The New Year started off with a bang for a small group of Team Mango Racing fanatics.
While it may not have included a spectacular firework display or dancing under showers of confetti at midnight, for elite road cyclist Clark Lind from Vancouver, Canada, winning the 27th edition of Journey-2-Lala Land was certainly a celebration of sorts on his own.
Lind once again lit up the mountainous course – a 17-mile uphill grind featuring a total elevation gain of 5,200 feet – that began at sea level at the bottom of the Hualalai Road and finished amidst the clouds at the top of Hue Hue Street on Kaloko Drive.
The combination of unrelenting steep gradients upwards of 20-percent and the harsh effects of ascending into higher altitude can often leave a cyclist experiencing dizziness, shortness of breath, and mental disorientation. Lind didn’t seem fazed one bit.
And he made it look easy while accomplishing a personal feat – more like a double fist-pump for the start of his 2020 racing season. Not only did he defend his title in a blazing time of one hour, 29 minutes and 24 seconds, but he also knocked off nearly a minute from his previous best a year ago which meant Lind is inching that much closer to claiming Brent Ruegamer’s course record of 1:28:05 set in 2001.
Team Mango Racing event organizer, Carl “Gecko” Koomoa, said this year a total of 11-cyclists summoned enough grit to wake bright and early on January 1st, where near perfect conditions of sunny skies and no winds set the stage for the challenging mountainous climb.
“Clark was very interested in breaking the course record,” Koomoa said. “I told him that while there is no motor pacing allowed, he could certainly use some rabbits if he wanted. But he came out on his own and basically, it was a solo effort from start to finish.”
Koomoa said that it’s the pure challenge of the climb that attracts cyclists, and sometimes runners.
“I think the course is really tough,” he said. “Long ago, it was basically the ride I would do on my birthday in November. Then in 1993, I decided to put it on the race calendar and it’s been a popular ride for pure cyclists since.
“It’s the course that draws people to want to challenge themselves. The combination of going up Hualalai, then crossing over to old Mamalahoa Highway, and then up steep Kaloko Drive. It’s also a perfect route to build up the tempo so by the time you hit Kaloko, your legs are ready and warmed up.”
Koomoa recalled a favorite memory dating back to 2006.
“I think the most famous story for this climb is when Lance Armstrong said he wanted to do it and break the course record,” Koomoa laughed. “So he did a recon on the Wednesday before to practice the course and that’s when he changed his mind. He said something like; ‘this is way too much work for me!’”
Crossing the finish line after Lind to defend his silver title was Florian Bogge, a professional triathlete from Germany, who finished in a great time of 1:39:15. And not too far behind in bronze was our top local finisher, Kailua-Kona’s Sean Maynard, with his time of 1:41:54.
“It’s a great way to start off the New Year,” Koomoa said. “A fun challenge to blow out the cobwebs and start off a new racing season.”
Next up for Team Mango Races is the Wintertime Super Sprint Triathlon featuring a 200-yard swim, 6-mile bike, and 1.5-mile run on Sunday, Jan. 19th. For more information visit teammango.org.