Haleakala, Hawaii | USA 2996 m | 55 kilometres | KOM 2:23:36 hrs.
The toughest climbs in the world are in Hawaii: nowhere else do roads lead so directly from the sea to an altitude of over 4000 metres. The climb up Mauna Kea, for example, covers 4309 metres in altitude - however, part of the route is not asphalted and cannot be ridden all the way up on a road bike. Phil Gaimon even pushed his bike in sections for his KOM. On Haleakala, on the other hand, a continuous tarmac road winds its way up, making the climb a popular challenge for road cyclists. On the ride from the coast to the summit region of the volcano at an altitude of around 3000 metres, you pass through various climate zones - from warm and humid tropical to icy tundra.
Phil Gaimon (39), Los Angeles | USA | Segment 638944
Ex-professional Phil Gaimon talks about his KOM hunt on social media again and again. He set the record on Haleakala in January 2025. Wearing an aerodynamic racing one-piece, he climbed the 3,000 metres of altitude in 2:23:36 hours. This corresponds to an average speed of 23 km/h - Strava puts the average power output at 320 watts. Gaimon describes the difficulties of the climb to TOUR: "The conditions can be very different from the bottom to the top. It's a beautiful day on Paia beach, but 3000 metres higher up there can be wind, rain or snow. And of course you have less oxygen at higher altitudes, so performance suffers." When asked for tips, he recommends paying attention to nutrition and hydration. And you should ride in a very controlled manner: "It's a long, steady climb, so the pace is easy if you have self-control and patience."
*Because there are sometimes several segments on a climb, we mention the number of the segment (example: 9387933 means www.strava.com/segments/9387933). We have taken the altitude information for all segments from Strava, even if it is imprecise
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