Newformants in the saddle
Of all the bicycle rides Newforma people enjoyed this summer, Jim Forester and Todd Kozikowski had two of the more amazing experiences. Here are their words and pictures.
Jim Forester: riding up a 10,000-foot Hawaiian volcano
Haleakalā is a shield volcano that forms more than 75 percent of the Hawaiian island of Maui. Here are photos with narrative by Newforma's Jim Forester, who biked 90 miles from the sea to the summit this summer.
"Here’s my foot in the Pacific Ocean at sea level at the start of my ride in Kihie, Maui. You have to start with your foot in the water or it’s not an ‘official’ climb!"
"This is riding up the Haleakala Highway (at the left) leaving the valley floor. Note the green sugar cane stalks at the right, bent at about 45 degrees due to the wind: I’m in the lowest gear I’ve got going up this hill into the headwind. Off to the left are the trade winds dumping on the windward side of the island, where the road takes me later at about 6500 feet."
"And at 2000 feet of elevation it doesn’t look much closer… The countryside is awesome and it’s about here that I saw the first of the ‘downhill riders’ coming in the other direction. The ride leaders escorting the downhill riders all give me the hang loose sign… the others all give me strange looks."
"I’m in one of the 17 or so switchbacks at about 5500 feet. The wind is swirling around in lots of directions here, and I’m just below the rain/cloud layer."
"Above is just before I get into the nasty stuff at about 6500 feet, where you just keep your head down and grind into the headwinds, then shiver and try not to get blown off the mountain in the switchbacks, trying to avoid the tourists in their rental cars looking at you like you’re nuts. Not a lot of pictures during that part because this is where the demons start messing with your head: 'My legs are cooked and I’ve still got 1.5 Mt. Tams to climb!'”
"This is just past the ranger station where you pay your $5 day use fee; the sign on the road is the 7000 foot elevation marker. I’ve got on everything I can wear to keep me warm and am still freezing. You can stop at the visitor center here and refill your bottles (and huddle in the bath room where the hand dryers help to get some warmth into your fingers…. Voices in your head are saying 'What was I thinking?!'”
"Above, I’m at about 8500 feet and above the wet clouds so it’s a bit warmer, but the wind is blowing and you don’t want to get too close to the edge in case a gust kicks you off the road… This is where the confidence starts to kick in because in the clear air everything looks so close; you feel like charging to the top, but with 1500 feet of climbing still and another four miles to go, the time out of the saddle lasts about three pedal strokes until your legs scream 'Are you nuts?!'”
"I’m now just over 9000 feet and the telescopes are in clear sight: these area used by NASA and the university of Hawaii to track all the space junk floating around earth. I feel like I’m floating above earth right now too!"
"The sign at the visitor center says it all! Sorry, no gratuitous shots of the volcano caldera and the Big Island off in the distance… You’ll have to do it yourself to take in the incredible view!
"I took awhile at the top before I could get my courage up for the descent, which was like 15 miles of Ridgecrest at its windiest and wettest; trying to see where you’re going and avoid cars, getting blown all over the road, brakes wet and fingers totally numb. No pictures on the descent but I was SO glad when I got to 3500 feet and could sit in the sun and finally warm up, then the downhill to the valley floor and the slow pedal back to Kihie with the wind at my back pushing me along at 30+. Great ride: I want to do it again!!!"
The route:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/hi/kihei/280124622323726687
In July, 2,500 athletes from all 50 states and more than 25 countries gathered at Lake Placid, New York, for the 11th Annual Ford Ironman competition. The distances:
Swim 2.4 miles
Bike 112 miles
Run 26.2 miles (a full marathon)
Of the 13 hours and 12 minutes Todd spent on the course, we'll only show a two pictures: one in the saddle, and one crossing the finish line.
"Our 112-mile journey through the Adirondacks began with brutal rain, hail and crosswinds. Traveling at 50+ m.p.h. on slick S-turn roads, a number of bikers went down, and a few ended their day. For the last 20 miles of the first loop it begins as a moderate 4-percent-grade hill, slowly gaining to 12+ percent as we approached Whiteface Mountain (elevation = 4867’). The road narrowed, and hundreds of people cheered along the sides of the road for the final climbs of “baby” and “mama” bear hills and the last (“papa bear”) hill. As we made it into Lake Placid and back into the Olympic complex, the crowds had grown to 50,000+. As I registered in for Lap 1 (56 miles) you then begin to realize you have to do it again – another 56 miles for Lap 2! Only this time, the full sun was out, no shade and fatigue begins to set it. (Now at about 4.5 hrs into the race)."
"The FINISH was truly so fun! Coming into town I have dozens of stories of people cheering for me, calling my name, offering beer and helping me get through the final push. Running into the Olympic stadium was probably the most memorable as they call your name as you enter with thousands cheering! It was terrific to see Laura and Anna. I must admit tears begin to take over at this point. 140.6 miles later … 13h:12min later… 13,750 calories later… 50 weeks of training later…and I was done…..for now. :-)"