Sanuk Canadian

 Cycling the Island - Olowalu & Haleakala Route Around the third day of being in Kihei, Maui, my boyfriend and I decided to try a big, famous ride on the island -- the Olowalu route. This route snaked along the north-western coastline and offered very dramatic cliff views of the ocean, passing along the ferry terminal at Maalaea. This route has some tough hills and you'll battle some very strong headwinds close to Maalaea.    The Route: I was so focused on just getting through this ride due to very strong headwinds going out, I didn't stop to take any photos.    Another day, my boyfriend suggested we try to ride up part of Haleakala - the tallest peak on Maui at 10,023 feet. The Route:  This ride was pure torture. I am not sure why I said "Sure, let's try a mountain climb!" I live in the Prairies of Canada, which is home to flat wheat, flax and lentil fields. There are zero mountains. I stopped often and was so slow going uphill, my boyfriend said he wa...

Cycling The Island - Wailea Route Before travel was restricted due to COVID-19, in early February my boyfriend and I took a two-week holiday to Maui, which is part of the Hawaiian islands in the USA. We took our bikes to ride the island and see the sights from a slower perspective. While I had travelled with my bike before, it was always by car; this was the first time I would be flying with bike in tow. Kihei was our home base for this trip; we rented a 'tree house' on VRBO, which was actually just an upstairs apartment in a home. The tree house was a one-bedroom and had its own balcony, which was the perfect spot for our daily morning coffees. The tree house view from the balcony in Kihei.   Kihei proved to be a perfect base for our cycling trips; it was a short walk to the supermarket, beach, and even a local bike shop so we could suss out the best local rides.  One of the first rides we did was out to the lava fields along the south-western part of the island past Waliea....

Short Weekend Break in the City In summer, I usually participate in a few local triathlon races (swim, bike and run races). It became very clear in April of this year that many, if not most, sporting events would be cancelled.    Only one race ended up being approved by the Ministry of Health, and so, in early August, I attended a charity triathlon event just outside of Calgary, Alberta (Canada). Due to COVID-19 regulations, the race was limited to only 150 athletes. The turnout was smaller; approximately 92 participants attended. Still, it was a great way to test my training and fitness levels and meet some new people.  My race kit set up in transition. My race bike is a Liv Langma Advanced 2. The race was called Tri for Evan and proceeds from our race entry fees were donated towards research at Mito Canada . The race coordinator was Be There Races, who host a number of sport events for runners and triathletes in Alberta.     This race only offered the Sp...