The 49th Biking Across Kansas event, the annual celebration cycling and the Sunflower State, will hit the highways and byways Saturday, June 10, through Saturday, June 17.
Overnight stops this year include Elkhart, Satanta, Spearville, Stafford, Newton, Eureka, Chanute and Garnett, with a celebration picnic in Pleasanton. Cyclists will pass through Hugoton, Sublette, Dodge City, Kinsley, Partridge, El Dorado, Coffeyville and Iola among others.
“We are geared up for this annual bicycle tour across the state of Kansas,” said David Rohr, BAK board president. “We and our 500-some riders are ready to experience the history and beauty of the Kansas landscape, and experience the warm hospitality of the Kansas towns and people.”
The route covers 540 miles in the span of a week. Riders pedal between 50 and 80 miles each day.
With this many cyclists on the roads, BAK organizers urge motorists to be vigilant and share the roadways, said Executive Director Stefanie Weaver, noting state and local law enforcement will be helping keep everyone safe. Riders may be in groups or alone, and they may be strung out over several miles.
“This is about the awesome experience of riding a bike, and the joy and freedom it brings,” she said. “Cyclists and drivers alike need to be alert and attentive to the rules of the road.”
Riders will represent a wide age span— from 1 to 87 — and multiple generational families. Entries are anticipated from 28 or more states, including as far away as New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Mexico, Washington and California. In addition, Biking Across Kansas will attract participants from countries outside the United States.
Starting with around 100 riders in the first year, as many as 800 participate most years now. So, BAK is a big challenge, and big economic boon, for the communities along the route.
