This past Saturday, once the rain passed and the streets dried, I got out for a late ride with my buddy Mario. I’m actually NOT embarrassed to say I didn’t start turning the cranks until 2:30 in the afternoon. The closer I get to retiring from my day job, that feeling keeps receding farther and farther away. I’ll be quite happy to relinquish the need to get up early.
Despite the lateness, it was a respectable ride. Around Palos Verdes, up PV Drive East to Marymount College, non-lollygagging pace the whole route, ending with java at Yellow Vase cafe in Riviera Village.
Mid-ride, I mentioned to Mario that I have a hare-brained idea.
“What?”
“Haleakala.”
“Hale-what-aka?”
“Haleakala, you know, Maui. 0 to 10,000 feet without respite. I was reading this post from 2011 on velominati.com called ‘Frank Vs. the Volcano: Haleakala Part Deux‘, it was inspirational.”
“Your initial description of the idea is apt. Why do you want to put yourself through such pain? Is it one of those Edmund Hillary things?”
I suppose that is true, it IS there to be done. Back in 2010, when I was riding Kohala Mountain Road on the big island, I could see Haleakala in the distance across the water, poking up through the clouds and taunting me, “Kohala? Come ON dude, 3500′? Puny.”
Cresting Kohala Mountain Road
Haleakala in the distance
Another factor is something I have mentioned in an earlier post – doing things now rather than later. I’m gaining years like the hairs sprouting on my ears. I can get those lasered away, but the beam doesn’t have the same effect on the clock or on the free radicals accumulating internally. I want to do it and I’m feeling like I need to do it while I can (hopefully).
Another relevant posting is my friend Padraig’s day on Haleakala earlier this year. As he writes, it is “perfect in its unremitting elevation gain…”, so if you like to climb, you must GO.
So there you have it. The Saturday ride was the H Training Prologue, ~30 miles and perhaps a thousand feet of climbing. Sunday was H Training Stage 1. ~20 solo miles with about two thousand feet of climbing. My research indicates the Haleakala climb is around 10,000′ over 35.36 miles. I have a bit of work ahead of me.
12/6 – H Training gets its own page.
This 2009 video is inspirational, but mostly humbling … last season’s Giro winner, Ryder Hesjedal, attempting to set an unofficial record for the volcano climb!
http://vimeo.com/2805838
(You can skip thru the first couple minutes of the “Garmin-Slipstream Sports” presentation.)
Humbling indeed! The only way I’ll be able to maintain that kind of cadence is using my granny gear! Thanks Tom.