Note- the following entry reflects Day 2- December 23, 2009.

It’s December 23, 2009 around 8 PM and I’m sitting in the World Famous Mountain Road Cycles in Kamuela, HI just beyond Waimea.  Owner, Matt Bisaro has been working all day repairing and assembling bikes for the locals Christmas morning gifts.  I can’t imagine anything better than finishing up one of the hardest days of riding I’ve ever faced than finding this gem bike shop on the Big Island.  Matt has a pitcher of beer ready for John and I and a couple of friends even joined us to sit around the shop and talk story.

The story behind Matt’s dream is remarkable.  This is the first full service bike shop in the area and when Matt realized the opportunity to open it the community responded like only a good bike community can.  They all pitched in.  Matt told me that he did the remodel for around $800.00.  Most of the labor, cabinetry, display units and more were donated and volunteered by bike enthusiasts that really want to lift Matt up and get a groovy bike shop in their community. You’ll have to visit Matt at the shop to really get the full vision of this classic bike shop.  It feels like a workshop because that is really what it is.  Open doors in the back allow the shop dog and Matt’s neighbors to come in and out with jokes and pleas to throw the ball (for the dog not his neighbors).  The front of the shop opens with a barn door and is more than welcoming to any level bicyclist that happens upon the shop.

In my opinion a bike shop is the hub for a biking community.  Mountain Road Cycles is exactly that.  When folks return to their home from the mainland like Hannah and her husband Alex Candelario they make their way down to the shop to support Matt, have a beer and hear tales about the ride John and I had over Kohala Mountain Road.  Turns out Alex is a bad a– sprinter for Kelly Benefit Strategies Pro Cycling Team.  They are spending a few weeks with family and taking the great ride opportunities that Big Island has to offer.  It was cool to hang with Alex and Hannah and hear about an awesome trip they just made to Zambia to deliver bicycles to folks there.  Alex’s team recently got involved with World Bicycle Relief.  Check out the their website to see a cool video of their trip.  http://www.kellybenefitstrategies.com/.  You can bet that Alex will make Mountain Road Cycles his home away from his Christmas home and I wish I could hang with these guys every night.

Mountain Road Cycles really embodies what the bicycle does for a community.  This shop which is probaly 500 square feet says we are a bike town and our community wants us here.  Right on.

Getting There

The journey to Mountain Road Cycles made it so special.  I started the day with a quick break down of my camp at Spencers Beach Park in Kawaihae.  John met me to relive me of the trailer and other gear so that we could ride without the extra load.  At this point i guessed that we would be hitting some pretty heavy climbs.  After a power breakfast at Harbor View Grill (fyi- breakfast potatoes are great but these were deep fried and resisting the heavy load was really hard for me).  I headed out for Hawi by myself with a leisurely ride while I waited for John to bomb back down and catch up with me. The climb out of Kawaihae was steady, rolling and pretty pleasant.

John caught me as we were about to make the final climb into Hawi.  I hadn’t planned to go to Hawi on this trip but John assured me that I would love the scenery and the coffee break would be perfect.  And, one of only three statues of Kamehameha I is nearby indicating his birthplace.  So we couldn’t miss this opportunity.

John and I grabbed some coffee in Hawi at the Kohala Coffee Mill.  Hawi is a great place to check out when you’re out for a day ride.  The street is busy with tourists, local businesses and little cafes.  It’s the kind of place where traffic slows down and pedestrians take over.  I could have sat there all day but John had other plans for me.  We needed to find the Kohala Mountain Road access point and start climbing.  Boy I couldn’t wait for that.

After a quick U-turn and some helpful directions that we offered to a family from Japan  that were looking for the Kamehameha Statue we took a left and headed straight up the hill. I actually chatted with the daughter in the coffee shop and joked with her that she was following me when they asked for directions just a few miles later.

Anyway, John’s legs were super strong and he kept a steady pace the whole time.  I on the other hand was suffering from what some might call the bicycle blues.  In other words, I started complaining and whining and let my head get in the way of the work in front of me.  John was super patient as I repeated that I wasn’t prepared and was going to need the whole day.  Now before you stop reading and figure me to be a big giant baby realize that this was a very hard climb and I had slept on the ground the night before after a 40 mile ride and most importantly, I’m not in touring shape.  That said, I finally pulled some guts out of my stomach and put the work in to muscle up the hill.  The climb was around 10 miles and went from around 500 feet to 3,500 feet with very little relief from the climb.  I’ve climbed with friends in Tahoe many times.  Those hills had nothing on Kohala Mountain Road.  I dare you to check it out.  My tip- make sure you’re mentally ready and just suck it up and get to work.

After the summit you hit 35- 40 miles an hour on the way down.  The classic ride descent of around 9 miles takes little more than 15 minutes.  4 hours climbing and 15 minutes down.  Touring isn’t fair, it’s just like living.  You have to find a way to recognize that the trip down was a chance to cool off, get your butt out of the saddle, catch your breath and finally realize that you just beat a mountain that many if not most people would never even think to try.  At the bottom of hills like Kohala Mountain Road are places like Mountain Road Cycles.  A place where you can relive your ride with new friends, gain their respect and down a beer or two to rid the taste of bugs and dirt.  Speaking of beer, we also grabbed a pint from Rachel at Big Island Brew Haus.

I ended my night in Waimea with my new friends the Bells.  Jim, Celeste and Alex.  Thanks you guys for putting me up, feeding me some great chili, offering me a shower and soft bed and understanding when I crashed out super early.  Your home was warm and I enjoyed being there with you.

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