Biking Hāʻena

By Tommy Noyes

This typical group of North Shore rides making the turnaround at Ke‘e Beach included (left to right) Thorne Silverberg, Linda Silverberg, Bruce Napier, Judith Bamberger, David MacAfee, Fred Pfeiffer, and Roberta Halliburton. Contributed photo

This story might well appeal most to people who enjoy early morning activities. A loosely affiliated group of friends are typically meeting at dawn every Sunday morning to bicycle from the center of Hanalei town to Ke‘e Beach and back.

A few weeks ago, I bicycled in the Lights on Rice parade along with several of the North Shore folks who meet up for these rides, and they extended an invitation to accompany them. I recently accepted the challenge and tracked the ride details.

I made the trek up to the North Shore, and at 7 a.m. we convened at the Bike Doktor in Hanalei. The weather was wet on that particular Sunday, so there were only three of us who opted in for the ride.

Our 7 a.m. start was the latest time the group meets. Because it was December, the sun rises later than any other month of year. As the seasons pass towards summer and sunrises occur earlier, the rides’ start times also shift.

“We feel much more conspicuous going out on the road as a group,” said my riding companion David MacAfee. “We opt for the Sunday dawn start because there are fewer motor vehicles that early on a weekend day.”

This route, in my opinion, ranks among our island’s best for spectacular natural beauty but relatively level terrain. It’s also a somewhat athletic option among the free and open group rides, due to the relatively short distance and modest hills. My Ride with GPS riding app recorded the round-trip distance at 15.4 miles, climbing at 978 feet, and our average moving speed was 10.9 mph. The ride’s posted on the RidewithGPS.com site as “Hanalei to Kee & back” by Tommy on Dec. 11, 2022.

The most easy-going group rides currently offered include the Bikes on Rice community slow rolls on the second Saturday of each month at 4:30 p.m. from Kalena Park in Līhuʻe, the GLOW full moon rides on Ke Ala Hele Makalae, and the Kilauea Town Family Fun community rides. If you want more information about these offerings, write to news@KauaiPath.org to request scheduling and updates.

The rides listed above are all no-drop rides, meaning that the riders re-group frequently along the route and nobody gets left behind. It’s also nice to have other riders aware of any mechanical issues and to keep everyone on the route.

For those interested in connecting with a free group ride and wanting to exercise a bit harder than the road rides described above, the Philippines Islands Hawai‘i Islands (PIHI) Cycling Club typically launches group rides on Sunday mornings from the Hanama‘ulu Beach Park.

From time to time and responding to public interest, Kaua‘i Path has publicized longer distance group rides with hills. Routes include Wailua Homesteads, from Poʻipū Beach Park out to Mahaʻulepu or up through ʻŌmaʻo to Kalaheo, or from Kalaheo to Kekaha. These rides also typically start early on Sundays.

Reach out to Kauaʻi Path at news@KauaiPath.org if you’d like to get connected.

• Tommy Noyes is Kaua‘i Path’s executive director, a League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor and active with the Kaua‘i Medical Reserve Corps.