First, name another tour company that starts off with home made muffins! The answer is none. I knew we were in for a fun day as soon as we met Matt and Eric and chatted about the day ahead as we were eating Matt’s homemade muffins. My wife and I were excited to do this tour in particular as we wanted to see some of the less travelled areas of Maui and there is no better way than doing it on a bicycle. Matt didn’t disappoint! It was exactly what we had hoped. Starting the day with the breathtaking scenery as we cruised down Haleakalā, without the pain in the ass factor of waking up at 3:00 am like the other tour companies make you do, had us feel like we were playing chess while the other tour companies were playing checkers. Next, the Maui backcountry and some of the smaller towns, including a stop for a delicious lunch in Makawao, for the authentic Maui experience we were looking for. This was followed by a fantastic ride through Paia and some more beautiful scenery as we worked our way back to our starting point. All the while Matt was providing us with interesting background and fun tips.
As for the ride itself, we really appreciated being in such a small group…again unlike some of the other tour companies. For our ride there was just 3 of us plus Matt. The bikes were amazing Trek hybrid bikes with good road tires and Matt has even swapped the seats out for comfy riding seats…very butt friendly. Eric drove behind us in the support vehicle blocking traffic for us so for most of the ride we had the entire lane to ourselves and felt very safe! We felt like we has the support of a professional riding team in the Tour de France. And unlike the Tour de France, we also had a professional photographer…ie Matt, taking photos and videos of our group while we bombed down the hills! His cinematic skills are Spielberg worthy and most shockingly he was able to take these live action videos without crashing his own bike…very impressive. As soon as the ride was over he sent all the photos and videos to us so we had them by the time we left the parking lot.
We have done guided cycle tours all throughout North America and Europe and this was far and way the best and most organized ride we have been on! I can’t recommend it highly enough and I hope others take the time to enjoy this day with Matt and his amazing crew.