Biker Chicks: Beauty and the Beast Mode

Act like a lady, bike like a boss!

Female cyclists are biker chicks and biker chic. To accurately distinguish this special species of road biker from the majority of her male counterparts out there, especially at high speeds, look for the following tell-tale cues: her smooth-shaved legs, wispy locks of long hair flying from the back of a helmet, lady lumps in all the right places, an impeccably fashionable bike jersey, and a killer smile!

Road biking is sport I never imagined taking up myself. I secretly made fun of people who wore padded bike shorts, I was terrified to ride on the street right next to moving cars, and always thought it would be more "inconvenient" for a woman to bike because of well, you know, female stuff.

Now that I'm hooked on cycling, I realize that there are a lot of female bikers out there. Sure, they are more scarce, but the ones I have met along the way are AMAZING women who are strong, intelligent, talented, determined, and beautiful from head to heart to toe-- or from helmet to toe clips, as it were. These she-road warriors are so inspirational to me that I wanted to profile them as a kind of homage to them for riding with me, encouraging me, keeping me motivated, and helping me train.

Tammy

Beauty:  
Tammy is the only other female member of the Viet Velo NW team. She is the mom of two accomplished young ladies, an amazing cook, a marathon runner, and a prolific home gardener. Somewhere in between all that, she sleeps, I think. I was so nervous to bike with Viet Velo that very first time last year, but Tammy welcomed me to the group with open arms and told me that, "We girls will stick together." She happens to be married to one of the Viet Velo Captains, whose name is also Nhan. They are seriously one of the coolest, most fun couples I've ever met.

Tammy encouraged me so much on that first ride, and she convinced me that road biking is possible for a woman to both enjoy and excel at. I am in complete awe of this woman and her talents. She makes me believe it is possible for a female biker to do it all-- balancing a family life, motherhood, a full-time job, and still have an exciting life full of adventure.

Beast Mode:  
On every ride, she is flanked by all male bikers. She's done all the major event rides with them like STP (she rode 200+ miles from Seattle to Portland in one day), RSVP (Ride from Seattle to Vancouver, BC and Party), High Pass Challenge (a strenuous mountain pass ride with over 7,500 feet in elevation gain over 114 miles), 7 Hills of Kirkland (she crashed on the rain-slicked roads and was temporarily knocked unconscious), you name it! The Viet Velo guys are a bunch of fun-loving, smart-ass types, but she can keep up with the boys in more ways than one. 

On that first group ride, one of the male riders accidentally bumped into her and literally sent her flying off her bike, sprawled into the street. That one terrifying moment seemed to validate all my worst fears about road biking. Had there been an oncoming car just then, I might have fainted. But she jumped up, grabbed her bike, dusted herself off, got back on her bike, and gave her fellow rider a good-natured ribbing for knocking her into the street like that. Her knee was bruised and bloody from hitting the asphalt, but she showed such true grit that day by getting over it and getting on with it. She finished out the ride with a smile on her face and a tale to tell! I asked her to tell me why she likes to road bike, but she said, "No quote from me, I just ride!"

Tammy and I, center, on my first ride with Viet Velo

Some girls chase boys…I pass them!

Stephanie

Beauty: 
Stephanie is a high school friend who I hadn't seen since graduation. I ran into her at a mutual friend's party last year where we re-connected and discovered that we both road bike. I was thrilled to see her again, let alone find out that she is avid cyclist too! With the encouragement of her husband, she took up the sport years ago, and since then they've covered mile after beautiful mile together. She said, "Biking is definitely part of the glue of our marriage. It has brought us closer." 

Stephanie is so generous of spirit. She has shared with me so much invaluable biking advice, savory recipes for homemade trail food, wonderful ride anecdotes, and an incredible sense of self as a woman-- even while being part of a dynamic duo with her husband. We have yet to get a chance to ride together, but I've kept her experienced advice in mind with every ride. She is the one who emphasized to me that biking is about both performance and pleasure. You can pedal hard, but what's the point if your head is down and you're missing the view? 

She and her family organize a magnificent touring ride in Canada every year around Memorial Day weekend. She graciously extended an invitation to me and Nhan to join them this year. I was truly humbled and honored by the generosity of her offer. And Nhan and I were dying to go. But alas, we both have family events that same weekend that cannot be missed, so we sadly and regretfully have to miss out on this chance to ride with her and her family.

Beast Mode: 
As a couple, she and her husband plan to do the RSVP ride again this year, and a week afterward they plan to climb Mt. Fuji in Japan! Stephanie's just cool like that. She, too, bikes with an all male group which includes a fellow rider known as "Bill the Machine." With a nickname like that, you know she's not messing around when it comes to training. But Stephanie is both game and gamine. She can definitely keep up with the boys in terms of distance, drive, and determination. But she is always still a lady first. She authorized me to use the above photo of her because she said, "I'm wearing my girly riding skirt." This beautiful dichotomy in her is precisely what makes her so inspirational to me. I admired her in school because of her intelligence and grace, and it makes me smile to know that she has carried these these same characteristics over to her biking prowess. 

She is a biker beauty with brains. She offered this cool observation when I asked her to comment on road biking from a female perspective:

"I saw a group of roadie biker men on a break at Coulon Beach a few weeks ago, and  couldn't help but overhear them compare their times, bikes, etc. and was reminded that cycling is still dominated by men. I felt turned off. And yet I believe men & women ultimately ride for that same feeling of freedom, self-challenge and inner contemplation. We just express it differently."

Reunion party last year. Stephanie is the tall one in the grey top.  

Phuong

Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life.

Beauty:
Phuong is a college friend of mine who lives in Paia, Maui. I featured her in the previous blog post, "Pedaling in Paradise." She is a nursing professor and an avid paddle boarder with rock hard, six-pack abs even as a mother of two cute kids.

She went through a lot of effort to set up that island cycle tour for me just because she knew how much I loved to bike. What I didn't realize was that she hadn't ridden her bike much at all since she had her kids because she said her equilibrium felt different, and she was scared of falling while still clipped in. I begged her to ride with me since it was something I wanted to experience with her. I came to visit her after all, and the sheen of riding around the island lost its luster once I found out that she had no intention of riding at all that day. 

Somehow her husband, Jim, and I finally convinced her to do it. But I could see sheer dread in her face, and I knew she was doing it for me despite all of her anxiety about it. That is the kind of true friend she has always been. But if she was going to go, she would be doing it her way, without clip pedals and shoes. Despite Jim's protests, she stood her ground and insisted on wearing her own running shoes to bike so that she could stop quickly and alleviate her fears about falling. I completely empathized with her since I faced many of the same fears about clip shoes myself. My knobby knees speak for themselves.

Beast Mode:
Turns out her fears were mostly in her head, and she just needed to shake off the dust and rust. Once she was back on the bike, she re-discovered her love of biking-- much to the ecstasy of Jim, who's been trying to get her to bike with him again for the past 5 years. 

The funny thing is that she pounded up this steep hill past everyone on that wonky-wheeled bike of hers, but walked it back down. She said she loves going uphill, but doesn't care for the speed going downhill. I don't blame her; that hill is much steeper than it looks. You can tell by how far she had to lean back just to walk down. 

As I also mentioned in the previous post, Phuong and Jim rode their bikes all the way from Alaska to San Diego in 2004 as part of their honeymoon. It took them 3.5 months of biking and camping all along the coast and byways; all their gear stored in panniers (saddle bags) on their bikes. They would ride anywhere from 50-80 miles a day, and then pull into camp at night to rest and recover before the next day's ride. Each campsite has special reserve spots for bikers since they don't have cars to take up room. Usually, the camps are prime locations right near the water. They bought fresh food from grocery stores along the way, cooked and camped, had clean showers and real restrooms every night. They learned a lot about themselves as a couple and as individuals along the way. 

Nhan and I have also contemplated doing a similar ride together since his grad-school friend, Meghan, and her husband did one too a few years ago. She met with us for coffee one evening to give us some insight and anecdotes on the magnitude of that kind of bike tour. It takes a lot of logistics, planning, and more importantly, a significant amount of time off from work.

Had it not been for Phuong insisting on wearing her own shoes instead of clip pedals, she might not have been convinced to join me on that ride. And had she not biked that day, she would not have seen the stunning views that we did, and Jim might have lost his riding partner forever. She promised me too, that we would ride together again some day.

Girls compete with each other. Women empower one another.

One of the toughest things about being a female road biker is accepting that you will never be as strong as the guys, nor have the burly quad and calf muscles that the guys have (thank goodness), that you might not be the fastest up the hill, or that you might need to take bio-breaks more frequently. But one thing I do know is that female road bikers have a lot of determination. 

It is precisely because we have to keep up with the guys that we push ourselves to excel. We have to work that much harder to compensate for our lack of physicality. We all have to get up that same gnarly hill, but it's that much harder for a someone with less developed muscles-- no matter how often we hit the gym, how fast we spin, or how much weight we lift. Most of the guys we ride with are exceptionally patient, supportive, generous, and encouraging while we toil alongside them, or mostly behind them, on group rides. Maybe they let us tag along, or maybe they really enjoy our company and want to help us improve our skill set-- or just maybe we deserve a spot on the team. 

Nhan has always been my first supporter and primary champion in biking, but I've met so many cool bikers along the way who have also helped me get better at this sport. Turns out that some of my "fellow" riders are not fellows at all, but fearless female road bikers who really are blazing the trail for other women. Without their invaluable advice, support, and encouragement, I may not have had the confident role models I needed to keep at it. These gals are my biking heroes, or rather, heroines. They make biking brilliant for me, and I admire and respect each and every one of them for it.



And just when you believe that the somewhat sexist gulf between men and women bikers can be bridged, turns out there's such a thing as Hoo Ha Ride Glide........

solitude

i have never meditated before. truth is i tried. i don't think i could ever concentrate sitting on a pillow with my eyes closed. if i start in that position, it's highly likely that i would end up laying on it with my eyes closed and...drool. with life being so hectic, i thought the only way i could get some calmness and peace of mind is by meditation. well, meditation didn't work. like smoking weed. once i tried in college; but it (or i) didn't go anywhere because i didn't know how to inhale :). for sometime, i thought i couldn't meditate because i had add. bicycling showed me that i didn't have add. i discovered that i was actually mediating while my legs churning the cranks, fingers flipping the shifters, eyes looking intently ahead, senses alerted and relaxed ... body parts in sync, automatic, harmonious, happy.

"i usually favor riding with nhan simply because we started out biking together and we have our own thing going-- there's a certain comfort and sentimentality in that...di said in a recent blog. 

indeed, while riding, di and i usually lost in our own thoughts even if we were checking out the scenery, looking at the people, commenting on the animals, tasting the breeze, watchful of the distant black clouds and aware of our bodily needs (euphemism for a bio break). to us, it was never the destination. it truly was the journey - the ride. we never raced anyone nor do we want to. though we do get bored if the road is too flat. however, we climbed hills so we can get to the view at the top and a chance to crank hard, lifting butts off the seat, giving them much-needed relief...:). on the bike, i have came close to wonderful solitude.  i feel like a kid again, happy.

paulo coelho wrote: "solitude is not the absence of company, but the moment when our soul is free to speak to us and help us decide what to do with our life. therefore, blessed are those who do not fear solitude, who are not afraid of their own company, who are not always desperately looking for something to do, something to amuse themselves with, something to judge. 

if you are never alone, you cannot know yourself. and if you do not know yourself, you will begin to fear the void. but that void does not exist. a vast world lies hidden in our soul, so new, so powerful, its strength intact, waiting to be discovered. just as love is the divine condition so solitude is the human condition. to understand the miracle of life, one must allow for those two states to peacefully exist..." 

 

namaste!

"the Spirit within me salutes the Spirit in you"

Czar and Czarina of the Inland Empire: A Quarter Century Conquest

The Inland Empire refers to the region of Eastern WA that centers around Spokane and the surrounding cities of the Columbia River basin, a 3.5 hour drive from Seattle. The sheer amount of sunny days they see out east seems directly proportional to the amount of rainy days we get on the coast-- which makes this prime biking country! Constant sunshine and miles of waterfront are the bounty of a city appropriately named Richland. 

After a sun-starved start to our season, the prospect of golden sunshine made us determined to invade and conquer this territory on our bikes, and claim our share of its wealth.

We started out late Friday evening; Nhan made arrangements for us to stay with his sister-in-law Amanda's family overnight so that we could ride out early in the morning from the Tri-Cities Kiwanis Club, which was hosting the event. It was meant to be our first century (100 mile) ride ever.

Our host, Kim, offered us the use of her pre-teen daughters' room for the night. We were so thankful for the accommodations that Nhan didn't even mind awkwardly drifting off to sleep under a poster of Justin Bieber that night. But he drew the line when the cat came into the room and wanted to snuggle with him under the covers. Under a snoozy haze, I heard Nhan evict the disgruntled cat into the hallway in the middle of the night.

Undeterred by an eventful night's sleep, we woke up to a morning sky of cerulean blue, a deep shade of happy that promised excellent riding conditions. 

The sunshine belied the crisp temperatures in the very early morning hours. Both of us forgot to pack our riding jackets. Nhan wore his free green ride T-shirt over his bib for extra warmth, and I wore a blanket of goose bumps until our legs warmed up after a few miles.

Captivating skylines all along the Columbia River Trail stretched out before us, where both clouds and water competed for our rapt attention. Never have I seen such a vast array of clouds with so much character! 

And it's no wonder the clouds were acting up, because the strong headwinds seemed determined to shave a few miles off our speed and blow us off a straight line. 
I could feel the wind pushing my bike sideways at times, and I often found myself struggling to correct course. The wind offered us more resistance than the natives did.

We stopped for these photos in front of the bridge, and you can perceive the wind ripples ever so faintly on our shirts. I braided my hair into a plait to keep it from becoming a tangled bird's nest by ride's end.

Mile after mile on the flat river trail, we encountered cool-looking bridges standing in stark silhouette against a spectacular morning sky.

Normally, I don't ride and shoot-- but it would be more of a crime here not to capture this terrain. Some of the very best scenes fly by as you ride. To stop for each and every desirable photo op would be tantamount to walking. Often, we were the only riders in either direction on the wide-open trail. This territory was ours for the taking.

So I took a chance....and then some photos, while still in motion on my bike-- one hand carefully maintaining control of my handlebars, while the other haphazardly pointing and clicking my camera in every general direction. I'm sure if there were bike cops around I'd be ticketed for my blatant disregard of safe and responsible riding. But these scenic shots were totally worth flouting typical riding rules. Of course I would never attempt this during crowded group rides or on the actual road where there are cars. 


See Exhibit A of the beautiful scenery previously described! We had miles of fairly flat, well-paved trail along the riverfront, several stunning bridges, and the ever-present clouds and water. Another thing that struck me was that Richland has so many pristine riverfront parks. We saw a multitude of playgrounds, green areas, playing fields, and picnic tables. There was never a shortage of clean bathrooms and trash cans; I saw virtually no litter along the way. This is a well-run Parks & Recreation Department!

Definitely one of our favorite spots during the entire ride. The bridge itself is an architectural and engineering marvel. Set against that striking blue backdrop, we were in awe of its form. 

Nhan directed me to circle back for a ride shot in front of the bridge, and of course I fell over trying foolishly to test the limited turn radius on a very narrow part of the trail. Guess it just wouldn't be a ride without me falling over at least once while still clipped in. I have long ago stopped being embarrassed about falling over on my bike. My legs are more bruised than my ego, really.

My scarred knees are a tragedy in a summer dress, but that's the price I pay as a female road biker. 

The other unintended consequence of biking is that my quads are developing more muscular definition. But there's a fine line between long and lean vs. lumberjack legs! But I digress.... 

This is what Nhan looks from behind while riding, in case you ever had the audacity to wonder. The two bright yellow water bottle missiles, the signature Mickey Mouse backpack where we store our wallets, keys, and snacks...and then those notorious calves of his. 

But there is also something poetic in this candid shot-- perhaps the wispy clouds above, the mighty river beside, his loyal shadow riding alongside, or simply the image of a guy just really enjoying his bike ride, lost in his own reverie, totally unaware that his picture was being taken.




This photo of Nhan marked the moment the tide turned unfavorably in our campaign to conquer the Inland Empire. 

While turning his bike around on the side of the trail, Nhan inadvertently ran over several thick thorns, the kind that are as woody as bark. We pulled a number of thorns out of both his tires, each one like a little ninja star. With each extraction, we heard the faintest hiss of air escaping. Some thorns were so embedded, we had to work to pinch them out. I'm adding a pair of tweezers to our tool bag because of this! Nhan mounted his bike and attempted to ride it.

Sure enough, after just a few yards of riding, both tires went flat due to a slow leak. With no place to stop safely out of the way of other riders, Nhan had to walk his bike quite a ways to this grassy lawn that belonged to one of the many high-end homes along the waterfront. 


Nhan basically had to take apart his bike to get the wheels off, using both our spare tubes for the repair. Here's hoping that neither of us would get another flat because we had no tubes left! Several riders stopped to ask if we were ok or to offer assistance. It wouldn't be our last encounter with the good Samaritans of Richland on this day.....uh oh, foreshadowing!


While Nhan was replacing his tubes, we saw what looked to be a 5K running race taking place on the very same trail as our bike route. Runners swarmed the trail, being cheered on by onlookers on each side. Even though we were sidelined for the moment, it made me wonder how many people and events they could cram onto one trail in the same day, and how we could possibly ride our bikes safely through all the foot traffic. 



Once the tubes were replaced and pumped up, we mounted our trusty steeds once again and rode into the tide of humanity that had launched a counter-invasion against us on the trail. 

It was dicey trying to navigate past all the bodies, but we finally passed the throng of runners. At this (decimal) point, we were only 10 miles into our planned 100-mile ride. The first organized food stop was at 14.8 miles.

We had the usual bananas and sugary sweet snacks, but Nhan longingly eyed the empty BBQ grills at the picnic shelter and wished for a hot dog or two. We masked our disappointment at not finding any savory food like the hard-boiled eggs and cream cheese bagels we enjoyed in The Dalles.

At the food stop, I noticed a biker wearing a Maui Cyclery jersey! There's only one bike store in the whole world that sells them, and I was just there the week before, pedaling in paradise. What an awesome coincidence!

Nhan and I lost considerable time dealing with the flat tires, and we were at a crossroads in the ride route. If we planned to finish the century ride, it would be a different route than the 25-mile ride, and there would be no turning back. Based on our STP experience, we calculated that it would take us about 8-10 hours to bike 100 miles, and it was already after noon. We still had a 3.5 hour drive home ahead of us. With heavy hearts, we acknowledged that we'd have to take the shorter 25-mile route in order to loop back to our parked car with the amount of time left in the day. 

We pedaled past this beautiful marina, with boats, yachts, hotels, and restaurants along the river trail. The flat-bottomed cumulus clouds with their fluffy meringue tops still strikingly beautiful against the blue sky. 

Incredibly, we pedaled right into two more major organized events using the same trail today. The Ribbon River Walk (for breast cancer awareness) and the Tri-Cities Outrigger Canoe Club were both hosting events at the same time as our bike event! The event permit people need to get their act together.

Instead of being the conquering invaders, we were ourselves surrounded by hordes of locals, migrating along the river trail in a mass exodus. 

We painfully, slowly navigated our bikes past countless strollers, darting children, walkers and runners who were 3 abreast across the trail. I kept one shoe clipped out the whole time so I could stop at a moment's notice. Adding to our anguish at the slow-paced pedestrians, Nhan's tire was slowly going flat again. He stopped to pump it up, since we had no more spare tubes.

We found that one of the thorns had remained embedded on the interior tire wall; so as soon as he changed tubes, that dastardly thorn just punctured the new one. We tried to find a local bike shop once we got back on the street. Stalled as we were, Nhan tried to use a tire patch kit instead.

Only after Nhan had already finished his patch, a good Samaritan stopped his car after seeing us on the side of the road. He kindly gave us a spare bike tube after digging around in his car. Grateful for the kindness of a stranger, we offered to pay him for it, but he insisted we just pay it forward to the next cyclist in need instead.

With impeccable timing, the ride event SAG vehicle showed up only after Nhan already did his own repair and received spare parts from a total stranger. We sent him away without a job to do. My sarcasm notwithstanding, he was actually a nice guy.

Had we been the least bit smart about it, we would have written down the phone number for the SAG vehicle. Because within a few miles, Nhan's tire went flat again because the tire patch failed. Here we are at Chamna Natural Preserve changing another tube-- replaced by the very one that the kind stranger had offered us earlier. 

After changing 3 tires in as many hours, Nhan had become a master level expert! He finished this last one in just under a minute and a half. 


Third time's a charm, though. Back on the road, we had fallen so far behind the other 25-mile riders by now. We biked this long, lonesome trail together, enjoying the shared solitude. And I mean precisely that. You can be alone together and together alone while biking. It is one of the many beautiful paradoxes of riding. We were the only ones out there for several long stretches. Despite a lack of subjects, we ruled this realm! 




I'll stop talking about these ethereal clouds eventually, but can you really blame me? Check them out, looking all heavenly as hell....! Their delicate beauty is too perfect for this world.

We spotted some other humans, at last. They were on wheels too, go figure.

Quick dismount to stretch our legs and give our saddles a rest. This area along the river, lush with foliage and dotted with marshy little islands, reminded me a lot of both Greenlake and the Montlake Cut by Husky Stadium.

If we weren't already biking, I would have been tempted to throw a canoe in the water and start exploring like Sacajawea. Her legendary contribution to the Lewis & Clark Expedition still figures prominently in this region. The elementary school directly across from Kim's house where we stayed Friday night is named in honor of Sacajawea.

Nhan decided to put a little extra air in my tires. I guess his own tires were getting so much attention from the hand pump today that he didn't want mine to feel totally neglected.

He also became a master level expert in tire pumping-- extolling the virtues of using your knees instead of your elbows. If his energy output today was translatable to dairy farming, he would have churned a fair amount of butter already.

Nhan told me to grab my bike for this pic, but frankly, I was too tired to retrieve it from the other side of the trail where it was parked against a bench. 

The result was that I stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do with my hands. Kinda felt naked without my bike. I'm not typically a peace sign-flashing or duck face-making poster child.

We had our share of both comedy and errors today-- but it was a glorious, if short, destination ride. On our drive back to Seattle, these clouds tried to follow us home. 

I joked about how we drove 200 miles only to bike 25 miles, a quarter of a century.

We made a conquest of the Inland Empire in our own way. Sure, it wasn't the 100-mile ride we had anticipated, but bike stuff happens. The beautiful thing is that we still had the time of our lives and saw some of the most stunning scenery this region has to offer. We became familiar with the territory and made alliances with the natives. We enjoyed the many riches of Richland, and left a lot wealthier than when we first arrived.

Every ride is epic and historic in our minds, and this one was no exception. Emboldened by the accomplishment of another incredible destination ride, we declared ourselves the bike Czar and Czarina of the Inland Empire! 

Well...I did, anyway. Nhan's title is just as an honorary figurehead. We know who really wears the bike shorts in this outfit, heh.

Pedaling in Paradise

What do you say when a friend offers to set up a scenic bike tour for you on the island of Maui? 

MAHALO!!! 

My college friend, Phuong, moved to Maui 5 years ago, and she earnestly tries to convince us every year to come out and visit her in Paia. I've always wanted to, but life happens. Her siren song finally hit the right note when she offered to set up a bike tour around the island for me. Resistance.is.futile.

Paia is a quaint little beach town on the northern shores of Maui-- lined with small but renowned eateries, island clothing boutiques, and second homes to many celebrities who want to stay under the radar and escape the constant hounding of the paparazzi. Paia is as laid-back and chill as you'd imagine a beach town to be. There are plenty of tourists, but also friendly locals, and a whole herd of bohemian types. As you drive through the main street, there's a posted sign that reads:

"Don't feed the hippies!" 


There is but one bicycle shop in Paia called Maui Cyclery. The bike shop dudes all wear board shorts and flip-flops to work, their skin freckled and deeply tanned by their dual hobbies of biking and surfing. This small community of bikers all end up running into each other on the island circuit sooner or later, and so become well-acquainted with one another. Phuong's husband, Jim, befriended the local bike shop owner at Maui Cyclery who organized the bike tour for us.

It took a lot of arm-twisting to get Phuong herself to join me on this tour, since she meant to send only me. She told me she hasn't been on a bike for years and was too nervous, but come to find out that she and Jim rode their bikes all the way from Alaska to San Diego in 2004....as part of their honeymoon! I've known this girl for 20 years, and I'm just finding this out?? I knew they traveled all around the world together from Vietnam to Morocco, but somehow the details of their 3 1/2 month biking & camping adventure escaped me!

As the shop guys loaded up our bikes, I had a sudden panic attack. I'll be riding on different bike I've never been on before, in unfamiliar territory, with people I don't know, biking up a volcano? 

Or so I thought. The tour guides trucked us and our gear "upcountry" to those mysterious, looming mountains in the far distance that always seem to be dappled by intermittent cloud shadows. The plan was to ride along the lush, undulating coastal roads along the westerly side of the island. 

Your eyes aren't deceiving you. The front wheel on Phuong's bike is actually way smaller than the rear one! This is the same bike she used on her wild honeymoon ride from AK to CA. She warned the bike shop guys not to laugh at her crazy contraption, but they cackled, "Too late!" The shop didn't even carry a spare bike tube that was the right size, so we took a wild gamble that she wouldn't get a flat on this ride, because then it would be game over! 

This beautiful road that we biked along boasted a commanding view of coast where you could actually see the outline of the island against the Pacific Ocean. The best pictures were taken with my eyes while riding, so I cannot even begin to convey the breathtaking beauty of the tropical, coastal scenery we were riding through. The sights, sounds, smells, all of it.

The photos shown here will never do it justice since it was a feast for the eyes, where digital photos will only serve as crumbs. 


Oprah Winfrey herself owns more than 1,000 acres of this beauteous landscape, with several houses and horses on her property. The road we biked on does in fact lead up to her very gates, but of course Ms. O's actual home is buffered by several pastures, an endless number of tropical fruit trees, and a winding driveway in between to keep prying eyes and skulkers away. 


This handsome fellow came right up to the barbed wire fence and ate fresh grass out of my hand. So maybe my claim to fame is that I hand-fed one of Oprah's horses? 

The guy with the ginormous quadriceps you see with me and Phuong in the photo below is named Kurt, one of the bike shop tour guides. He is a current bike champion and a former professional bodybuilder who hails from Florida. Like a lot of folks in Hawaii, Kurt is a transplant from somewhere else who alighted in Paia Town and found it hard to tear himself away again. He is exceptionally good at his job of guiding tourist bikers and pushing them up the many undulating hills along this coastal highway. So good, in fact, that only after 30 miles of riding together, chatting amiably, did he humbly mention that he placed first in last week's island-wide cycle race. 

What the heck is this champion cyclist doing babysitting tourists??

He just really, really loves to bike with people from all over the world, he said. That same day, we crossed paths with a German, an Irishman, and a married couple from Colorado, all on biking vacations. One of the other tour guides is a Vietnamese guy named Nguyen (not pictured) from San Francisco. He bought a sailboat years ago, wanting to sail around the world for the fun of it. He landed in Hawaii, fell in love with the islands, and never really left, he said. Like Kurt, he works at the bike shop guiding tours not because he has to make a living at it, but simply because he gets to bike every day as part of his job.

I can tell you that during this epic ride, Phuong's bike jitters evaporated just as her self-confidence materialized. She pounded up this wicked hill past EVERYONE, in a jalopy bike that couldn't even shift into its middle gears. Just that very morning, she was still dusting cobwebs off the thing! The muscle memory from all those thousands of miles of bike riding she did on her honeymoon came back with a vengeance. 

Just like riding a bike....they always say you never forget how.

Our fellow riders on the tour, Kurt (far left), then Donnie in the black (the bike shop owner), and the Colorado couple (in red & blue) celebrating their 26th wedding anniversary. Turns out, they have 16-year old twins who have no interest in biking with their parents. I'm hoping that my own (now) 8-year old twins will one day embrace road biking and join me on all these tours. Once they get big enough, I can draft behind them both. How cool would that be?

Ride stop at Grandma's Coffee Shop, where they grow, harvest, process, and roast their own coffee beans right outside their doors on the surrounding plantation. They also bake their own pastries, cakes, and breads daily, and were featured on The Food Network as a must-stop on Maui. Our group stopped here and enjoyed an amazingly potent rum cake and traded biking stories over coffee on ice.

Although Nhan couldn't join me for this special destination ride, I did miss my riding partner and wish he could have been there to experience the majesty of Maui. Who knows? Maybe the trade winds will carry him here to the island to bike, just like it did the rest of us that day. This ride will forever be a cherished memory for me. 

Aloha and Mahalo, Phuong!