Training Camp 2009: Riding on Oahu

Ok, so it wasn't really a training camp. But I did bring my bike and rode four of the seven days we were there. There was a cold front, so it was only 80 degrees! What is riding on Oahu like? Beautiful, but windy. Those gentle trade winds they talk about weren't so gentle the week we were there. We were on the north side of the island (otherwise known by all surfers as the North Shore) - the waves were absolutely amazing. I'm not much for being in the ocean, but I love being next to it. It was tough not to stop every few minutes for a perfect photo opportunity.

When you're on the North Shore, you have two choices: east or west. There really aren't any inland roads. East is the more scenic route - mostly flat and hugging the ocean, it slowly curves around to the south and brings you to some of Oahu's most famous bathing beaches. And aside from the wind it's a quick trip. If you head west, you can either go out and back to the far northwestern tip of the island, or head south towards Honolulu. Of course, the north-south coastal road and the east-west coastal road make a rainbow's effort at meeting - they come close, but there is a five-mile gap which prevents the roads from connecting and prevents you from a straight circumnavigation of the island. To hit the west coast you'd have to go all the way south towards Honolulu, then go west before you can take the road along the coast as an out-and-back (maybe 30 miles each way - we never made it over there). Having limited ride routes was no bother though - tough to imagine getting sick of the view!

We went east for most rides, but did take the west route once. There is one road that takes you to the west coast without going all the way to Honolulu, but it was closed while we were there. Too bad, because it took you over this beautiful range that would have been sweet to climb back up. We did get to cruise through Schofeild Barracks, though. I mention it because of the sign we saw as we first entered: "30 Days Since Last Fatality. Safety First!" Whoa. No enemy combatants in this neck of the Pacific. That's soldiers accidentally blowing up themselves or others. Needless to say, we rode through that area pretty quickly. We got to the top of a pass with hope of descending to the west side, but we came to a gate with any number of ominous statements regarding restricted passage without authorization and use of cameras or cell phones. Didn't take much for us to decide to turn around.

Looking at a map is a bit deceptive - 45 miles will take you pretty much from one end of the island to the other. There are bike lanes in places, but rarely full-width and mostly full of the island's red clay and some other gravel (see my post on Schwable Marathon tires - perfect for the conditions). Traffic is generally courteous and always slow. Slow because it's single lane roads everywhere except the expressways. Slow because even the highways are 50 mph at most. Slow because no one speeds. Or even approaches the speed limit. And why would they? It's Hawaii, man.