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Club Member Spotlight: Al’s Oahu Bakery Ride – A Report Wednesday, July 11, started very early for 6 cyclists on Oahu. Current Hawaii resident and former FFBC member Phil Lum, his neighbor Tim Shivery, and I met at 6:15am at the Bed and Breakfast home at which my wife and I were staying. We got our bikes ready and headed over to Agnes Bakery to meet Ed & Joyce Tanaka and Ken Lew for our Bakery Ride. Our start was delayed for a while because more adjustments were needed on the bikes they had rented, but we were soon on our way – to the nearest Safeway for a bathroom stop. When Joyce exited the Safeway it was evident that she had been “lei’d” while inside the supermarket. We rode through the Enchanted Lakes area and onto Kalanianaole Highway, where we encountered a steady drizzle. After a couple of miles, we got off the main road and onto some side streets in the Waimanalo area to avoid the speeding traffic, whereupon Joyce rode beside me and commented that she now knew how it felt to swim on her bike. Everyone agreed, however, that it was a warm rain and not unpleasant at all. We left Waimanalo behind and then began a short climb when we got to Makapuu. At the scenic overlook at the top of the climb we stopped to look at the view and take pictures. After a fast descent we turned right onto Kealahou Rd. and headed toward Hawaii Kai. At the top of the next climb I pointed out that the section of road we were about to descend was called “Heartbreak Hill” by the local cyclists who make the ascent of that road. Funny, it didn’t feel too tough while we were zooming down that road! Leaving Hawaii Kai behind, we rode again in the steady drizzle that we had escaped for a brief period. Reaching Kahala, we were awed by the fabulous homes in that area. Soon, however, we were riding through the outskirts of Waikiki and on our way to Leonard’s Bakery. The familiar sign to this well-known malasadas-maker greeted us as we rode into the parking lot. We had ridden 28 miles, and we were hungry!
We crowded into the bakery and ogled all the delightful pastries and cakes in the display case, but we ordered hot malasadas fresh from the oven. Some of us got dobash-filled (similar to chocolate pudding cream) ones, and others ordered malasadas filled with banana cream. We sat on the benches outside and devoured our goodies. After Joyce ate her first-ever malasadas, she turned to me and said, “Al, I’m never going to eat another (mere) doughnut again!”
Our next bakery destination was only 7 miles away, but we had to ride through city streets to get there. I had tried to select a route that would minimize our time on busy streets, but we couldn’t avoid them entirely. We rode on bike paths, sidewalks, busy streets, and a pedestrian/bike bridge, but we arrived at Liliha Bakery in good spirits and full of anticipation. Most of us had barely finished removing our helmets and gloves before Ken Lew entered the bakery and reappeared with lilikoi-filled malasasas for several of us. He then lent Tim some assistance on adjusting his bike seat. Ed Tanaka bought a Coco Puff and an Azuki Bean turnover for himself and Joyce. Phil Lum somehow ended up in charge of refilling water bottles. My task was to draft a passerby to take a picture of us. At one point while we were standing around outside Liliha Bakery, a couple of local guys were talking to each other within our hearing range. After a minute or two Joyce came over to me and said, “Al, are those guys speaking in English? I can’t understand what they’re saying!” I laughed and told Joyce that they were indeed speaking English – “Pidgin English” - with a local accent. Their conversation could easily be understood by local people, but I guess it’s somewhat baffling to anyone who’s not familiar with it. We all made it to the Pali Lookout without incident, however, and were amused by the curious looks of the tourists who had driven their cars up the mountain to take in the view from this vantage point. Since it was very windy, as it always is at the lookout, we only took enough time for a brief look and to have our picture taken before moving off again.
Immediately upon re-entering the Pali Highway we had to pass through two short tunnels. Since the tunnels have no shoulder at all, the safest way to cycle through this downhill section is to ride fast in a group and take the entire right lane when an opening presents itself. We managed to accomplish this without incident, although one driver traveling well in excess of the posted 35 mph speed limit leaned on her horn as she swerved around me, actions that were atypical of the motorists we encountered during the ride that day. At the bottom of the thrilling descent we turned right at the signal light. The ride was almost over, but I wanted to take the group through a couple of beautiful areas that we would miss if we rode directly to our final bakery stop. We experienced a great descent as we passed through the Maunawili area, then climbed briefly as we traversed the Kawai Nui Marsh. Before long, we were back at Agnes Bakery and ready for our final pastries of the ride. This time the malasadas were not available with any type of filling, but I assured everyone that the filling was not necessary for these malasadas. I think they’re the best tasting ones on the island all by themselves, and I didn’t hear any arguments from this group after they tasted them. So, we were done. Final statistics for the ride: 49 miles with 2400’ of climbing. An uncounted number of calories consumed. And 6 very happy cyclists on an emotional and a sugar high! From Wikipedia: A malasada (or malassada) is a Portuguese confection related to the doughnut, or more appropriately the Paczki and its variants. They were first made by inhabitants of São Miguel Island, part of the Azores. Malasadas are made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. Traditional malasadas contain neither holes nor fillings, but some varieties of malasadas are filled with flavored cream or other fillings. Counter-Clockwise Humor |
