bak 2010 - highway 24 revisited

Today, like yesterday, and the next couple days, is on old Highway 24, more or less straight east. I stopped for another picture of the Van Gogh sunflowers in the morning light, and headed for our brunch stop in Brewster. BAK was providing this meal for us, and since the days mileage was so short, we were treated to biscuits & gravy, homemade caramel rolls and muffins, and juice or tea at the Lions club hall. I met a guy from KC wearing  a Tour de BBQ jersey. 17 BBQ places in a 60 mile ride! Yum.

Highway 24  runs for a long way parallel to the train tracks, and like many state and county roads throughout the Midwest, it passes through small towns about every 10 miles. I guess you could call western KS part of the high plains. Elevations from 3000' to over 3800' and roads that are able to run straight and flat.

In case you didn't see it coming, a sign announces the curve ahead.

A short day of 39.5 miles got us to Colby where we stayed on the campus of their beautiful community college. I rode into town with a guy named Mike who works as a Third Party Administrator with the company my wife used to work for, except he's in Hutchinson, KS. He was also ex-navy, but what I really found interesting was his Carmichael Training Systems kit. He actually trains with Chris Carmichael and his team, and is headed to Vail later this month for "climbing school". Then he's scheduled to the Triple Bypass in July, Three mountain passes in a tough 120 mile day.

The short mileage gave me the rest of the day for sitting in the shade, enjoying a book, and visiting with other riders. It was a little warm when I turned in so I left the flaps open on my rain-fly. It felt good as the temperature dropped into the 50's, but in the middle of the night I heard rain, and it took me a minute to realize that I need to zip up or get all my stuff wet. The rain had stopped by morning, but I had to pack a slightly wet tent. That wouldn't be the last time I got wet during the week.

The first several songs on my Playlist are dedicated to my puppies, Maddie, Buddy, and the newest member of our pack, Button.

Three Dog Night?

bak - ride for the border

On Friday, June 4, Beth rode with me across KS some 400 miles to Goodland, home of the world's largest Van Gogh reproduction. "Three Sunflowers In A Vase" is  24' X 32', weighs 40,000 pounds, and rests on an 80' easel. Goodland is also the starting point for Biking Across Kansas 2010. I unpacked my gear and set up camp on the football practice field of Goodland High while Beth made her way back home. Then it was a ride around town to check things out, and on to Kanorado, KS and the Colorado border to get in every mile of my ride across Kansas.

We were on old US Highway 24 and it was flat and straight.It was warm, but cloud cover for most of the ride made it comfortable. Riders headed to the border waved to those returning in two streams of brightly colored synthetic fabrics covering cyclists of all ages, sizes, and shapes. Trust me.

After 4:00pm registration was open in the gym. Each rider got a route guide, name tag, water bottle, t-shirt and other goodies to make life easier throughout the week. Many riders pay a little extra to insure first chance at sleeping inside. At each stop rows of pads, sleeping bags, and luggage spread out across the gym floor, and those wanting a little privacy, or quiet, will look for any available nook and cranny in a hallway or unlocked room. The organizers and staff hold a meeting each night for all the riders to get info. on the next day's route, meal options, history of the towns along the way, and weather forecast (which will turn out to be of questionable value).

I prefer having my own "room". This is the view of the tent city with about half of the riders already packed up, luggage to the Penske truck, and on their way to Colby. First day put 44.9 miles on my bike. I wanted to ride to the border and back to be able to say I've biked "across Kansas", but I was also ready to get headed eastward, and see up close some of the state I had never seen before.

bak 2010

To clarify, it's pronounced B-A-K, not "back". But, I couldn't find any songs with B-A-K in them, so I went with what I had. I just completed Biking Across Kansas 2010. I had a great time, challenges notwithstanding. Colorado border on the west to the Missouri River at Leavenworth, KS on the east.

Nine days, 543.4 miles, every kind of weather imaginable, plenty of pie. Further accounts and lots of pictures to share over the next several days.

 My wife came to pick me up at the end of the ride and brought Button, the newest member of our family, along for the ride. Here he is with Maddie, our 13 year-old Golden Retriever. I couldn't get our Brittany Spaniel, Buddy, to pose for a picture, but I will later.

go bak

Eight days, 494+ miles. Details when all is said and done.

countdown

Just a few days before I head to Goodland to begin BAK. My bike's at the LBS for a tune-up, and I've been working on my own tune-up seriously for a couple months. Lots to do before I leave, maybe one more post if I get a chance. Then I'll be incommunicado all next week as I roll across Kansas. I hope to have some good pictures and better stories to tell when I get home.

I'm also hoping this will inspire me to keep on riding through June and July in anticipation of CRMBT in August. By the way, they posted a shot of the 2010 CRMBT jersy on their site. Very nice!