Adventure
With two 13,000 ft volcanoes, endless wilderness, and one of the largest National Parks in the country, the Big Island of Hawaii island has incredible terrain to explore on a bicycle. Let us plan your bike tour and unlock hidden mountain bike trails and country roads for an unforgettable cyling adventure in Hawaii.
The Pro Experience
Inspired by the support given to riders on a professional race team, Big Island Bike Tours implements the “pro experience” into every fully guided tour. You may not notice how spotless your bicycle is. You may not notice the chairs awaiting your arrival with clean towels to wipe away the road grime. You may not notice that every bottle and organic snack is precisely what your body needs to keep going. You may not notice that your rain bag was put in the follow vehicle the day it decided to rain. This is exactly the way we like it because it means we’re doing our jobs, so that all you have to do is ride.
Commitment to Sustainability
We ride bikes for many reasons, but a large part of why we ride is our commitment to a sustainable way of life. We hope that when you tour the Hawaii – one of the most ecologically unique places on the planet – we’ll inspire you to spend more time on a bicycle when you return home. We have partnered with 1% for the Planet. Each fiscal calendar year we calculate our dues and contribute our 1% to making a difference to the environment. There’s no way around it, sometimes cars and vans are a part of our operations. We use locally produced biodiesel in all our vehicles. Choosing diesel is more expensive, but we believe using a locally produced product made from recycled vegetable oil is worth every penny.
Equipment
We admit it, we’re bike nerds. We can endlessly debate wheel diameter, suspension, and carbon tubular versus carbon clinchers. When it comes to the latest and greatest gear, chances are we have it. So whether you’re riding off road or on, you can feel confident leaving your bike at home and riding one of ours.
Our Story
It’s a summer morning in 1989. Slurping cereal after swim practice, I turned on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The announcer screamed hoarsely from the TV set, as the leader of the tour, Laurent Fignon, fell to the ground covering his face. I had tuned in at the very moment when Lemond won the ’89 Tour de France by the slimmest of margins ever recorded in tour history, eight seconds. Not only was this a sensational come-from-behind win for an American, but Lemond did it by using the controversial, unproven aerobar (new equipment in 1989). Drama, technology, heroic effort, sporting success; these elements were branded into my brain. That’s the moment when I fell in love with the bicycle.
Years later I would race and train in Europe. Belgians in particular would stop me just to talk about Lemond and the ‘89 Tour. While I would never go on to compete in Le Tour, I did spend fourteen years making a living racing bicycles, bumping bars with some of the sport’s biggest stars. I began my pro career as a U.S. criterium specialist, learning enough along the way to go from a sprinter to a team captain, and someone who could compete for the GC (general classification – the overall win) in stage races. Traveling to competitions not only in Europe, but also China, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Africa, I achieved my own victories and defeats, and my love affair became a lifelong career.
Along the way Hawai’i became my home. My wife Hannah and her entire family are from Hawai’i, and now that we have three young sons we’ve settled on the Big Island permanently. For the last nine years of my racing career I ran informal training camps for my pro cycling teammates in the off-season in order to take advantage of the warm weather, incredibly diverse terrain, and the occasional wave. During that time, I rode every road possible on the Big Island and have learned to maximize training while enjoying the incredibly unique culture and natural beauty of Hawai’i. It’s during these epic Hawaiian-style rides that I day-dreamed of showing other people Hawai’i from the saddle.
I retired from racing in the fall of 2014. Family and Hawai’i were calling, and it’s rare for a rider to continue racing into their forties. It was a great final season. Probably my best World Tour memory from that year was racing Stage 5 at the Tour of Utah with my teammates on Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies. In the final miles, BMC Racing set up their red and black lead out train at the front of the pack, ready to propel 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans across the line for a stage win. I was able to attack the BMC Racing team, open a gap, and tow teammate Eric Young into the perfect place for the stage win. In a bike race, things need to go exactly right to pull off a win against World Tour teams. It was special because it was a full team effort — those moments in the sport are rare. It felt great to contribute to such a big win in my final season.
Now that I’m retired, I’m ready to help contribute to your big win or great cycling experience with custom road and mountain bike tours and training camps, designed around you and your group’s desires and interests, and fine-tuned for different ability levels. When you come to Hawai’i, I want you to make the most of your stay, so you can take full advantage of the culture, food, natural history, scenic beauty, and incredible riding in Hawai’i. The Big Island is not only home, but it’s a great place to ride and train and I look forward to showing you the incredible spectrum of cycling Hawai’i has to offer. Come and be a part of our family and let us show you the Big Island!
