The 43rd year of the longest-running bicycling event in Kansas history—a 522-mile ride across the State—begins on Saturday, June 10, 2017. BIKING ACROSS KANSAS is an eight-day tour originating at the Kansas-Colorado line with a route of approximately 800 bicyclists, including support staff.
The bicyclists will start at the Kansas-Colorado line west of Tribune and make overnight stops in Dighton, WaKeeney, Plainville, Lincoln, Chapman, Rossville, and Tonganoxie. Saturday, June 17, bicyclists will be greeted with fanfare on Delaware Street as they cycle
through downtown, Historic Leavenworth. (Spectators welcome.) Bicyclists will then make their way to the banks of the Missouri River and celebrate the end of the ride together at the Riverfront Community Center.
BAK is also routed through: Scott City, Ness City, Hill City, Lucas, Abilene, Junction City, Manhattan, Ozawkie, Oskaloosa, and many more Kansas towns.
“The 2017 route offers BAK bicyclists a memorable tour of quintessential Kansas landscapes. Starting in the High Plains of Western Kansas, participants will enjoy easy pedaling along K-18 through the green valleys of the Saline and Smoky Hill rivers, the rolling Flint Hills and the scenic byways leading to the Missouri River at Leavenworth. Some of the highlights include the Garden of Eden in Lucas, the Eisenhower museum in Abilene and the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan,” said David Rohr, Chairman of Biking Across Kansas, Inc.
Participants range in age from nine to 90 years old and represent multi-generational families. Many riders will be from Kansas, but entries will also represent 30 states, including as far away as Vermont, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, Washington, and California.
Participants will enjoy the state’s favorable June cycling. Highlights off the bike include the generous hospitality of Kansas towns—homemade food, historic and novel points of interest, live musical entertainment, and much more. In Tribune, Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe, co-authors of Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers will share about attractions and towns on the route. In WaKeeney, Ken Spurgeon will join riders for a showing of his Home on the Range docudrama. The public is welcome for both special events in Tribune and WaKeeney.
The main goals of Biking Across Kansas are to promote wellness through bicycling, celebrate Kansas history and the beauty of its landscape, and enjoy the warm hospitality of its towns and people. For more information on Biking Across Kansas 2017 or to register, visit www.bak.org.