From our team president, Eileen:
Aloha! This past Labor Day weekend, two of our current team members, Wyles and myself, made a trip out to Honolulu to visit recent graduate Eric Lau. The trip was jam packed with fun. Both Eric and I competed in the Dick Evans Memorial Road Race. The course wrapped around the island of Oahu, starting in Honolulu and heading up to the famous North Shore and down the windward side of the island. It turns out this race has evolved from the original 112 mile Ironman course, which once took place on Oahu. Eric successfully defended his win this year, despite a flat tire and working hard with the peloton to come within bridging distance to a dangerous break. I finished third among the women, in just under six hours while Wyles volunteered his support in the sweep car.
After a successful race, it was time to relax on the beach, kayak out in the ocean and camp up on the North Shore. If you’re ever hungry on the North Shore, be sure to find Giovanni’s White Shrimp Truck. The scampi plate comes with a dozen garlic buttered shrimp and two big piles of rice. Delicious! We also tasted the Hawaiian classic treat shave ice after a hot day on the beach in Waianae and sampled plenty of local coffee.
A few days after the race, we were finally feeling like our legs could handle some pedaling again, so we hit the trails in Pupukea-Paumalu Forest on the North Shore on mountain bikes. The slick red dirt, wet pine needles and tree roots made it clear why Eric has such grace on the mountain bike. It also made falling pretty cushy, as I found out a few times. We stopped for a long snack break at an overlook of the beach. It was fun to imagine the famous giant waves that thunder into that stretch of coastline every winter. After a coffee and lunch in Halewia, we headed back to Honolulu so I could catch my flight home.
Eric was an outstanding host, proudly showing off the best that Oahu has to offer. Next time, we’re headed out to his beloved home island, the Big Island! Mahalo Eric!
