On the island of Maui, HI, there are at least three different rides that are extremely high on my bucket list. One of them is riding the West Maui Loop which winds around the West Maui Forest Reserve and includes one of the most breathtaking/terrifying roads I’ve ever driven in a car due to the narrow cliff side roads and massive exposure.
Another is the climb up to the top of Haleakalā, a volcano that rises from near sea level to over 10,000 feet. Only, I’ve only considered climbing it on the road that every tourist takes to the top – I didn’t even know there was a way to climb the back side of the Haleakalā on a gravel/dirt/mud road. Obviously, climbing to the top of a 10,000′ mountain from sea level means you’re at least climbing 10,000′. Now add that to the nearly 4,000′ of climbing and 60 miles of the West Maui loop to do it all in a day? That’s just insanity.
Which is exactly why it appealed to Barry Wicks who’s known for tackling some truly challenging rides. To make the trip, Barry brought along his long time friend and mentor, Erik Tonkin. The two of them saddled up on new Kona Libre DL and set out to crush all 109 miles and 16,000′ of climbing! Amazing.
