This BAK story really starts a week earlier. I called on a tandem
advertised in The Wichita Eagle's classified ads, found it
attractive, and took
it home. During the week leading up to BAK, my (still) friend
Melanie and I discussed riding this machine on BAK. I
worked on the bike each night that week, installing pedals, saddles,
stem, handlebar tape, mirrors, etc... I don't think either of us
was sure we'd be riding
this bike across the state until we showed up Friday morning
without any other bike.
Friday, June 9 - Johnson City
Betty DeWitt provided safe passage for about 100 riders (and their
bikes) leaving from Wichita. Even
though she sold her bus touring
business after BAK 2005, she kept the BAK trip. Betty arranged a
nice sandwich-and-salad-bar meal in Ford, which made for a quick lunch
stop. Since our driver had to be back in Wichita to rest for his
next duty, he was in a hurry out to the border, and that was OK.
I
think we got to Johnson City around 2:30. Plenty of time to
register and set up tents before riding out to the Colorado border.
This was our first ride on the tandem. I could feel the nerves
as we got started into the 20 to 30 mph wind. The jitters were
magnified by the reflex to correct for every little sway or
wobble. I know I got pretty
knotted up on the way out to the border.
On the return trip,
however, we were given a chance to relax, being pushed back by that
same wind. What a hoot. This big ol' land canoe can really
roll.
We rolled into town and caught an excellent Mexican dinner at
El Mezquite, on the west edge of Johnson
City. After dinner, it
was back
to the school
for showers and bed.
Saturday, June 10 - Satanta
This morning brought us a 10 to 20 mph tailwind,
continuing last
night's joyride. Having already gone out to the border the night
before, we opted to head directly towards Satanta and cut the day's
mileage to 48.
The tandem helped us make short work of it, averaging almost 20 mph and
hitting a high speed of 35 mph. We even caught Ed on one of his
city-limit-sign sprints..
Once in Satanta, and with an entire afternoon to kill, the gang of us
went to the pool to chill. Another good round of mexican food --
beef enchiladas -- was had at Norma's Cafe for
dinner.
It's early-to-bed tonight. Tomorrow's route is 85 miles long and
the wind is predicted to be out of the east and into our faces.
Sunday, June 11 - Ashland
At 11am, the winds were clocked at 23mph, gusting to 29mph, out of the
NNE. Our
path went pretty much due east, except for a couple of short southbound
legs when the wind helped us along. At 85 miles, this was the
longest scheduled day on this year's tour.
Around mile 33, we came upon the main street
of Plains, KS, which measures 155 feet, 5 inches from storefront to
storefront.
Lunch today was in Meade, a little more than
halfway. After
Meade, the route got a little bit hilly.
Paul rode his 1950's-era Schwinn again this
year. Single-speed, of course.
The headwind, heat, and hills made for a long day. I don't
believe I've ever seen so many bikes on the backs of vehicles as I did
during the last half of today. I would bet that hundreds of
people were driven in. Several people reported seeing the Penske
equipment truck bring in two loads of bikes.
We reached Ashland around 4:15, which we later realized was hours
earlier than some. We first stopped at a convenience store to
cool down with slushies, etc. Then, we headed to the school to
setup camp and eat. Several groups were serving food in the
school
cafeteria. I inhaled a bierock, fruit, and cookies.
Even as late as 8pm, reports of riders still on the road
circulated. Folks looked pretty beat up and tired this
evening. There were several reports of folks getting sick.
Dehydration? Heat Stroke? I dunno...
Despite today's adverse conditions, the tandem rode well. We seemed to
be able to push through the wind easily and climb the hills
steadily. I guess that with half the wind resistance and twice
the power, we're getting down the road pretty efficiently.
Heading into the wind, we attracted drafters like bugs to a bulb.
This bike made today's tough ride bearable.
Monday, June 12 - Medicine Lodge
Not much of a break from the wind today. By 9am, we were heading
directly into a 19mph easterly. But, as the day progressed, the
wind lessened and switched to southeasterly. And, clouds covered
the sun until late morning.
Why just do when you can over-do? The sag hags' bunny outfits
were way classy.
The Gyp Hills are just gorgeous.
Here, it's a very different
Kansas than the one people see from a car on I-70.
Today's tandem lesson was "standing". On the way to get a
six-pack of Cooper's Stout, we tried standing on the pedals to get up a
small incline. It was a little rickety at first, but we were able
to right this canoe and get on up the hill. I think Frank and
Terry were entertained, anyway.
The tandem spent some time with the mechanic today, as we had dropped
the sync chain twice. Brendan made short work of taking out
the slack and the chain stayed put.
It seems like much of this last two days, for a lot of folks, has been
more about surviving than cycling.
Tuesday, June 13 - Clearwater
Besides a couple of long slow uphills at the beginning of today's ride,
it has been flat. There was a little breeze out of the east --
nothing like the last couple of days. The tandem seems to like
being ridden into the wind. Let's see, two cyclers holding their
own, but only one facing the wind = a nice way to ride.
Continuing yesterday's "standing" lesson, we stood as we turned
east off of Isabel Road into that little easterly breeze. We got
up to crusing speed in a few seconds, it seemed. Standing is a
fun trick. However, trying to keep the big hunk of steel on track
is kind of tough. It's as close to bull riding as I'd ever want
to get.
We were treated to a BAK-provided lunch at the park in Zenda today.
Lots of fun in Clearwater tonight: Our friend Amy drove down
from Wichita to deliver some Good Beer. And, the town closed off
the downtown streets to cars so that food vendors could set up shop for
our benefit. I had an incredible county-style boneless pork rib
(boneless rib -- isn't that an oxymoron?) that was smoked and seasoned
just perfectly, and fell apart under the pressure of a plastic
fork.
Great stuff.
Wednesday, June 14 - Burden
A shorter day today -- 57 miles. And, the SSE wind stayed below
15 mph for most of the morning. We got off the road before the
temperature got to 90. It made for a pleasant day.
Upon arriving in Burden, we found food at Holy Cow BBQ. The
pulled pork sandwich was a winner.
The town of Burden welcomed us. Several karaoke singers performed
on a stage on the school grounds. The fire
department used their
trucks to shuttle cyclers around town. And several pickups with
hay trailers provided taxi service, too.
Breakfast this morning in Burden was pretty minimal. By the time
we got going, the folks serving breakfast at the school had run out of
everything but a few bacon & egg biscuits. After
supplementing that with a quickie-mart stop, we hit the road.
Looks like we're getting into the southern end of the Flint Hills
today. Really pretty.
Our first stop once reaching Neodesha was at Sonic
-- cherry limeades
and shakes. Gotta keep your energy up, ya know.
Melanie and Frank did another fine job of asking permission to camp on
a shady lawn just south of the high school. After the now
familiar routine of pitching camp and showering, we headed to Miss
Emma's Diner for dinner.
Friday, June 16 - Girard
A good day in the saddle. We hooked up with the Keith Adams
tandem for a bit, trading drafts. And man, does it get quiet in
the draft of another tandem. It was like being in a car with
three other people. Later, we rode along with director Dave,
having a
nice conversation that really made the miles fly by.
The sag hags' tropical-themed stop was a hit. Nice coconuts.
Lunch was in St. Paul at the Osage Mission Museum, which is right
across the street from St. Francis Hieronymo
Church. Sadly, its
steeple had been damaged and was off for repair. However, the
inside of the church is spectacular.
The residents of Girard put on a huge party around their town
square. I enjoyed the BBQ beef, pie, and
several glasses of
lemonade. There was a stage with live
music provided by several
different bands. Here, we had our last nightly meeting. The BAK "Spirit Award" -- a free
ticket to a future BAK -- was awarded to all of the BAK volunteer
medics. They sure earned it this week.
What a great finish to a really nice day of
riding.
Saturday, June 17 - Arma
Today's short ride to the Missouri line was
made more interesting by
our intersection with the Kansas State Road Championships. These
guys are flying by. We stopped and
watched the race for a bit
before heaing back into Arma for the traditional celebration
dinner. Then, it was back to the bus for the return trip to
Wichita.
This year's ride had its challenges: heat, wind, hills,
illness. But the staff of Biking Across Kansas works hard to put
on a very well-supported, safe and fun ride. Thanks to them for another
fine vacation.