Tier 2 - The Loop - West Maui Loop

Panorama of a little scenic point North of Waihee along Hwy 340

Next up on my to-do's list was to bike the West Maui Loop. When Brian and I drove the loop a day before in the clockwise direction, we noticed a few blind turns as the road narrows to a single lane for both directions.  It's about a 100km loop and can be done in both CW and CCW directions.

A jurassic park ride feel with long grass
brushing the car

I elected to follow the majority of the cyclists we saw during the drive and go in the CCW direction. If you start near Lahaina, a CCW loop means you can get all the boring flat stuff out of the way and finish with the best parts of the ride. The turns in general would be wider and provide a greater sighting distance when turning, however you'll run the small risk of falling over the cliff-side. The climbs are also slightly less steeper than in the CW direction. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad as it was quite the brake and turn exercise, and I was quick on my ears and fingers to react for any sudden turns and oncoming traffic. I briefly touched my rims at one point and they were as hot as molten lava (haha maybe not quite but still lots of braking and turning). The ride truly was spectacular!

There was also on-going construction during the weekdays with sections of the loop being closed. I managed to sneak this ride in on a Sunday luckily and really glad I did otherwise I would had missed out (insert ... discovery channel life/death gloomy background sound effects). 

Lovely weather and mostly smooth roads (despite the picture).

The folks at West Maui Cycles prepared an excellent bike for me. I fitted a little gopro cam for some highlights of ride which can seen below.

This gem. Specialized Roubaix

The north sections of the ride was where the adventure begins. Very rugged with many ups and downs. Approx. 26 degrees C. 65% humidity.

I managed to do the entire ride with three bottle of liquids and maybe a couple jels. 

A handy reference I used: http://www.bikemaui.com/west-maui-loop.php 



West Maui Loop from Winston Guo on Vimeo.