Whenever I finish a cross-state bicycle tour, it always takes me a couple of days to get back into the swing of things.
It's been no different after completing the Biking Across Kansas tour last week. I wanted to post something to my blog immediately, but I was delayed by air travel and visits with friends.
That's just as well, because it gives me some time to mull over what I experienced on this ride. A few things immediately come to mind.
Inspiration
One is the
constant inspiration provided by my fellow bicycle travelers.
I'm sure everyone had to battle through some hardships. I
certainly did on that windy, hot, 22-mile ride from Marquette to
McPherson when, as someone said, “the gates of hell opened up on
us.”
But that was nothing compared to some achievements:
— The oldest cyclist, John Berkey, 85;
— Two families that rode with three generations;
— The youngest rider, age 9;
— Kansas National Guardsman Don Lobmeyer who wrapped up a 10,000-mile challenge for charity during the B.A.K.;
— The two cyclists who bicycled across Kansas on fixies;
— The Denver Rescue Mission president, Brad Meuli, who raised nearly $20,000 through his participation in B.A.K.;
— The cyclists who had battled cancer or were undergoing treatment;
— Andrew Dickson, the cross-country cyclist from Scotland, who tagged along with B.A.K. for a couple of days as he raised money and awareness for early-onset Alzheimer's.
— My son, who trained for a grand total of 12 to 15 bike rides before the tour and proclaimed at the finish that he'd like to do every cross-state bike tour there is.
There also was the presence of B.A.K. director Charlie Summers, who accompanied us and took photos as a worked to regain speech and balance after suffering a stroke last fall. He was always around to offer encouragement.
Grateful
I wanted to thank a lot of folks at the finish at La Cygne, but didn't get the chance:
— All those who offered friendly conversation during dinner and rest stops (this was everybody we happened to plop down next to);
— Those who patiently explained Kansas history, folklore and geography to an out-of-stater;
— My friend Hal and his family in Kansas City for shuttling us to and from the airport and showing us a good time;
— All the cyclists who announced “on your left” when passing;
— The residents who volunteered their shade trees on that hellish stretch from Marquette to McPherson;
— Frontier Airlines for charging only $20 to carry bicycles as luggage and getting them to KC and back without damage;
— The girls in Hillsboro who baked the best pies, ever;
— All the folks in host cities who welcomed us as we passed through their towns.
I did get a chance to thank Denise Duerksen and some of the steering committee members for a great ride. I especially appreciated seeing them out on their bikes everyday riding along with us.
Conditions
Kansas is a great place for a cross-country bike ride. Listening to tales from previous years, I understand there are extremes of weather. Overall, however, the riding is a pleasure.
The western part of the state was flat and favored us with tailwinds. I liked the eastern Flint Hills better. The constant pedaling in a big gear out west wore me down, but the rolling hills in the east were more suited to my style of cycling.
If I had the chance, I'd certainly consider returning to B.A.K. But, like my son, I'd like to try some other cross-state bike rides first. Here's a list of week-long bike rides in the US.
If you rode B.A.K., there's a survey form on the website. Although the ride has been rolling out annually since 1975, it would probably help the committee fine tune some of the details.
Photos
I took a boatload of photos. Some can be seen at left. They're all at my Flickr page and can be seen — organized by day — at the Biking Across Kansas 2011 collection.
Also photos are posted at the B.A.K. Facebook page, as well as the website.
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