The annual “Bike Across Kansas” event passed through Manhattan and Riley County on Thursday. The midday ride saw hundreds of cyclists participating in the event, which started in 1975.
“It’s been difficult,” said Holly Cooprider of Hutchinson. “The wind the first three or four days has been awful and then the heat in the afternoon is just a killer.”
The bicyclists started at the Kansas-Colorado line west of Tribune and have biked 60+ miles each day, making overnight stops in Dighton, WaKeeney, Plainville, Lincoln, and Chapman.
“It really doesn’t seem like it’s 70 miles because there’s little towns between,” said Cooprider. “You ride about 10 miles, then you stop and eat and drink. Then you go 10 miles and stop again.”
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
“Today we left Chapman and went through Fort Riley and go to see Main Post and the museum,” Cooprider added. “So you get to see and do a lot of things in Kansas that you wouldn’t see if you weren’t typically on a bike.”
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.
“It’s a great sense of accomplishment to finish,” said Cooprider. “To know that I have powered through and completed it is just a very good feeling.”