Poonjabby

Olathe, Kansas

Trek760

Grew up in Wichita now living in Boulder, CO

OhBe1

I work in Newton and live in Peabody. I love that I can ride several miles from home in all four directions on paved county roads that don't have much motor vehicle traffic. That Kansas wind though -- ugh!

BIGDCYCLES

Not sure if I have posted before. I am from southeast Kansas originally, the little town of Toronto. I have also lived in Eureka, Emporia, and El Dorado. We are now fairly settled in Haysville on the southern edge of Wichita.

Jakenks

New guy, living in Wichita......

Lively or Not

I live just across the southeastern KS border in Miami, OK. Looking forward to riding the B.A.K. this June!

Milton Keynes

New guy here, residing in the small town of St. Paul, KS.

solveg

Is St. Paul, Kansas near Minneapolis, Kansas? 'Cause that would be funny.

I just moved from St. Paul, MN to Winfield, KS, about 45 miles SE from Wichita. I had a winter home in Conway Springs, but I decided a college town might be more fun full-time.

The roads are still terrible for cycling. Worse in Wichita, though. I just read in the paper that there have been a rash of bicycle/car crashes.

roogie

Shawnee, Kansas here.

roog

DumbPartsGuy

Checking in from Wichita.



Please let me know how it was, and things to consider. I am planning on doing it next year, but I know there are quite a few things/problems/situations that I have not considered yet.

Lively or Not

I had a great time, despite it being my first multi-day ride and my first time riding 50+ miles day after day. The organizers are outstanding and helpful, which makes a big difference for newbies to this sort of experience.

In terms of things to consider, I'd say remember that you're never going to be far from a town, so don't overpack. If you forget something or run out of something, you can easily restock. I wore the same biking clothes every day, washing them in the shower. Except socks; I had 2 pairs of those. Two town shirts; one pair each town shorts and pants; town shoes & a hat. Add tent, sleeping bag, toiletries and the normal bike repair kit, and that's really all you need. I did bring other stuff, but really could have done without most of it.

If you've lived in Wichita a while and ridden a while, you know about Kansas wind, temps, and rain. One of those will try really hard to get under your skin during 8 days of riding. If you've not ridden the eastern third of Kansas, well.... It. Is. Hilly.

There's a lot to consider doing a ride like this. Rather than be comprehensive, I'll close with one thing I learned while riding B.A.K. that I wish I'd known ahead of time. B.A.K. organizers do an amazing job finding interesting food and diversions in towns we ride through and in our overnight towns. I wanted to stop and smell the roses both on the road and in the overnight towns. About halfway through the week, I realized that I had to choose one or the other. I wasn't able to do both. This may be just me; I'm not a really fast rider (12-15 mph), and I left later (8-9 am) than most each morning. Once I realized I couldn't stop and smell *all* the roses, I was a happier rider.

I hope you're able to ride B.A.K. I had a fantastic time and plan to ride it again one of these days. If you have more specific questions as you plan for next year, feel free to post them. There's lots of great folks here to share different ideas.

mfhorn

New from Wichita!

Kuleto

Hi I'm new from SE KS live in Lawrence KS, have lived in Norman Ok and Fort Campbell TN/KY while in the army for 3.5 years (and 9 mo's afghanistan).

adele87

I'm new and currently live in the Wichita area but I am from the Johnson County originally.