# 6 months to Haleakala



## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

OK, its approx 6 months to the first week in April 2014. My wife and I are going to Maui and Kaui'i for our anniversery. We would like to climb Haleakala on bikes. I believe the distance is 36 - 38 miles with an average grade of 5.1 % to 10,000ft. We are going to do a tour with one of the local cycle businesses and they have a 6 hour cut off to do the ride. I'm thinking we should be able to do it under 5 hrs. That gives us 8 mph average over the 5 hrs, give or take.

I been an enthusiast for 10 yrs, but never raced. I average 190 w for an hour on a trainer. 
My wife has been riding for 10 months but has completed a century and I have tortured her on 50 + mile rides with 3 - 4K elevation gain. She can maintain a 160 w average for an hour on a trainer.

I am thinking maybe finding 20 watts each over 6 months of training. Is that realistic and what/where would we find a good training resource to accomplish our goals??

Todd


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I think you could probably achieve that, but I don't have any specific training advice. Actually, I think you could do the ride right now, assuming you can maintain close to that power level for the time required. I did the ride about 11 years ago (in my early 50's) in the winter (and at the low point in the yearly fitness curve) and I managed without any special training regimen. It's long, of course, but the grade is almost constant -- only a few short sections that are a little steeper (and kind of a kicker near the top).

Is there a particular reason you're doing it with a touring company? Maybe you like having a group, but it's not really necessary to have support for this ride (you can't get lost, and you don't need a sag wagon if you bonk, since you can always turn around and coast down).

Do you live and train at low altitude? If so, be aware that the altitude will be a significant factor. I've lived at sea level for some years now, but I grew up at 5,000 feet, and I re-adapt to altitude quickly, but above 8,000 feet I was feeling it. 

Don't forget to bring sunscreen to re-apply when you sweat it off, or the tropical high-altitude sun will get you (my nose was blistered).

Are you bringing your own bikes, or renting? Either way, think about gearing. Since it's not so steep, you might think you can get away with moderate gearing, but the unrelenting length wll change that. I ride a lot of short steep grades around my home (some 15% and more), and I manage with 39x26 low gear. But on Maui I was very grateful that my rented bike had a triple.

Enjoy. It is an absolutely spectacular place. You'll feel like you're riding to the top of the world.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Initially, I wanted to do the ride myself. My wife then suggested we do it together but she would prefer to do it supported. I figured what the heck, if my wife was willing to grind up Haleakala with me, we could do it with a group ( for a few extra dollars of course). 

We ride in small mountains in central VA., 500 - 3600ft. Can be a bit brutal if you ride 50 - 100 miles, constantly up and down between the elevation. That still won't prepare us for lower oxygen levels above 5000ft.

We are going to rent bikes, carbon fiber frames with compact cranks and 12 - 30 cassettes. 

My goal is to get us in good enough shape so we make the 6 hour cut off comfortably and not be completely exhausted at the top.

Todd


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Sounds like you have a good plan.



> My goal is to get us in good enough shape so we make the 6 hour cut off comfortably and _not be completely exhausted at the top_.


I'd change that last part to "and still feel good enough to enjoy the descent."

One more great thing about this ride is that when you wake up the next day, tired and sore, you're still on Maui!. You go lie in the sun on the beach, and life is good.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

I have the Hawaiian version of "Maui Rules To Live By" directly in front of me at my work desk.
I used to have a T-shirt with "Hawaiian Rules To Live By" that I picked up at the Honolulu Stadium swap meet one Saturday morning when we lived on O'ahu. 2014 will 20 yrs since we moved back to the mainland. On really cold, nasty winter days I really envie Ryder Hesjedal. (He does his winter training on Maui)

Todd


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

This is one of those situations where strava is your friend. Strava Segment | Haleakala "World's Longest Paved Climb"

625 people have done the climb in under 6 hours, the vast majority of posted rides on Strava. Of those approaching 6 hours, plenty did it at an average of under 200 watts. 

As with most training, specificity is key. Since you won't have regular time or access to climb 36 miles, the key is long chunks of time sub threshold at tempo and SST. Build that ability to go hard for a long time. Do long rides when you can, but 5 one hour rides will be more useful that 1 five hour ride. Threshold and VO2 work will help a little bit but generally you should never be going that hard during this event. Look at the types of training ironman and HIM triathletes do, this is a similar effort. 

The most important thing will end up being weight. If you and your wife are getting a couple months out from the event and getting nervous, consider deliberately losing 3-4% of your bodyweight. Power to weight will trump all else and spending a couple months losing weight will add up to real minutes on this climb.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Ok, so progressively longer times of sub threshold tempo and SST, that's kind of the direction I thought we should go.

Both my wife and I are fairly lean now, I lost 3 lbs over the spring/summer training for a 5 day 350 mile self guided bike tour, my wife told me I looked gaunt. She got really lean training for her first century, so losing 3 - 4 % of our individual body mass is probably too much for us. 

I have found in the past that my body has a fat/caloric equilibrium that if I get too lean I feel like crap all the time.. probably over training and not eating enough at the right times. 
I suspect if we slowly ramp up our weekly riding what subcutaneous fat we do have will be burned off. 

Thanks for the tips,

Todd


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## kmak (Sep 5, 2011)

Depends on how much you weigh. Go to Bike Calculator to get an estimate of how much power you need to put out to make the time cutoff. 
190 watts for one hour is one thing, doing it for five hours is a completely different game.

And I would not ignore doing 3+ hour training rides. I think they are important when you are targeting a five hour effort.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Absolutely, I think training 3 - 4 hrs once a week for 3 weeks per cycle (plus additional training) will put me at the 4 hr (give or take) ascend time. Coincidentally, based upon my wifes current ability and her target fitness we should both be able to ascend Haleakala at roughly the same pace.(give or take of course). 
Of course losing 3 - 4 % total body mass depends upon current weight. I'm 5' 8" and 147lbs, if I lost 4% over 6 months that would put me at 141 and looking like a world class tri athlete Nah too skinny for me. It's not like I'm a professional ... I am doing this for fun.


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## farva (Jun 24, 2005)

Great route - one of my favorites. If u have a garmin or similar, then maybe just take a look at the vertical rate per hr you can easily maintain on the longest local climbs u have. Averaging 1750' to 2000' an hr will get u to the top of the big volcano in under 6 hrs. As previously mentioned, this road is well engineered. The climbing is at a very consistent & efficient grade the entire way. Just bring an iPod 

Personally I'd skip the guided tour. It's nothing more than a long paved road to follow. No need to open your wallet to ride their rules in exchange for a few drinks & sandwiches. There may also be other clients which may create an undesired competitive component to your anniversary ride w/wife. You'll never hear the end of it if u end up dropping your wife to chase Bob from Nebraska


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

I have a Garmin, I can maintain 2500' to 2700' per hour over 45 minutes (the longest climb I have access to) at my current level of fitness. I agree about the supported ride, although I think my wife has a notion that I may end up dropping her to chase Bob from Nebraska, that's why she wants the group support. 

Ipod.. good idea, thanks.


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## farva (Jun 24, 2005)

You should be fine then. Sometimes it's the un acclimated super fit guys who end up with altitude sickness since they can ascend so fast. Seen this plenty of times on Mt Evans. Best to keep a moderate pace & enjoy the climb. Personally I don't get why guys duke it out with strangers on a once in a lifetime ride. You end up missing everything in exchange for a tunnel vision KOM slugfest. No one cares about average joe's best time on Haleakala anyway.

Have fun


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

farva said:


> You should be fine then. Sometimes it's the un acclimated super fit guys who end up with altitude sickness since they can ascend so fast. Seen this plenty of times on Mt Evans. Best to keep a moderate pace & enjoy the climb. Personally I don't get why guys duke it out with strangers on a once in a lifetime ride. You end up missing everything in exchange for a tunnel vision KOM slugfest. No one cares about average joe's best time on Haleakala anyway.
> 
> Have fun


Yeah, no worries about me racing up that hill in under 2 1/2 hours.. I'm really excited about the ride. Maybe I'll update our training progress in a month or two and/or write a short bit about the ride itself.

Fun will be had.

T


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

Flexnuphill said:


> Absolutely, I think training 3 - 4 hrs once a week for 3 weeks per cycle (plus additional training) will put me at the 4 hr (give or take) ascend time. Coincidentally, based upon my wifes current ability and her target fitness we should both be able to ascend Haleakala at roughly the same pace.(give or take of course).
> Of course losing 3 - 4 % total body mass depends upon current weight. I'm 5' 8" and 147lbs, if I lost 4% over 6 months that would put me at 141 and looking like a world class tri athlete Nah too skinny for me. It's not like I'm a professional ... I am doing this for fun.


I'm sure you could lose the 5 pounds no problem but you're probably already skinny enough. Thats the problem with giving general advice on the internet, theres no way of knowing if you're 147 lbs or 247 lbs.


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## Barefootcarpentr (Apr 29, 2010)

Hope the shutdown is over before your ride in April. We knew the park would be closed, but thought we could enjoy a ride to the park entrance at 6700' with little or no traffic.


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## King Arthur (Nov 13, 2009)

Good luck this is a really cool climb, and the view to spectacular!


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## Squeegy200 (Dec 1, 2005)

My wife and I did this back in 2007. We took our own bikes. Having to adjust fit on a rental bike that we were unfamiliar with on a 5+ hour climb was a concern. Something to consider

We trained each weekend on the mountains in SoCal -- 5000' altitude at 6-7% for eight months. My wife is not a climber so she had to condition herself for the extended climb

Some considerations:
There is no support on this route. A group supported ride will take care of this issue. If not you have to bring your own food and water. Tools in case of mechanicals will also be an issue if no SAG vehicle present. 

Once you get into the park, there is a ranger station/gift shop that you have to pay entrance fee. There are bathrooms there. the only other rest rooms will be at the very top. 

The weather conditions at the bottom are very different than at the very top. So you may start hot and humid and end up in rainy cold and dark conditions at the top. For self support we brought cold weather gear when nearing the top. The extra gear does add to the challenge of the ride. Again a SAG vehicle would eliminate this challenge. 

My wife trained on SoCal mountains every week. But she's not a climber and the journey to the top took us 9 hours. We stopped often for breaks and for occasional mechanical issues. Some suggested above 7000', to lower air pressure in our tires. 

The descent at altitude can be cold, wet, and depending on time of year --very dark. SO illumination and visibility may be a factor too. Some of the roads back to Piaia are with cars on narrow roads and it is VERY DARK if the sun goes down on your descent. It's not a very challenging descent and very uninteresting. I mention this because after several hours in the saddle, you may simply want a SAG vehicle to take you off the mountain. The gratification is in the climb. 

Tradition starts in village of Piaia (Sea level) then climb to the top. In doing so, I am told this is the only place on planet Earth where one can climb from 0 to 10000 on the same road. 

I hope that helps.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

I have to disagree with skipping the descent. Descending back down was the most fun I may have ever had on a bicycle. The views were spectacular and you're basically going as fast as traffic so there are not a lot of passing cars. Any downhill MTBers are easy to pass. I'd recommend a wind breaker and light gloves for the first 4000 feet of descent.

For me the last 1000 vertical feet uphill were torture. I was in the 34x25 going maybe 5mph. It's really not possible to acclimate to the altitude because you're likely staying at the beach.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Thanks for the encouragement. I hope the Gov't shut down has ended by next April as well.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Thanks for the insight Squeegy200. My wife is not a climber either but she is determined as heck to make a good effort. I think if I can get her to my approx current level of cycling fitness she'll do just fine. 

We both are running 34 x 30 gearing at the moment and I have no problem (other than the usual suffering) at a 6% grade for 45 minutes using 34 x 26. The rentals have the exact setup so I'm thinking 34 x 30 and 6 months of training should get us up the hill in reasonable form.

Every account I've read has mentioned the last 1000 vert feet. Sounds like we will be saying the same thing to our cycling friends as we talk about the ride. 

I too am looking forward to both the ascent and descent. I have been up and down the mountain in the drivers seat of a car and basically missed everything there is to see. Part of the beauty of cycling for me is that I get to travel slow enough to smell the roses.... the dead skunks,deer and squirrels.

T


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## Gary Tingley (Mar 15, 2004)

Racing this in 2008, it took just over 3 hours. The more difficult aspect was the non stop climbing, the gradients and thin air at the summit were also noticeable.

Training: gradually upping the mileage, incorporate the longest climbs you can find. Work to get comfortable staying seated for extended climbs. Mix in as much high L3 tempo work as you can successfully recover from. Let me know if you need any direct advice on the climb strategy.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Hello Gary,

So I'm thinking 4 - 5 hours maybe 5 1/2. I have a plan to gradually up the milage to a mountainous century. I have done half of my mountainous century in 2 1/2 hours with a 10 min pee and snack stop. The best climb I have is one that averages 6 % over 5.5 miles, I have to ride 22 miles over several shorter but steeper grades to get to this one. 
I have no doubt this will be a challenge, I would really like to peak as close to the ride as best I can without burning myself out. Neither my wife or I are spring chickens so I'm finding that I don't recover as fast as I used to from a really hard effort.

As we get closer to the date I'll give you a shout for extended climbing tips.

Thanks 

T


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## Gary Tingley (Mar 15, 2004)

That's a doable time - note to pace it at the start, it is a long ride and only gets more difficult near the summit when the cover is reduced and wind picks up, air is thin


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## CHT (Mar 1, 2001)

I did this ride in August, starting in Paia and going to the summit and then back to Paia. It sounds like you have a good plan. Having done it "guided" (the quotes are intentional) it's definitely a ride you can do unsupported so long as you stock some bars and supplemental water. There are enough stops to fill your bottles, and at least one food stop. I'm not sure who you are using, but I would ask some detailed questions about what kind of support they provide. No bicycle tour company is permitted to past 6700 feet where the gatehouse is located. The guide I was with did not provide much insight to the area and climb, and dropped me off at the gate. The remainder of the ride up and the descent back I was on my own. Also, does the 6 hour cut off include coming back down to Paia. The descent can take from 1-1.5 hours. Knowing what I know now, I would have done it unsupported and just carried what I needed. I used them because it was very cheap and my week long rental was from the same shop. The support with respect to food, flat repair, etc., was nice to have, but not an absolute necessity. For the descent, it does get very cold and often wet (from the clouds). A windbreaker and knee/leg warmers is highly recommended. Training-wise, I didn't really train for the ride as this was toward the end/peak of my racing season and I had substantial miles at elevation in my legs. As mentioned by others, there is no killer grade, although the last pitch after the main parking lot is a little painful. However, it's essentially straight up from Paia to the summit, so keep the pace steady and sustainable. If you feel good, there is always opportunity towards the end to kick it into high gear. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Hello CHT,

I did not know the guides dropped you off at the gate, very useful infor. My wife may change her mind about guidance if they only take you up the easiest 2/3rds of the ride.

From my understanding, the six hour cut off is ascend time so six hours would be plenty of time to ride 6700 ft. 

Theoretically, I am in the build phase of training, almost funny though, I am currently battling the flu. My body has been suffering on the couch and in bed, not on my bike.


T


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## CHT (Mar 1, 2001)

Flexnuphill said:


> Hello CHT,
> 
> I did not know the guides dropped you off at the gate, very useful infor. My wife may change her mind about guidance if they only take you up the easiest 2/3rds of the ride.T


The gatehouse rule is relatively new. Apparently there was a death of a cyclist coming down with one of the tour companies that just takes you down. They couldn't just ban those tour companies, so all tour companies were banned. Some tour companies going up may still try and and go through if they are not known to the parks personnel so I would ask.


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## trener1 (Jan 22, 2004)

I'll add my 2 cents....
I did this ride back in March, I was debating weather to do it along or with a company, at first I was going to do it with a company but at the end I changed my mind and decided to go it alone, I lucked out as I just happened to bump into another guy in the parking lot that was also getting ready to ride, so we ended up riding together (more or less), and then we picked up a 3rd rider at the park entrance/rest area so we had our own little trio going.
Having said all that, if your wife wants to guide and that will make it more enjoyable for her then it's worth the money just for that, however be sure to make sure that they can get to the top, if like someone else mentioned they stop at 6700 feet then I wouldn't think it's worth it. I think the tours offer 4 things, Camaraderie on the ride, Food, carrying your warm clothes (for the descent) to the top and some piece of mind if you have a mechanical. From my experience I would say that the food part is totally not needed, as there is a really nice deli at about 3k feet that you could stop at, grab a sandwich, Gatorade, energy bars etc... and you can refill your bottles at the park entrance at 6700k so as long as your fill your pockets with enough bars/gels you are totally fine, I think for the other 3 things it could be nice to pay someone for those, especially for the warm clothes, trust me you will want to have lots of it at the top.
Jacket, Long finger gloves, knee warmers etc.. but if the van doesn't go to the top then it's tough to justify the cost.


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## sneakyracer (Dec 1, 2007)

Flexnuphill said:


> I have a Garmin, I can maintain 2500' to 2700' per hour over 45 minutes (the longest climb I have access to) at my current level of fitness. I agree about the supported ride, although I think my wife has a notion that I may end up dropping her to chase Bob from Nebraska, that's why she wants the group support.
> 
> Ipod.. good idea, thanks.


You should have no problem doing the climb. At 147 lbs. and with a VAM in the high 700 range that should put you in the 4 hour in saddle time + 1 hour accumulated total time in stops = 5 hour total time. I would use 39-28 minimum gearing for a climb like that since I am sure there are sections well over 7% and in such a long climb it's best to have easier gears just in case. 

I weight 192 lbs and I can do a 700 vam sustained but I have to produce a lot more power to do that you have a really good weight for climbing as is.

You should be good by doing 4 hour rides at good tempo.


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## mauiguy (Sep 7, 2011)

I live on Maui and thought I would throw my two cents in, I just skimmed the other responses so please excuse me if this has already been mentioned. I have climbed the crater over 20 times with times ranging from 5:03 as an untrained cyclist to 3:20 after 6 months of coaching. I have worked as a guide taking tours up. and done the climb by myself, and with friends. The following is what I have learned and think is important:

Bike Setup:

compact gearing 34, 28 at least. Shimano makes a 12-30 rear cassette which will work with a med cage deriallier on most brands.
If you can bring your bike great if not at least bring your seat and pedals and accurate measurments to get the rental as close as possible to your current setup.

Timing:

This is really important, most days the crater is sunny and clear in the morning but starts to cloud in and get windy by lunch time. starting early gives you a much better chance of getting good weather and believe me it sucks riding up in the clouds with a light rain taking precious energy away when you need it most. If you are going to rent get the bike the afternoon before so you can start early! Guided rides meet at the shop at 8:30 but in my experience by the time you actually start it's at least 9:15 or later depending on how many people they have to get setup. 

Nutrition:

I usually figure on 6 bottles. If you are unsupported you can get water at kula lodge just bellow crater road turnoff and then at 6600 at visiter center. Personally I like to have some electrolytes and calories in my bottles. skratch makes some nice single serving packets. bring more bars than you think I almost always wish I had more by about 8000 ft. a few gels for the last push seem to work well for me.

Clothing:

I have lived on Maui for twenty years and may be a bit of a whimp when it comes to the cold... If you are a skinny bike rider like me, 50 degree with 25 mile an hour wind chill means brrr. If you get caught in the misty clouds or rain it's even colder. Going up regular bibs and short sleeve jersey are fine. my toes get cold and i will put on toe warmers above 6500 if i am not in a hurry. For the decent I add leg warmers, arm warmers long fingered gloves and a balaklava (did I mention I hate being cold?)

Ride plan:

You should think of the ride in four parts. Paia to crater road, crater road to park entrance and entrance to summit and finally the decent. It is important to pace yourself, if you go hard up to crater road you will pay big time near the top. Crater road to the park entrance is the steepest part. The top third is less steep but the air is thinner. The decent can be just as hard as going up. I actually prefer to get a ride down to 6000 then ride the rest of the way. Hands get sore from braking and my neck can get quite painful, maybe from the angle?

If you are in shape, take your time, and start early I'm sure you will make it! If you have any questions feel free to PM me

Aloha!
Pete


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Aloha Pete,

Wow, thanks for the insight. My wife and I are training ourselves so we are looking for an ascent time between the 3 and 5 hours. 

The shop we are renting from has 34/ 28 -30 gearing, we both ride the same configuration here in Central Virginia. Although we don't have a 10K feet to ascend we have what feels like endless hills that roll up and down between 500 to 3.5K feet. Our goal, before we make our way to Maui, is 100 miles in 5 1/2 - 6 hours with a total ascent of 8K feet, that's as good as it gets here. 

I read your post to my wife, she laughed when you mentioned your dislike of being cold, she can empathize. While we were living in Honolulu, she was the only mainlander I knew who had to wear an evening sweater during the 'winter' season.

The information I have been given by people, including yourself, here has been very helpful. We are slowly ramping up our endurance and power and gettting more excited as the time passes. 

We plan on enjoying the ride, and the rest of our time on Maui.

Mahalo,

Todd


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## Airpoppoff (Apr 25, 2013)

Most of you unsupported ride with a backpack with your cold weather gear? I'm thinking of doing that with 100oz reservoir and using that. I usually hate having a pack on but in this ride I think it is required!


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## farva (Jun 24, 2005)

u can get water at the visitor center about half way up


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

*Training for Haleakala*

So my wife and I are into six of an eleven week trainerroad.com program.
I choose a program that was intended to improve endurance and FTP for an advanced century. I reasoned training for a distance 2 1/2 longer than our intended goal would get us in reasonable condition to tackle 38 miles at a 5.2 % grade. 

Having never trained like this, I can say 36 minutes of over and unders (OUs) are a heck of a lot harder than anything else I have ever tried. We are using a KK trainer and it makes any climb I've ever done in the Blue Ridge/Skyline Drive seem like a walk in the park. I've noticed slow and steady improvements in the power we can maintain over longer periods of time... although it burns like hell. The upside of course is I dropped another pound and I'm eating like a horse.

Tonight I'm doing OUs for another 40 minutes for a total ride time of an hour. 
I have found that I feel better in the morning but my legs are trashed for the day. When I train in the evening, I find the day has already tired me out so my motivation is low. The upside to spinning at night is I get to fall in bed an hour or so afterward. 

I think using the Trainerroad program has given us a challenge and a goal that will help with our ride. I am very curious to see how we do on the mountain.

T


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## evs (Feb 18, 2004)

Dude, you better take pics when you get to the top ;-) or it didn't happen.


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## Airpoppoff (Apr 25, 2013)

I'd like to shed some light on this this thread after reading every post I decided to do it unsupported also. I completed the climb two weeks ago and would like to add a couple of things. 

*Me & Training:* 29/175lbs/5'10", I love food, beer, and cycling, so I'm not in "super shape" I started Cycling in Feb of 2013 and my biggest ride was 116ish miles and roughly 8k vert (but this was in August also). I live in Eastern Washington where the hills are a plenty, but our riding season really ends in October so I had not ridden at all between October and January. In Jan I started riding a trainer at least 4 times a week in the garage following a couple of Youtube videos but never more than an hour really. Also did some light core exercises because I got a beer belly and my back hurts after a while in the saddle. 

*Trip: *I brought my own bike, instead of renting. A guy that I met up with rented a bike for one day just do the climb. I arrived in Paia at 7am and headed up, sun pretty much the whole way. Stopped at Kula Lodge (13 miles and 3,000ft) in, had a snack, drank some water and went up. Once you get into the switchbacks around 4k that to me was the steepest part, I was doing avg 5-6mph this part, but its more like 7% compared to the rest. Stopped at the visitors center at 7,000 feet (25 miles in) and got more water, had a bar and a break still pacing myself but felt pretty good. Headed for the top and made it in a total of 4:45 minutes Moving time (5:24 with stops). Near the visitors center at the top there was a very strong headwind, the small part when you go up to the observatory the wind was blowing straight through there at my face and I almost fell off the bike going so slow I had to walk til around the corner and hop back on for the last stretch. Ya I walked 100 feet, but I made it! Decent took 1:15 minutes and the wind held me from going much faster, did not have to use the brakes that much. 


*Gear: *I had a good day with minimal clouds on the way up (forecast said increasing clouds later) and rode up in jersey and shorts putting sunblock on every stop and was fine. At the top I threw on a jacket, toe warmers, and long gloves. The ride down from 10k to 7k was pretty damn cold, I wish I'd had my leg warmers and arm warmers at the time, but I dont think it was worth packing them. Took the jacket back off around 3k. I used 6 water bottles for the entire trip like someone else mentioned in here. 

*Road: *The road from 0-7k is perfect, wide shoulders, smooth, its in great condition minus a small stretch up to Makawao where its a little bumpy. 7-9k is pretty good too, its just more packed rougher gravel style road inside the park. From 9-10 the road is pretty beat up, not really alot of smooth running here, I noticed myself riding in one of the car tracks (where it was smooth) instead of the side, which there are not really sides anyways so what matters right. 










Anyways, hope this helps some, A+ would do again!


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Oh hell yeah I'm taking pictures! We both have power meters, so when we get home I'm downloading the rides on the respective software each power meter uses. 

The second week we are on Kaui'i, we are going to hike the Na'pali coast trail and camp overnight, that's an eight hour hike in and out. With 30lbs of crap on our backs, I have a feeling the hike is going to be tougher than the ride. 

T


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

Excellent effort dude, congratulations, thanks for the very valuable insight.

We had what I thought was a good base by the end of December so I decided to try a self motivated training program. I'm tracking our ride data, we seem to be getting stronger by the numbers and by the way we feel at the beginning of eack week, the real test of course will be the ride.

Again, thanks for the info.

T


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## Airpoppoff (Apr 25, 2013)

Flexnuphill said:


> Excellent effort dude, congratulations, thanks for the very valuable insight.
> 
> We had what I thought was a good base by the end of December so I decided to try a self motivated training program. I'm tracking our ride data, we seem to be getting stronger by the numbers and by the way we feel at the beginning of eack week, the real test of course will be the ride.
> 
> ...


I think for your power output, and what you've said I don't think it will be a problem at all. 

Thing that wore me out the most was worrying about it lol.


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## evs (Feb 18, 2004)

Airpoppoff, great job, good info...
and you took a pic :thumbsup: Need more though. Flexnuphill, keep training. you're almost there. Wow, that's quite the hike with that gear. Never mind the 8 hours. It should be quite the scenery. I hope you post up a nice ride report with some cool pics of your trip. Sounds like a fun ride up that you have planned. Good luck, have fun and stay with the little lady.


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## rose.johnp (Jul 20, 2011)

Hey Flex, I see you posted this in October, your ride should be coming up. I've ridden up Haleakala 3 times. The first time for training for a annual race called Cycle to the Sun. I'm not sure if that's the ride you're doing or not. But it was a lot of fun each year. They have great volunteers every 8 miles are so for support. Riders are NOT allowed to ride their bikes back down. It's very dangerous with all the riders coming up, and the roads are not closed either. The first time I rode up for training, I was extremely tired from riding back down- having to brake on each switch back all the way down (I think there's like 30+ switch backs).
Enjoy the ride! Think about bringing layers for when you get higher in altitude (I suggest a wind breaker jacket or at least sleeves). The first year I rode up, it was beautiful, no layering required. The last year I rode up, it was FREEZING! High winds, it was like 40 degrees. Very cold up top (considering is was a mild 78 degrees when we started). Good Luck!


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

OK, so we have 10 days left of training and I feel tired. We used a high intensity short duration program that had us peak 2 weeks ago. We are both maintaining and tapering down a bit to rest up for the ride itself. I'm going to try 3 more spin sessions before we leave then maybe an hour or so on Maui, but that depends upon how we both feel. I'm listening to my body now and it's telling me to slow down and rest. We are not going improve our fitnes any more in the next two weeks to make any real difference.

We are getting excited, the weather here in Central Virginia has basically sucked all winter. We've had 4 maybe 5 snow storms and cold freaking temperatures for the last 2 months, tropical weather and riding outside, (not spinning to nowhere) will be welcomed break. 

Thanks for the tips John, I plan on writing a brief follow up when we get back. 

T


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## rose.johnp (Jul 20, 2011)

How did it go? Any pics?


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## Zampano (Aug 7, 2005)

Good going and good luck!





mauiguy said:


> I live on Maui and thought I would throw my two cents...




mauiguy, how long for your recovery for back to back climbs?


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

OK

I made it. Time on the bike was 5 hours. I took longer than I wanted because I was conservative with my effort, I really wanted to make it to the top. I drank 6 bottles of water and ate a lot of freakin food, actually I ran out of food by the time I reached the top. I met a gentleman from Cape Cod who finished the ride 15 minutes before me and was kind enough to give me a couple of handfulls of trail mix for the way down. 

Here's what I learned about me and Haleakala:

I had some left at the end, so I would like to do ride again and push myself harder. I would choose a better (warmer) time of the year to try again. Sonny, (man from cape Cod) and I tried to ride back down but only made it to the visitors center. We hit a wall of water at about 8000ft and by the time we made it to the visitors center, we were in the beginning stages of hypothermia. I called my wife and she made her way up the hill took us back down to Paia. 

I would train a bit differently to do it again. I'd have better strength base and more hours at 70 % effort. I understand why people do it more than once, the first time you get an idea what it takes to survive the effort, the second time you train your butt off and bust it getting to the top. 

The experience was fun, I would do it again, given the opportunity.

I was so wrapped up in the ride I only had one picture taken, the one that matters, I'll post as soon as I can.


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## Airpoppoff (Apr 25, 2013)

Awesome job man!


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

Did your wife do it with you? Or did I imagine that part?


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## Flexnuphill (May 20, 2013)

She made it the Rangers station and bowed out. She was very disappointed that she couldn't finish. She said she didn't have the legs, I think it was her head that kept her from finishing. According to her she didn't sleep much the night before (anxiety) . I think if she would have slept as well as I did she would have made it. After 7 hours of blissful sleep I knew I was ready.









Here I am in all my Haleakala glory.

T


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## Zampano (Aug 7, 2005)

Awesome! Now you'll have to plan a future expedition to give her the chance to reach the top.


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