When I moved to Hawaiʻi twenty years ago, I stopped riding my bicycle. Hawaiʻi’s car-centric roadways, mountainous landscapes, and extreme climates made bicycling daunting. I didn’t see average people, families, or even commuters biking. I didn’t see women biking. Hawaiʻi did not make the sport inviting. I didn’t know how to get started in my new community. It took a while, but five years ago I bought a bike and started my journey biking in Hawaiʻi. With persistence, growing confidence, and continued patience, I’ve become a regular rider.
Unfortunately, the hurdles I saw twenty years ago persist. I still see the same reflection: few families on bikes, no average riders, few commuters, and car-centric roads. I want to try to affect change.
My goal is to:
- help remove known barriers for riders
- strengthen families through a common, fun, and healthy activity
- encourage women, new riders and average people to ride bikes
- make the sport more visible to the larger community
- make Hawaiʻi a more bike-friendly place and better place to live
For me, biking in Hawaiʻi has been a journey of exploration, of pushing past a lot of comfort zones, some expected, some unnecessary. I hope to help remove unnecessary hurdles, provide tips to make riding more fun, and add in some words of encouragement. Maybe these will make your experience of biking Hawaiʻi better. Together we can accomplish these goals.
This website has bicycle routes that I regularly enjoy. I can’t ride it all, so I hope others will submit theirs too. In addition to the basics like traffic, distance, elevation and amenities (ahem), Iʻve tried to capture what I love about each one and pass on that inspiration. All of the routes continue to challenge me. I hope you are open to trying; just keep pedaling.
I also hope to raise awareness and consciousness among motorists and governmental leadership that bicycling has a place in Hawaii and ought to have endorsed legitimacy. I want to provide the opportunity for fellow bicyclists to easily, politely, but insistently provide a voice that encourages more space for people. Everyone should have access to public land to exercise safely, and enjoy the islands in a way that is respectful of the land, culture and environment.
What bikes do I ride?
Iʻm based in Hilo, Hawaiʻi on the Big Island and our windward roads are old and prone to refuse. I ride a Trek Checkpoint gravel bike on the rough roads. I ride a full-suspension Juliana mountain bike on double-track jeep roads and the few single-track mountain bike locations.
May you have many happy and safe rides with family and friends!
Julie E.