Hyun training in Maui

In this post, we get an update from our track cycling friend Hyun as he takes a summer break in Maui with his family. Hyun takes on his journey and experiences during 4 separate training rides in different locations on the island.

Written by Hyun Lee:

This is a little different than my last few cycling blogs which have been mostly about track cycling and how it helped me in my recovery from a major heart attack a few years ago.  Just before a little break, I ventured back into category 3 racing for keirin night.  I ended up getting third in the final which was a great result in a pretty competitive group of people, some substantively younger than me.  Pretty pleased with that.

We took a  family trip to Maui for about a week.  During our stay I rented a road bike from South Maui Cycles.  You can choose from either a carbon fiber Trek with disc brakes or an alloy Trek with rim brakes.  I chose the alloy bike which was a bit heavier but perfectly fine for me.  Due to the windy conditions and rough roads on Maui, the heavier bike worked out well.

Hyun’s aluminum frame Trek rental

Due to limited time constraints, I didn’t have time to do the epic West Maui loop or the ride up Haleakala.  My rides were limited to about two hours from Kihei so that’s what this will  cover.  Some helpful things for riding on Maui were a blinky red light for the rear of the bike and a portable headlight.  I used a GoPro Hero 10 for most of the video footage.  The Ride with GPS app was also super helpful for downloading routes created by other people into my GPS bike computer. 

Kihei to Kahalui

First thing I noticed was how hot and windy it gets in the afternoons on Maui.  There is a nice trail from Kihei to Kahalui which ends up being about 20 miles round trip.  Going north from Kihei I encountered a very hot headwind going two percent up hill for quite a while.

Maui trail from Kihei to Kahalui 20 mile round trip.

To get to the trail from Kiheil you can either take Rt 30 which has a broad shoulder but is super busy, or take South Kihei road which is also pretty busy in the afternoons.  Coming back from Kahalui on South Kihei road in the mornings is quite pretty.

Rt. 30 on Maui

Ultimately, I finally figured out that the time to start a ride on Maui is 5AM when it’s cooler and the traffic’s light.

The beautiful reward of a sunrise, one of the many gifts of a 5:00 am ride on Maui.

Kihei to Ahih Kinau

Another ~20 mile ride from Kihei was to the lava fields past Ahih Kinau.  This is actually a pretty scenic but deceptively hilly ride with several little climbs there and back that resulted in about 1000 feet of climbing.  Again, I ended up doing this ride in the afternoon which was very hot and windy for my PNW physiology.  The ride south was very scenic passing through the Wailea resorts and mansions.

Some of the beautiful scenery on Hyun’s ride

From there, you descend down toward McKenna beach park with some convenient taco and shave ice trucks along the side of the road.

Scenery and the man, the myth and the legend Hyun himself!

After the lovely mansions and the beautiful lava rock beaches, you take a few short turns and start climbing up to the lava fields.  Note: the little lava rock coves are beautiful and there was a local family swimming there but there was no parking and the road was somewhat narrow.

The ride up through the lava fields was pretty cool but the roads were super bumpy. 

Beautiful ride there but again a bit hot and windy on the way back home in the afternoon.

Kihei to Olowalu

The ride from Kihei to Olowalu was really pretty scenic as you take South Kihei Road to North Kihei Road and then H30 to Olowalu.  Having seen how busy the road gets as you get closer to the tragic Lahaina burn area, I didn’t feel comfortable going too far west. 

Hyun’s route from Kihei to Olowalu

There was a good size shoulder but some of the trucks did feel rather close.

Definitely pretty riding along the coastline and hills.

Looking across the street, I was a little nervous about how wide the bike lane was on the way home and how high the guard rails were.

From a civil engineering perspective, it was pretty impressive how they dug the highway through the mountains and had to place nets to prevent rocks from falling onto cars.  After a little tunnel where you have to hit a light to let cars know that a bicyclist is going through, it’s just a few miles to Olowalu.

The roads that used to go into Lahaina are blocked off  now to keep tourists from unnecessarily gawking at the fire damage from the 2023 fire.  It’s really tragic to see how an entire community was burned away and so many people perished.  If you were to continue on 30 west you would take the Lahaina cut off past the town down a fast descent into Kanapali to continue west.  Coming back though it’s a steep climb up to get back on 30 East.  I turned around early at Olowalu to avoid the intense traffic.

Note: on the way back East the light button at the tunnel didn’t seem to be working. 

It’s a pretty ride on the coast from Olowalu, just need to be mindful of the wind blowing and the cliffs on your right.

Kihei to Keone o’lo  (aka LaPerouse Bay)

The ride to LaPerous Bay was definitely one of the most scenic ones I did.  The ride was to La Perous Bay was one of the first rides the manager at the shop recommended.  He said ride until the road stops.  The road stopped at the gravelly lot by the bay.

Apparently, it’s an amazing place to snorkel too.  From what I understand because it’s lava rock and not sand, you need water shoes to protect your feet while you get into the water.  Something to try out for next time.  The Hawaiian name is Keone o’lo La  and was re-named after the French explorer Captain Jean Francois de Galaup, comte de La Perouse. 

It’s pretty much the same ride from Kihei to the lava fields but you just need to ride a couple more super bumpy miles to get to the gravel parking lot where the road stops.   Apparently, it’s quite the local place to go fishing.  The descent down the lava fields was pretty bumpy but a bit faster.  Overall it was 20 miles and took about an hour and a half.

Overall, Maui was a super fun place to ride.  Definitely a bit intense at times and maybe suited for more seasoned bicyclists.  Until next time, Aloha.  

Thank you Hyun for sharing these great rides and photos with us! You truly are an inspiration for all of us here at The Mountain Exp!

If you have stories and photos of experiences that showcase the benefits of getting outside, please feel free to submit them to us via TheMountainExp@Gmail.com! We’d love to hear from you and add your stories to our blog!