National Park halts Maui downhill bicycle tours

memoirs of Cruiser BobDateline: October 10, 2007 Oceanside, California, USA

by
Bob Kiger aka "Cruiser Bob"

Living in our "green" leaning society, one would think that the last thing to be openly discriminated against by the US Government would be bicycles. Sadly the opposite is true. The 25 year old "legendary Maui downhill bike tours" came to an abrupt halt on October 10, 2007 by order of the National Park Superintendent. Here is the AP version of the party line.

The report that follows is entirely my intellectual property and contains facts and allegations about Maui and it's citizens and visitors, the National Park Service, Federal, State and Local politicians, insurance practices, lawyers, policy toward bicyclists and other issues that you will not get from the AP or any other news service unless they steal or license it from me. :)

Since Cruiser Bob's Haleakala Downhill began in 1983, over 1,000,000 people from around the world have participated in, what many describe as, "Hawaii's Best Adventure". United Airlines Magazine summed up the activity in 1983 by saying "Simply put you sit on a bicycle and coast from the top of the world's largest dormant volcano to the bottom - a drop in elevation of 10,000 feet and a circuitous distance of 38 miles".

Some of the items that will be discussed include:

1. Cruiser Bob's vid on the origins of the downhill bike ride.
2. Search for a partner, process and permits
3. Did the National Park derail the original downhill idea
4. Prejudice against bicycles by upcountry "kamaainas" & "locals"
5. The Court of Insurance vs. the Court of Law
6. How quality went out of control in the downhill bicycle business
7. One Haleakala Park Superintendent we knew that had integrity
8. "Cycle to the Sun" shows the noble side of Maui bicycling
9. A downhill castle and how Maui county demolished it
10. Searching the world for other downhill venues
11. Wider shoulders for Maui Highways and the "North Shore Greenway"
12. Tragedy, treachery and transportation to the mainland with a pine box

Each of the subjects above will become links to historical documents, stories and footage in the days ahead. It will take some time to produce the content involved, so I ask the readers indulgence for my posting such a dismal set of topics without full sourcing. Please note that I have absolutely no holdings (other than my intellectual property) in any Maui business . . . bicycle or otherwise.