Detlefsen claims third Cycle to the Sun title
Grueling race from Paia to summit of Haleakala returns for first time since 2019
Hanns Detlefsen of Colorado makes his way up Haleakala on his way to a win Saturday in the Cycle to the Sun. It was Detlefsen’s third win in the race, which was held for the first time since 2019. TAD CRAIG PHOTOGRAPHY photos
Cyclists take off from the starting line in Paia on Saturday morning.
Competitors make their way up Haleakala on Saturday.
Hanns Detlefsen leads Jesse Williams and Carl Nethercutt in the late stages of Saturday’s race.
Hanns Detlefsen of Colorado makes his way up Haleakala on his way to a win Saturday in the Cycle to the Sun. It was Detlefsen’s third win in the race, which was held for the first time since 2019. TAD CRAIG PHOTOGRAPHY photos
Cyclists take off from the starting line in Paia on Saturday morning.
Competitors make their way up Haleakala on Saturday.
Hanns Detlefsen leads Jesse Williams and Carl Nethercutt in the late stages of Saturday’s race.
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HALEAKALA -- Hanns Detlefsen places the Cycle to the Sun right at the top of his list of favorite bike races.
The 49-year-old firefighter from from Oakland, Calif. -- he moved to Evergreen, Colo., two years ago -- won the event for the third time on Saturday.
He thoroughly enjoyed the rugged 36-mile climb from sea level in Paia to the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakala. He finished in 3 hours, 4 minutes, 6 seconds, just 27 seconds in front of runner-up Jesse Williams of Nevada. Carl Nethercutt of Oahu was third in 3:05:49.
"It is the best climb that there is -- there's just nothing that is as continuous, as nicely paved with as beautiful a view as this ride," Detlefsen said. "And the post-race party is top notch."
Ann Sauve of Colorado won the women's race in 4:11:50, while Lisa Mueller of Washington was second in 4:16:45.
Detlefsen didn't start competitive cycling until his mid-30s.
"I picked it up late in life -- I started around 35 when I joined a masters cycling team called Thirsty Bears Cycling out of San Francisco," he said. "They're a pretty serious bunch -- I'm the least serious out of the collection, but they help me along quite a bit and coached me up on how to race."
The Cycle to the Sun was held for the first time since 2019 due the pandemic, with 125 individual competitors and relay teams completing the grueling course.
"I haven't raced in a few years, so I'm glad there wasn't any really fast kids here this year," Detlefsen said. "I love the climb, there's nothing like settling in and finding out what your limits are. It was terrific, it was awesome to be back."
Detlefsen has done the event four times -- he also won in 2015 and 2017 and was fourth in 2018.
He said one thing that hasn't changed was the greeting he and his family received on Maui.
"Bicycling folks are just good people, everybody here has just been awesome," Detlefsen said. "Even on the race course when we're duking it out, it's a gentlemen's sport."
Detlefsen waited until about the 9,000-foot elevation marker to try to pull away from a group of about five riders nearing the finish line. Soon, the lead group was just Detlefsen, Williams and Nethercutt.
In 2017, Detlefsen crossed the line in 2:46:17.
"I'm about 10 pounds over my race weight, so I waited until 9,000 because I live at altitude now, and I think if I'm going to have an edge on anybody it's where I live, at 7,500 feet," Detlefsen said. "I waited until the 9,000-foot mark to throw in an acceleration. I felt terrible the whole way, despite going slow relative to previous years.
"I don't have a good finish, I don't have good legs. I knew I just needed to wait until something was in my favor."
As the day went on for the 143 starters in the race, clouds and rain greeted them a few times on the way up the mountain.
It is becoming an annual destination event for the Detlefsen family. Daughters Lyla, 5, and Nene, 2, hung out with mom Sahar at their hotel in West Maui while dad was winning the race.
"We're in Kaanapali and nothing beats Maui, my kids are old enough to appreciate the pool and the beach and everything else," Detlefsen said. "It's going be a staple for me. I won't be winning this race outright in my future, but I will be back."
Going a bit slower than he has in the past, Detlefsen was able to enjoy the surroundings. The frontrunners were able to miss most of the rainy conditions that came later in the morning.
"I got to see a lot more of the course today than I did the two previous times -- it was a nice, mellow field," Detlefsen said. "A little bit of rain and a little bit of wind, not as fast as the previous years, but very nice at the top."
Race director Donnie Arnoult was happy to have the event back on track after the pandemic hiatus.
"I thought the weather was really good actually," Arnoult said. "I mean, it was cooler, light winds, and so it never really got that hot for these guys. The front guys were dry all the way to the top. If you were up there later, yeah, you experienced the clouds, but the first half of the field was dry and beautiful all the way to the top.
"Then some clouds came in and made it a little bit damp, but overall it was a good race and the weather was nice up top the whole time. I got away with a long-sleeved T-shirt all day and that's rare for me."
Arnoult said there were new challenges after not holding the race since 2019.
"It was a little bit challenging, I mean everybody, all the entities I usually deal with, all the people in those places have changed," Arnoult said. "That made things a little more challenging, getting people fired up about racing again and getting myself fired up about putting this thing on again. You don't realize how much energy it takes until you start doing it again after three years of not doing it."
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.