Category Archives: Living in Hawaii

Living in Hawaii, Science

Doing Science, and Doing Good

HPU Presidents Report 2016-steenhuis-west profiles_Page_1  HPU Presidents Report 2016-steenhuis-west profiles_Page_4

Kristi West, Ph.D., and HPU’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program Study How to Save Hawai’i’s Dolphins and Whales

Kristi West, Ph.D., remembers the moment a student got hooked on studying whales. “We had a report of a stranded whale,” West shared, “and my student hiked 13.5 miles into a remote area of Volcanoes National Park to recover its carcass.” West experienced a similar pivotal moment early in her career, during a post-doctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution. “I expected it to be a dream appointment, working at the Smithsonian with legendary marine mammal researchers Jim Mead and Charlie Potter. But I didn’t realize I would learn how great science can come from studying the corpses of stranded Cetaceans (whales and dolphins).”

Her focus on what could be described as “CSI: Cetacean” led West to Hawai‘i Pacific University, where she founded HPU’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program (MMSP) a decade ago. “Hawai’i is home to 20 species of cetaceans, many rare and endangered. Sometimes the only opportunity we have to study them is during an autopsy.” One of the core teaching principles of HPU is providing students with hands-on learning, and West points out that it does not get more hands-on than studying a whale corpse. “We respond to 20-25 strandings a year,” detailed West, “and in each case our first goal is to learn why the dolphin or whale died, so we can prevent future deaths.”

Besides hands-on learning, another core teaching principle at HPU is work with the community. “We depend heavily on the kokua (assistance) of residents, businesses and state agencies to report and recover stranded cetaceans,” explained West. As an example, recovering the body of a false killer whale this winter required coordination of a Hilo resident (and his engine hoist and flatbed truck), cargo airline Transair, and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Students must also learn to respond sensitively to a community traumatized by the distress or death of a marine mammal, anywhere from the remote shoreline of Niihau, to beach in front of Neil Young’s house. Hawai’i Tourism Authority, a grant supporter of the MMSP, awarded funds for both cetacean autopsies, and to return to educate and report findings to a community touched by a marine mammal death.

The next phase for West is a year of professional leave dedicated to data analysis. While continuing her work with students in MMSP, West will use time freed up by a lighter teaching load to analyze ten years of data collected by the program. “This is the moment when we can take all our findings, and use them to identify and mitigate threats to the whales and dolphins of Hawai’i. I’m excited for this next chapter of HPU’s MMSP, when we can create real tools for policymakers to save our beautiful marine mammals.”

This story originally appeared in the HPU 2016 President’s Report.

Economics and Business, Living in Hawaii

Project-Based Learning: Initiative to Reality

HPU Presidents Report 2016-steenhuis-west profiles_Page_1 HPU Presidents Report 2016-steenhuis-west profiles_Page_3

From Harvard-developed MBA coursework to a new book deal, Harm-Jan Steenhuis, Ph.D., works to make the HPU College of Business a center of project-based learning

By Sara Ecclesine

Hawaii Pacific University MBA Program Chair Harm-Jan Steenhuis, Ph.D., thinks a lot about competitiveness. “What makes a region competitive? How do you evaluate clusters of economic activity, and find opportunities for growth?” Steenhuis studied these questions during his diverse professional career, whether looking at aviation technology transfer in Romania, or creating an export plan for an Indian transformer manufacturer. While at universities in the U.S. and the Netherlands, Steenhuis became convinced that his job as an instructor is to teach students to analyze competitiveness and find opportunities by learning critical thinking skills. And the path to fostering critical thinking is project-based learning.

Steenhuis joined HPU in the summer of 2015, drawn in part to the university’s highly international faculty and student body, which provides an ideal atmosphere for international business research. Even more compelling for Steenhuis was HPU’s culture of project-based learning, a central component of the College of Business (COB) strategic plan. In 2012, Jeffrey and Laura Alberts-Boromisa funded a Project Learning Initiative and Academic Improvement Fund at HPU’s COB. Jeffrey Boromisa, also serving as Executive in Residence, sought to increase the competitiveness of the COB through the establishment of an applied learning process, where student-teams serve as consulting groups to local businesses. The Project Learning Initiative has spawned events as unique as Hawai’i’s first International Women’s Hackathon.

After his arrival at HPU, Steenhuis immediately began developing project-based learning opportunities that increase the rigor of the COB. The first will be a new graduate course in International Competitiveness and Strategy, based on materials developed by the Harvard Business School. HPU is one of only a handful of universities in the U.S. authorized to teach this graduate course. The course is 50% case-based course work supported by materials and best-practice teaching techniques developed by Harvard. The other 50% will be project-based, with students analyzing local industry clusters and learning to think critically about the determinants of competitiveness, with the goal of improving the prosperity of the people of Hawai’i. “A cluster of economic activity doesn’t tell us the complete story,” explained Steenhuis. “Is it producing patents? Are the patents relevant economic drivers? How does it compare to a different region? Does it increase quality of life?”

Steenhuis is so enthusiastic about project-based learning that he’s writing the book on it, with co-authors Larry Rowland and Brian Kulik. Inspired by The Case Study Handbook, written by William Ellet and published by the Harvard Business Press, Steenhuis and his collaborators are writing a student guide to topics such as how to approach a project and how to interact in groups, aimed at students used to textbook and lecture-style teaching. “Education is not just theories and memorizing terms. You need that business literacy, but it’s not our end goal,” asserts Steenhuis. “With project-based learning, you’re going to get students who can think critically and be profession ready, global leaders; who can make a difference in community before they’ve even left school. And to me, that’s what’s exciting.”

This story originally appeared in the HPU 2016 President’s Report.

Economics and Business, Living in Hawaii, Science

Global Opportunities in Environmental Education

2015 HPU Teacher of the Year Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., brings the community into the classroom, and the classroom into the community

HPU 2

Hawai‘i Pacific University Associate Professor of Environmental Science Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., began her academic career in industrial engineering, a non-traditional path for an environmental scientist. “Studying engineering instilled a pragmatic approach to problem-solving,” Ostergaard-Klem shared, “and provided me with an analytic framework to evaluate problems with a lot of variables and multiple objectives.” After receiving her Ph.D. in Systems Analysis and Economics for Public Decision Making from The Johns Hopkins University, she worked at the United States Agency for International Development before coming to HPU in 2008. “I think that my diverse professional experiences, from database development to international policy analysis, give me a rich collection of real-world anecdotes that help me illustrate sustainable development in the classroom,” said Ostergaard-Klem.

Ostergaard-Klem is thrilled to add to her collection of hands-on experiences during a CIEE International Faculty Development seminar in China this summer. “Rarely does a class period go by without some reference to China, whether related to carbon offsetting, rare earth elements or eco-cities in China,” said Ostergaard-Klem. China’s decisions have tremendous implications for domestic and international sustainability. “Real-life examples gained from traveling through China, directly incorporated into my curriculum, will have an even greater impact on my students.”

Ostergaard-Klem is also preparing her students for the World Conservation Congress (WCC), to be held in Honolulu in 2016. “This is the Olympics of conservation, a gathering of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the oldest and largest international environmental organization. The WCC happens every four years, and it’s never been hosted in the U.S. before,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “We’re expecting between eight and 10 thousand participants.” The IUCN has traditionally been centered on species conservation. However, the organization has become increasingly concerned with balancing ecosystems and community impacts, making this a great moment to present Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) research, Ostergaard-Klem’s primary focus, to conservation professionals. (GPI, a supplement to GDP, adjusts for negative and positive effects of economic activity.) HPU and the University of Hawai‘i are collaborating to provide Conservation Campus programs, affiliate events providing training and teaching experiences for WCC participants and students from around the world. “My primary goal is to make sure the conference provides tremendous opportunities for enrichment and professional networking for HPU students,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “This is also an opportunity for local leaders from the business and environmental community in Hawaii to engage and share best-practices with their counterparts from all over the world.” Given that the conference will be held on an island, “I hope WCC is an opportunity to further support island partnerships such as that with the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and HPU alumnus Christopher Loeak (BA ’79).”

This story originally appeared in the summer 2015 issue of HPU Today.

Economics and Business, Living in Hawaii, Science

Creating a Sustainable Future

Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., provides global leadership in environmental science through community-based research

HPU 1

Hawai‘i is known for rich research opportunities in volcanology, marine biology and astronomy. The 2015 Hawai‘i Pacific University Teacher of the Year Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., is on a mission to add environmental science and sustainability to that honor roll. Because of Hawai‘i’s unique combination of diverse ecosystems, an economy dependent upon those resources, and cultural connections to nature, HPU students can do globally relevant sustainability research without ever leaving the islands. “Business and the environment have a symbiotic relationship that is critical to quality of life in Hawai‘i,” noted Ostergaard-Klem, an Associate Professor of Environmental Science. “There is no more interesting place on earth to study sustainability.”

Ostergaard-Klem’s primary research focus is the customization of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) to the unique needs of Hawai‘i. GPI was developed two decades ago as a supplement to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GPI and GDP start at the same point, but GPI is then adjusted for negative and positive effects of economic activity, such as saltwater intrusion in a well, or the value of grandparents watching their grandchildren. GPI expresses these economic pluses and minuses as a dollar value, in order to aid policy planners in modeling trade-offs. Business leaders will recognize GPI as the macro expression of a movement also taking place at the micro level that includes Corporate Sustainability Plans, B-Corporations and the Global Reporting Initiative. “The low hanging fruit for companies is the reduction of waste, which is good for the environment by eliminating externalities and good for business by saving money,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “GPI is a way to track how well our whole economy is doing at reducing externalities.”

Ostergaard-Klem, her University of Hawai‘i collaborator Kirsten L.L. Oleson, Ph.D., and their army of graduate and undergraduate students produce a GPI for Hawai‘i, showcased in the State of Hawaii Environmental Council annual reports. Ostergaard-Klem explained the process: “GPI reporting is driven by data collated across different agencies and organizations that do not necessarily talk to one another. The GPI framework can be a model for other initiatives like Aloha + Challenge and its Sustainability Dashboard project. Our students gain real-world experience collaborating with community organizations to develop locally important deliverables, a key part of Ostergaard-Klem’s teaching philosophy. “It’s not that I’m parenting the students, but I think about my courses within the context of the student’s career development, rather than simply as an opportunity to teach the subject matter on the syllabus,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “I try to give them real-world skills.”

Research in Hawai‘i has the potential to lead the development of globally relevant protocols for localizing GPI. The original GPI formula includes items that are unimportant in Hawai‘i, such as human-made air pollution, while undervaluing others, such as sea-level rise from climate change. Ostergaard-Klem has shared her work on the localization of GPI with local organizations like the Hawai‘i Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Hawaii Economic Association and will present to the United States Society for Ecological Economics In October. These sessions help policy makers, planners, and economists realize the limits of GDP, while providing them with GPI as a more comprehensive alternative. Ostergaard-Klem has found that “planners and policy makers are often trying to piece together information on policy impacts, so our GPI reporting is very useful for them.”

This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 issue of HPU Today.

Living in Hawaii, Paddleboard and SUP, Travel

Duke’s OceanFest Celebrates the Legacy of the Duke

Cover

While writing the cover stories for the July-August issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine, I found myself compulsively reading every scrap of biographical material I could find on Duke Kahanamoku. I had known that Duke was a legendary athlete, and while that is true, his enduring legacy is as a branding visionary who single-highhandedly created both surfing as a modern, international sport; and constructed the image of Hawaii that is now pictured by the outside world, in the process building Hawaii’s tourism industry.

Check out my bio of Duke and story on Duke’s OceanFest (below) and see if you agree.

Living in Hawaii, Paddleboard and SUP, Travel

Duke Kahanamoku: The Legacy Lives in You

bio 1 bio 2

Reflections on a 125-year Tradition

Who taught you to surf? Who was your swim coach? And looking back in time, who was their coach, forming a chain of tradition connecting generations of teachers and students, back to the ancient kapuna of old Hawai’i?

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku has been called the father of modern day surfing, the fastest swimmer of his generation, the greatest waterman that ever lived, and the ultimate beachboy. He’s a 4-time Olympian in swimming and water polo, breaking world records and winning five medals, three of them gold. He introduced surfing and surfboard construction to Australia and Southern California, creating what are now the centers of the sport outside Hawai’i. The Duke was one of the first surfers to use a paddle on a surfboard (leading to the development of SUP) established the surfboard as an essential lifeguarding tool, was part of the beachboy crew that invented beach volleyball, and was considered the one of the best steersmen of his day at the iconic Outrigger Canoe Club.

Off the beach Kahanamoku held the titles of the Hawai’i Ambassador of Aloha, and the Sheriff of Honolulu. Known as the Big Kahuna in Hollywood, Kahanamoku taught movie stars to surf, popularized the aloha shirt and the ukulele, and introduced and the term beachboy to Southern California, single-handedly creating the surfing culture portrayed by Hollywood today. As biographer Grady Timmons explains, Kahanamoku is the person who introduced Hawai’i to the world. “At that time,” Timmons writes, “Hawai’i was the last outpost of the United States. It was the most isolated spot on earth, farther away from any place than any other place in the world. And then along came Duke, shoring up that distance with a single, powerful swimming stroke, emerging onto the world stage as if he had just stepped off his surfboard.”

But beneath it all, Kahanamoku was the child of a Hawaiian family that spent every spare moment in the water, a family that believed they came from the ocean. Kahanamoku learned to swim in the traditional way, thrown into the waves from a canoe. “It was swim or else,” Kahanamoku later recalled. “That’s the way the old Hawaiians did it.” Kahanamoku and his siblings attended Waikiki Elementary School, jumping into the ocean the minute school let out. “All we did was water, water, water,” his brother Louis explained. Brother Sargent remembered, “Mother used to tell her children, ‘Go out as far as you want. Never be afraid in the water.’”

Kahanamoku stepped into the global spotlight in 1911, when he shattered the 100-yard freestyle world record by 4.6 seconds during the first sanctioned Hawaiian Amateur Athletic Union swimming and diving championships in Honolulu Harbor. Kahanamoku later hypothesized, “our water is so full of life, it’s the fastest water in the world. That’s all there is to it.” When his world-record swim initially inspired disbelief outside Hawai’i, Kahanamoku’s friends and fellow beachboys raised the money for him to travel to the mainland to give exhibition swims and attend the 1912 Olympic Trials, where he easily qualified for the team, breaking the 200-meter world record in the process.

Kahanamoku’s Olympic career spanned the two decades from 1912 to 1932, when he won a final bronze for water polo at the age of 42. The Duke’s most memorable Olympic moment may have come during his first Olympics in 1912 in Stockholm. Also attending that year was the unstoppable Native American athlete Jim Thorpe. The two were keenly aware of their corresponding status as indigenous Americans and the best athletes in the world. Kahanamoku recalled that he asked Thorpe, “’Jimmy, I’ve seen you run, jump, throw things and carry the ball. You do everything, so why don’t you swim too?’ Jimmy just grinned at me with that big grin he had for everyone, and said, ‘Duke, I saved that for you to take care of. I saved that for you.'”

Kahanamoku was recognized as kumu o he’e nalu, one who has mastered the art of riding the waves, the ancient name for the kahuna priests who were the original surfing champions. So it’s fitting that Kahanamoku’s outreach to the world included a spiritual component, teaching the principal of aloha both in his travels and at home. In his own word, Kahanamoku described the importance of aloha: “aloha is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawai’i renowned as the world’s center of understanding and fellowship.” In 1960 Kahanamoku was officially appointed to the position that he’d unofficially filled his entire life, the Hawai’i Ambassador of Aloha. When public figures, from John F. Kennedy to Shirley Temple, disembarked onto Hawaiian soil they headed straight for Kahanamoku. Kahanamoku disciple and legendary waterman Alika Willis explains the mission he received from Duke, “teaching people the aloha part of Duke Kahanamoku, not the waterman part. Aloha: being kind to one another, being graceful to our visitors is what Duke Kahanamoku was. Our visitors are very important to us and our economy, so that’s very important. And Kahanamoku would be more happy that we are gracious and aloha ambassadors more so than watermen and women.”

As Kahanamoku traveled the world giving swimming exhibitions and spreading the aloha spirit, he also taught surfing and board-shaping, creating the future surfing capitals of the world. During swimming exhibitions in 1912, Kahanamoku brought surfing to the Atlantic coast of the United States. In Australia between 1914 and 1915, Kahanamoku not only broke his 100-meter world record, he taught Australians how to surf. “Duke literally pushed that great sea-oriented country into surfing,” writes chronicler of surfing Leonard Lueras. Having no board in Australia, Kahanamoku made one, bringing the art of board-shaping to Australia. Kahanamoku’s board was eight feet six inches long, concave for stability in the rough Australian surf, and is still lovingly preserved in private collection. Kahanamoku continued his world tour in subsequent decades, popularizing surfing in New Zealand in 1915, beginning the California surf and swim craze in California between 1913 and 1929 (the Hollywood years), and forever changing lifeguarding with his heroic 1925 surfboard-rescue of eight drowning fishermen whose boat had overturned in rough water off Corona del Mar, California.

Kahanamoku’s legacy today is expressed in the work of the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation (ODKF), which promotes Kahanamoku’s spirit of aloha and supports Hawai’i athletes and organizations throughout Hawai’i. Since its inception in 1986, the ODKF has gifted more than $2.2 million dollars to scholar athletes and non-profit organizations in Hawai‘i. This year alone it awarded a total of $178,250 for 29 grants and 40 scholarships to student athletes from 34 different high schools across six Hawaiian Islands. Without community support, Kahanamoku could not have traveled the world to compete, to promote the state of Hawai’i and to bring Hawaiian sports to the world. The ODKF is working to send the next Duke Kahanamoku out into the world to achieve, to teach, and to spread Kahanamoku’s message of aloha.

This article originally appeared in the July-August issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine.

 

Living in Hawaii, Paddleboard and SUP, Travel

Duke’s OceanFest: Do it for Duke

Leave a comment

In 1999, “Do it for Duke!” was the rallying cry of the Duke Kahanamoku postage stamp campaign. “Everyone was talking about honoring Duke, about honoring what he accomplished and what he stood for,” recalls Duke’s OceanFest event director Brent Imonen. “So it really started with the stamp (dedicated in 2002), which was the genesis of Duke’s OceanFest.” Best known as the Hawai’i Ambassador of Aloha or the father of modern day surfing (including stand up paddleboard), Kahanamoku taught Australians and Californians how to surf, launching the global popularity of the sport. Kahanamoku was the best swimmer of his generation, breaking records and winning five Olympic medals at four Olympics. Legendary waterwoman Candice Appleby shared, “I’m excited to attend Duke’s OceanFest celebrating Duke Kahanamoku and everything he’s done for surfing. To celebrate his birthday I participate in as many events as I can.”

Thirteen years after its grassroots beginnings, Duke’s OceanFest has grown to a 9-day event coinciding with Kahanamoku’s 125th birthday and honoring his influence as a beachboy and waterman (see “Duke Kahanamoku: the Legacy Lives in You” in this issue). “Duke was not in the business of being a beachboy,” explained world champion surfer Fred Hemmings. “But in the larger sense of the word — of a man who lived and loved the ocean lifestyle — Duke was, as far as I’m concerned, the ultimate beachboy.” From August 22 to 30, Duke’s OceanFest is presenting a packed schedule of the events dearest to The Duke: longboard surfing, paddleboard racing, swimming, tandem surfing, surf polo, and beach volleyball. There’s a lei-draping ceremony, a luau, movie night, and plenty of time for kicking back and talking story. If you’re not sure where to start, the Duke’s Waikiki Ocean Mile Swim is Saturday August 29, and stand up paddleboard events the weekend of August 22 would make a great first paddleboard race. Don’t forget tickets for the KINE Great Hawaiian Legends Luau, keiki surf and volleyball competitions, and fun free events like the Waikiki Nights movie and music programs. At the time of printing there were still spaces available for the team-fundraising Hawaiian Airlines Legends Surf Classic, an unforgettable opportunity to get a group of friends together and surf with a legend while raising money for the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and its scholarship fund.

While watermen and women all over the world owe a debt of gratitude to Kahanamoku, if you live in Hawai’i, you can undoubtedly trace a direct line from yourself to The Duke. You’ve been coached or mentored by someone who learned from Kahanamoku or from one of his disciples. Waikiki beach culture means playing hard, in the ocean in every sport you can, from sunrise to sunset, just as Kahanamoku did. On Monday, August 24, make the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku’s Sunrise Birthday Lei Draping your time to honor the Duke and the beachside life that he loved. As the conch blows, use that chicken-skin moment to rededicate yourself to the ocean. As Kahanamoku’s brother Louis remembered, “My family believes we come from the ocean. And that’s where we’re going back.” Go back to our beautiful Pacific Ocean at Duke’s OceanFest. www.Dukesoceanfest.com.

This article originally appeared in the July-August issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine.

Bike Racing, Living in Hawaii, Mountainbike, Travel, Triathlon

Long Road to the Big Island

Cando

Looking Back on a Career in the Pro Peloton, and Forward to Big Island Bike Tours

It’s Saturday morning on a summer day in 1989, and Alex “Cando” Candelario has poured a mixing-bowl full of cereal after morning swim practice. ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” is on, the announcer screaming hoarsely from the TV set. Slurping cereal, Cando watches the riders on the screen. The leader of the tour, Laurent Fignon, falls to the ground covering his face, as Greg Lemond crosses the finish line of the final time trial. Lemond has beaten Fignon and won the ’89 Tour de France by eight seconds, seconds he gained by using the controversial, unproven aerobar. (New equipment in 1989) “Drama, technology, heroic effort, sporting success; those elements were branded into my brain,” Cando recalls. “That’s the moment I fell in love with the bicycle.”

AA1_2147

Years later Cando would race and train in Europe. “It’s funny,” Cando recalls, “Belgians in particular would stop me just to talk about Lemond and the ‘89 Tour. On a long ride I could usually get a coffee out of it.” While Cando would never compete in Le Tour, he did spend fourteen years making a living racing bicycles, traveling to races not only in Europe, but also China, New Zealand, Malaysia, Africa, and more. From his start as a U.S. criterium specialist, Candelario evolved into a savvy team captain, whom Jonas Carney called “the best lead out guy in North America.” Cando’s ability to think tactically in the heat of racing became crucially important when race radios were banned in 2010. “Without direct communication with the riders in a hectic finale, you need a confident leader on the road, and he was a perfect guy for that,” said Carney. Not coincidentally, in 2011 Cando delivered arguably his greatest stage race performances at the Tour of Korea, winning a stage and finishing second in the GC, seconds out of the yellow jersey. “I’m known as a surfing fanatic by my teammates,” Cando admitted. “I think it helps me stay calm and focused in the moment.”

Along the way Hawai’i became his home. For the past nine years, Cando has trained in Hawai’i in the off-season in order to take advantage of the warm weather, incredibly diverse terrain, and the occasional wave. “My wife Hannah and her entire family are from Hawai’i. Now that we have two young sons the pressure is on,” Cando joked. “We can’t take them away from all their aunties and uncles.”

The Final Season

Cando retired from racing last fall. Family and Hawai’i were calling, and it’s rare for a rider to continue racing into their forties. “It was a great final season. Probably my best World Tour memory from that year was racing Stage 5 at the Tour of Utah with my teammates on Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies.” In the final miles, BMC Racing set up their red and black lead out train at the front of the pack, ready to propel 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans across the line for a stage win. Instead Cando attacked the entire BMC Racing team, opened a gap, and towed teammate Eric Young into the perfect place for the stage win.

“In a bike race, things need to go exactly right to pull off a win against World Tour teams,” Cando reminisced. “It was special because it was a full team effort — those moments in the sport are rare. It felt great to contribute to such a big win in my final season.”

From the Peloton to Parker Ranch

With retirement comes new dreams. During off-season training over the last nine years, Cando estimates that he’s ridden every road possible on the Big Island, maximizing training while enjoying the unique culture and natural beauty of Hawai’i. During these epic Hawaiian-style rides he began daydreaming about showing other people Hawai’i from the saddle. First it was just his pro cyclist teammates who would fly over to ride with him in informal camps. But this winter Cando began putting on road and mountain bike camps for mainland and local athletes. It’s no secret that riding on the Big Island is difficult because much of the land is privately held.  Cando’s family connections have allowed him to secure exclusive access to the Waipio Valley Rim Trail, Pololu Valley, and Parker Ranch. “We’re the only bike tour company allowed to operate there,” Cando explains, “it’s like having a backstage pass to the best rock (and dirt) show in Hawai’i.”

AA1_2494

As you would expect, mainland riders are opting for weeklong training camps with pro-level support: follow vehicles, daily bike tune-ups, and soigneur-level attention to details like rain bags and bottle hand-ups. Hawai’i locals are also encouraged to attend, and there’s a kama’aina discount.

But Big Island Bike Tours is also all about Kama’aina Mini-Camps. “We’re here for locals to do 2-3 day Mini Camps, put in some big miles, get pampered with lots of tech support, and enjoy riding new trails and new roads away from all the cars.” Right now Big Island Bike Tours is scheduling Kama’aina Mini Camps in July and August, after climbing season and before the Maui Gran Fondo, Dick Evans and the Honolulu Century. “We can help riders put in a big block of cycling miles, for either cycling or triathlon,” Cando explained. “We can go as mellow as you want, all coffee-breaks, selfie-stops and sunsets on the beach. Or if you’re a real sicko we have some ridiculous routes developed, like our Deux Volcanoes 148 mile, 21,350 feet of elevation gain point-to-point ride.” Pro-level support at the Kama’aina Mini-Camps means that once you get off the airplane, everything is taken care of. Big Island Bike Tours picks you up, puts your bike together, and provides nutrition, sag, and technical support.

The Next Big Thing

What’s coming in the future? “We’re developing a Kama’aina Speed Camp, to work on sprinting, lead outs and tactics,” Cando enthused. “It should be super fun, with lots of drills and mock-races.” Cando will also be assisting pro road Team SmartStop in the position of Assistant Director Sportif. “It will be a great way to keep my hand in and stay relevant.” Cando will travel to the Amgen Tour of California as well as hopefully the Tour of Utah, the USA Pro Challenge and Tour of Alberta. “So you know if I tell you to do something I’m telling the same thing to (pro sprinters) Shane Kline and Jure Kocjan,” joked Cando. “I want to give each rider the ‘pro experience,’ the level of support I received when I raced professionally, so they can maximize their potential as an athlete, or just thoroughly enjoy their on-bike vacation.”

For more information, email aloha@bigislandbiketours.com or visit www.bigislandbiketours.com

_CAM2225

 

 

This article originally appeared in the May issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine.