Cycle To The Sun

Ride The Steepest Paved Road On Earth

Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 6:30 AM

 

An Epic Ride Against The Clock

From Sea Level To The Summit of Maui's Haleakala Volcano: 36 miles, 10,000 Feet

2009 Cycle To The Sun

Gallery of Speed 

(click on thumbnail to view)

 

    Ray Brust, Winner

 

 

    Gabriela McClure, Fastest Female

 

 

    Jeff Soulier, Fastest From Maui

    

 

Kris Berens, Fastest Female From Maui

 

 

 

 

Cyclists enjoy a common bond. We all appreciate certain legendary aspects of our sport; the lucky among us get to experience some of them....

On the island of Maui, 3000 miles west of the US Mainland, there exists a legendary ride which starts in a beachside town called Pa'ia and climbs 36 miles to the summit of Haleakala Volcano, Hawai'i's sacred House of the Sun, at over 10,000 feet altitude. The ride starts a block from hot, windy Baldwin Beach, climbs through the cool, grassy meadows and bronco-busting pastures of an area known as Upcountry, and finishes in chilly temperatures amongst a moonscape of volcanic rock in a section of Haleakala National Park known as Sliding Sands. If the weather at the summit is clear, riders can see 5 other Hawai'ian islands as they finish: Moloka'i, Lana'i, Kaho'olawe, Molokini, and Hawai'i Island.

Once a year, this ride becomes an individual and collective test against the clock known as Cycle To The Sun. Riders come to Maui from around the world to test their skills at Maui's The House of the Sun. Do you dare to take the challenge?

Quotes from past participants

"The ultimate challenge for a cyclist"

"The best ride of my life"

"The most insane thing I've ever tried"

"I can't wait to tell the guys back home"

"I can't wait to tell the girls back home"

"I can't wait to tell my father. But once I do, I bet he'll come out here next year and beat my time"

"After challenging this mountain, I now understand love/hate relationships"

"Up around 7500 feet, I was loving all the hard training I've done this summer. By 9000 feet, I was regretting I didn't train a little harder."

"Unforgettable. The ultimate cycling rush"