flat road; terrible on this “road”.

Not only is the road rough it is hilly. A number of twisty steep climbs – 18% steep – made it a real challenge. And the downhill sections are no easier. Bouncing over the road surface while trying to avoid the unpatched potholes, and keep your eyeballs from bouncing out of your head is a unique challenge to say the least. But it’s one that I enjoyed much more this year than last.

Eventually the “paved” road ends and becomes a very nicely paved road… for about 500 metres. It’s at this point that a large black cow joins our peloton. Yes – a cow. He (or she) sprinted along with us for 100 metres or so before turning back to where she came from. It was surreal.

After the nice pavement stretch the road turns to a loose gravel and dirt single lane roadway. In most cases folks riding skinny-tire bikes avoid this type of road at all costs. Having ridden this route a couple of times now there really isn’t any reason to avoid it. And if you get to Maui, ride this road. (But make sure you have a support person or team with you as you are a long way from civilization. Or better yet, get Donnie and the team from Maui Cyclery.) The scenery is incredible, and the route that the road follows along the coast is amazing for cycling. We continue as a loose group through the backside of Haleakala National Park and eventually arrive in Hana. From here we follow the Hana Highway back to Paia – awesome. I felt terrific today – back on my Vitess and it made a huge difference. I rode with the pros until they dropped the hammer at the 110km mark. We had a 10 minute descent that blew my mind; I did it last year but it was raining so the experience was more one of survival than excitement. Today the roads were dry and Ryder and Tyler were lighting it up. Carving lines through the corners I didn’t think possible – but I followed anyway. Speaking with Tyler after the ride he said they were holding back because the roads are open to traffic and they are riding clinchers instead of tubulars. Pros.

Beach day! After three solid days of riding we took today off to go to the beach and work on our Stand Up Paddleboarding skills with Dave Kalama. It was an awesome day at the beach. Great weather and great waves. Ewan discovered his love of “surfing” and Leah unearthed her inner beach-babe/surfer girl. Ewan spent hours with a boogie board out in the waves by himself. Leah rode the stand up paddle board and did something I never thought I’d see – she surfed on the ama of the outrigger race canoe. (The ama is the float on an outrigger canoe.)