Is there a better way to celebrate turning 40 than by riding to the top of the highest paved road climb in the U.S.? (The answer is no if you’re a crazy cyclist like myself!) Our legs were pretty thrashed after doing this 202k just two days earlier, so we took our time climbing the mountain. We left from Kihei and rode through rain and sunshine to reach the top. TBO suffered from altitude sickness and slowed down at the 7000 ft. mark, while I was just tired, hungry and ready to pass out from fatigue by the summit. But we made it 8 hours later! Then we headed back to Kihei to finish our 91-mile roundtrip ride and eat tons of delicious food at Star Noodle in Lahaina. Click images to enlarge.