Kansas Cyclist - Kansas Bicycle Guide and Reference

According to The Hutchinson News:

High gas prices and economic stimulus checks have shifted local bicycle business into high gear.

“There has definitely been a noticeable increase in sales because of gas price awareness,” said Bob Updegraff, owner of Harley’s Bicycles. “It’s not just new sales, but repairs are also up. And accessories are up - fenders and baskets and bag racks - anything that lets you take laptops and lunchboxes to work.”

Just outside the window of his Main Street shop, Updegraff has watched bicycle traffic more than triple in recent weeks, commuters now pedaling past on a regular basis during rush hour.

“It’s a direct relation to the gas prices,” he said.

While higher prices at the pump are a definite motivation behind the increase in bike sales, government stimulus checks are also providing incentive for people to purchase new bikes, repair old ones or buy accessories to begin commuting, Updegraff said.

“Stimulus checks are being used at our store,” he said. “Some people are very forward about the fact they are using their checks. Because of high gas prices, people are staying at home, buying bikes and spending their money in Hutchinson,” he said.

“Bikes are hot” is a theme that has become a common one in news stories from around the country and the region, but this is one of the first I’ve seen from this part of Kansas.

What are bicycle sales like in your area? Are the folks at your local bike shop smiling wearily?

Read more: Bikes a hot commodity

41-year-old Kevin Keller of Wichita was involved in a bicycle accident with an SUV on June 12th and died of his injuries on July 5th.

The accident occurred in Wichita at 9:18 p.m. on June 12th. A Suzuki SUV was headed west on Central and was in the process of turning north onto Mclean when it hit Keller as he crossed the intersection in the crosswalk (see map).

Keller was taken to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus in very serious condition, and died from his injuries nearly one month later.

Investigators determined the SUV driver had the green light at the intersection, and witnesses said Keller ignored the “Don’t Walk” pedestrian traffic signs. The driver of the SUV won’t face charges because Keller was determined to be at fault in the accident.

Read more: Wichita Eagle, KAKE-TV, KWCH-TV

With the cyclotouring season in full swing, more cyclists are making their way through Kansas. Here are a few of the comments we’ve seen:

• Aaron & Laura Beese, as part of their Fifty by Bike tour, have an interesting story about their journey to the geographic center of Kansas. An excerpt:
  

  Leaving the baking heat, vast desert stretches, and challenging climbs of New Mexico, we were certainly ready for a lower-stress touring environment. We got it as soon as we crossed the Kansas line: one mile in, we entered Elkhart for our first taste of the touring cyclist’s promised land that is Kansas. Here we found a city pool with showers and a welcoming staff who refused to charge us admission (”Oh, you’re bikers? Just go on in and enjoy”), a perfectly maintained city park that the accommodating police readily allowed us to camp in, and the friendliest people we have met anywhere on our journey. This wonderful experience was repeated time after time across Kansas, and we enjoyed swimming, showering, and camping in Elkhart, Sublette, Larned, Dodge City, Lucas, and Smith Center. It seemed as though every town in Kansas with at least 1,000 people had a nice city pool, a well-kept city park, and a small but well-stocked grocery store. What more could a touring cyclist ask for? (read more)

• Samantha Mangum - Samantha’s riding across the country as part of the No Limits Bike Ride:
  

  We all agreed that Kansas, thus far, has been the prettiest states we’ve been in. Highway 54 is ranked, right now, as the No Limits Bike Riders favorite road. Every single part of Kansas looks like a painting. Or how I described it: The picture on the front of those farm puzzles for children, with the different colored cows, one big green hill, blue sky and stick fence. Picture perfect.

• On his Bike Across America - 2008 tour, Kip Vosburgh says:
  

  Kansas gets a bum rap from most travelers. It is that huge state that stands between where you came from and where you are going. As a result, traversing its 425 mile width becomes a monotonous obstacle to overcome. At 75 mph on I-70, one wheat field looks like the last one and silos and grain elevators become the high points of the trip. Thoughts of Kansas also conjure up images of cyclones and flying houses.

  However, when you are on a bicycle and back roads, all of that changes. For one thing, your destination for the day is only 60 to 100 miles east of where you began. Kansas is no longer an endurance event but rather a gently changing landscape. At 17 mph, you get to see more of the countryside longer and you are on back country roads rather than busy and boring interstate highways. The subtle changes of the landscape are much more apparent as the brown prairie has changed to green fields and many hardwood trees are now seen.

  You get the opportunity to stop in local cafes and meet the residents. They are warm, friendly folk who have, more than once, have wished us a safe journey. And they mean it! It is a state filled with small town folk and small town family values.

• From Dennis Hart’s Coast to Coast tour:
  

  This trip had been fantastic so far and today was one of the best days of riding. I was doing a little bit of top-of-the-lungs yelling in the middle of nowhere today. A “Hell Yeah” day as I call it. I think Kansas is quite beautiful so far. Far from the flat nothingness I always hear about.

• From Mary Paquet and Bob Eltgroth’s San Jose, CA, to Portland, ME tour:
  

  People are very nice here in Kansas. In fact, mid-way into our ride a construction truck had to wait behind us on the narrow road for oncoming traffic before they could pass. Being the PR person, I waved a friendly thank you. There were two men in the cab and the passenger grinned and waved, grabbed his cell phone, and took our picture. Bob noted that the last surly driver we encountered was in Carson City, Nevada, and he was driving a truck with California plates.

  and
  

  The terrain in Northwest Kansas is really pretty — more to entertain the eye and the mind along the way than on the wide open plains we first encountered. The land is rolling hills, more greenery, more trees, and the ranches are closer together.

• While planning his tour, Sam Pepple had considered a northerly route through the heartland, but ultimately decided to ride through Kansas. His reasoning:
  

  (A central route) was much more desirable, specifically for the beauty, underrated geologic diversity, and subtle dynamicism of Kansas. Anytime we would mention that we were going to travel through Kansas, almost every person would automatically respond, “Kansas, that’s a long and boring state….and extremely flat.” I would always respond, “Have you ever traveled through Kansas, or have you only seen the Wizard of Oz?” I spent a lot of time reassuring Luke and Nick that all of those people were full of shit; Kansas is not flat, it is beautiful.

  Read more: Enter Kansas. Whomever said this place is flat, never traversed it by bicycle.

• On her Cycling Travels Across the USA blog, Elise writes:
  

  Initially, I’d had a bit of trepidation towards leaving the scenic vistas of Nevada’s mountains, Utah’s cliffs and canyons and Colorado’s 14er summits. I felt pretty sure I’d get bored with the flat-lands in Kansas. Wow, was I wrong! There’s been so much to see - like wildlife - we had an antelope chasing us a few days ago, there was the cutest baby fox which crossed our path, and did you know that there are zebra here too? Well, not naturally of course, they belonged to a nature conservatory.

  The shaded colors of grain are breathtaking as well - deep amber, light amaranth, turmeric tans and khaki browns paint the landscape. Then, we’ve met a slew of cyclists pedaling east to west in Kansas, too! Most are riding in two’s or three’s; the largest group was an eclectic mix of six: two from the Netherlands teamed up with a couple in their sixties from Virginia, along with a 19 yr. old cycling to college in Boulder, Colorado, and a 20-something yr. old guy raising money for leukemia.

• On his Summer Bike Tour, Kyle Sherman says:
  

  Kansas was an awesome state with fairly easy riding conditions. There were plenty of trucks and “oversized vehicles” yet they gave me plenty of passing room. The people in Kansas were extra friendly and welcoming. I camped in city parks for a week, and met many bikers going in both directions.

Glad to hear you all enjoyed your rides through Kansas!

Jerry Lisenby, a former contestant on TV’s The Biggest Loser, is riding his bike across the country to raise money for The Children’s Home in Peoria, Illinois

There have been a lot of changes in Jerry Lisenby’s life in the past year.

“I was a 300-pound guy who wasn’t going to live much longer,” he said. “Now I’m a 190-pound guy who’s riding across the United States on a bicycle.”

He and his wife, Lynne, passed through Pittsburg on June 26th and shared their story during a stop at Tailwind Cyclists.

Lisenby, who resides in Peoria, Ill., frequently gets interviewed. That’s a consequence of being a contestant in 2007 on the NBC reality series “The Biggest Loser.”

“I’ll be 64 in November, and I was the oldest contestant they’ve ever had,” Lisenby said. “The producer was afraid to have me on the show. He told me that I’d ruin their ratings if I died.”
He was put through rigorous tests before he was allowed on the air. Then he began breaking more records.

“I lost 31 pounds the first week, which is the most anyone has done in one week, then I lost another 10 pounds the second week, and set a record for the most weight loss in two weeks,” Lisenby said. “I did it by eating six small meals a day and exercising 10 hours a day, monitored by a doctor the entire time.”

Although Lisenby was voted off the show, he achieved his weight goal. He had vowed that, if he reached this goal, he would ride across the United States on a bike. They left York Town, Virginia on May 1st, and are hoping to arrive in Astoria, Oregon in mid-August, following the
TransAmerica Bicycle Trail.

“Every day we’ve encountered what we call a ‘trail angel’. We’ve met some of the nicest people in the world, and you get to see a lot of America at four miles an hour,” Lisenby said. They’ve also collected over $4,000 for the Children’s Home. And, if exercise extends life, the couple can expect to be around a long time. “Before, I’d have been lucky to see my grandchildren graduate from kindergarten,” Lisenby said. “Now I expect to see them graduate from college.”

Read more from the Pittsburg Morning Sun. You can also follow the ride at JerryLisenby.com.

Douglas County sheriff’s deputy David Dillon was killed while riding a bicycle on Saturday, June 28th at about 7:45 am near Eudora, Kansas (see map).

The 44-year-old Dillon was a jail operations lieutenant for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and had been with the sheriff’s department for 26 years. He was off-duty at the time of his death.

According to a Kansas Highway Patrol accident report, Dillon was riding west on North 1400 Road, about one mile west of Eudora, when he was struck from behind by a 2003 Oldsmobile driven by 20-year-old Kyle William Van Meter of Eudora.

“This is a tragic day for our office as Lt. Dillon was well-liked and well-respected professionally by our officers and those he worked with so diligently in the corrections field across the United States,” wrote Lt. Kari Wempe, sheriff’s spokeswoman, in a statement release by the department. “Our hearts are heavy. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his friends and, too, which each of our officers who were privileged to work with Lt. Dillon. He will be greatly missed.”

The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

Read more: Eudora News, Lawrence Journal-World, MyFoxKC

Biking Across Kansas, the annual bicycle tour across the state of Kansas, finished up on Saturday, June 14th, in Atchison, after starting June 7th in Saint Francis.

Along the way, the 800 or so riders spent their nights in Atwood, Norton, Smith Center, Beloit, Washington, Sabetha, and Horton. They endured a tornado warning in Washington, strong cross-winds for a few days, and lots of rolling hills in the northeastern part of the state, but overall the trip featured pleasant weather, helpful winds, beautiful countryside, friendly towns and people, and the camaraderie and fun that BAK is known for.

Media coverage: Hays Daily News, Hays Daily News, KWCH-TV (Wichita), Atchison Globe

Personal blogs: RecumBum, Eric Wright, Ray Craighead, Dennis Hardin, Jake Hamilton

Photos: bak.org, RecumBum, Eric Wright, Paula Stout, Dave & Cookie Wiebe (more)

The inaugural running of the Ironman 70.3 Kansas took place on June 14th at Clinton Lake near Lawrence, Kansas. The event featured 1100 athletes taking on a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run.

The racers started on Bloomington Beach and swam a rectangular lap before returning to the beach, running through a transition area, and hitting the roads on the southwestern side of the lake known to locals as “The Iron Cross,” a challenging course that offered long, winding, flat stretches matched with steep challenging hills. After completing the ride, the athletes returned to Bloomington Beach and ran a three-lap course on asphalt roads and trails throughout the park.

The overall winner was 23-year-old Torenzo Bezzone of New Zealand, who finished at 3:56.06, three minutes ahead of 2006 Ironman world champion Craig Alexander.

The women’s winner was Samantha McGlone of Colorado Springs, at 4:19.03.

An early-afternoon lightning storm forced race officials to cut short the event during the run, leaving hundreds of athletes short of the finish line, and canceling the awards ceremony. Approximately 40% of the field was not allowed to finish the race, leaving some bitterly-disappointed athletes.

Read more from the Lawrence Journal-World: Ironman Kansas set for takeoff, Ironman day has arrived, Ironman Kansas challenges top athletes, Athletes take the plunge, Iron to the core, Ironman deemed shining success

Additional coverage: Ironman.com, Triathlete Magazine, Chris Locke, CheeseburgerTriathlete, ironclm, Samantha, Who’d a thunk, Ironman Cowland, Joe Fox, EverymanTri, Mickey Woolard

Victor Weinreber is riding his bicycle around the world, and has so far been on the road for just over a year. In that time he’s made his way from the Appalachians westward across the United States, then down the west coast and into Mexico. Recently he’s traveled up from Mexico, through Texas and Louisiana, and northeasterly on the Natchez Trace.

Victor has written about his journey on his crazyguyonabike journal, BikEarth - 3 year ride around planet Earth.

In One year down…: A few more to go…, Victor reflects on his trip so far:

Often I get asked “What has been my favorite place to ride?”. Kansas… This draws some interesting reactions, but other touring cyclists seem to understand what the motorists don’t… Kansas isn’t about beautiful views, although it is scenic in its own way, it is about the people. Also for me what really put it over the top was the policy of allowing touring cyclists to camp for free in the city parks, and also to allow us to use the pools and showers for free, but that’s not all! Just like people’s front doors, their WIFI signals were unsecured, which combined with power outlets in the city parks made for some great online connectivity!

His worst state so far? Colorado. “While it was very scenic the people were rude, the drivers were downright hostile, the roads not well suited to cycling, all the land was fenced or posted and the price of food was also very high. It seems odd to me that the best and worst places on this trip so far have been right next to each other!”

Victor passed through Kansas in late June and early July last year, arriving in time to get caught in the widespread flooding in southeastern Kansas, spending Independence Day in Eureka, then catching some friendly tailwinds in the western part of the state.

Here are a few of his journal entry titles, just to give you a flavor of his Kansas experience: “Don’t believe motorists, Kansas does have hills!”, “Cruising through the Flint Hills”, “Cycling nirvana”, “The straight but not so narrow road…”, “Is this heaven? No, but its close, its Kansas…”.

Suffice it to say, Victor enjoyed his time in Kansas…

The Dirty Kanza, which is a challenging ultra-distance bicycling marathon event covering 200 miles of blacktop, gravel, and dirt roads through the scenic Flint Hills of eastern Kansas, ran on May 31st, with a field of 66 riders.

When the race finally ended, over 20 hours later, 42 riders had crossed the finish line, which is a remarkably high percentage for such a grueling event.

The race was won by Cameron Chambers in a record time of 11:58:32. Averaging nearly 17 miles an hour, for 12 hours straight, over some of the roughest and hilliest roads in the state, is an incredible pace, and beat the old course record by a significant margin.

The top five was rounded out by Dan Hughes (of Sunflower Outdoor and Bike), Tim Mohn (High Gear Cyclery), Jim Cummins (High Gear Cyclery), and Matt Gersib (Salsa/Monkey Wrench Cycles), all of whom finished in under 14 hours.

Endurance cyclists love to share their stories, and here are a few you can read for yourself:

• kcdirtbikeracing (Cameron Chambers) #1
• TheDirtBlog (Matt Gersib) #5
• Cornbread (Corey Godfrey) #7
• thediscerninghobo (Joshua Stamper) #8 (#1 SingleSpeed)
• Stay out of trees (Stephen Goetzelman) #12
• Cycle City KC (Joe Fox) #14
• The Life of LeLan (LeLan Dains) #16
• EnduroSnob (Christopher Cronin) #20
• Velo Soiree (Mike Beck) #22
• Hiawatha Cyclist (Micah Bicker) #30
• Zen Biking (Steve Fuller) #36
• Meetzorp! (Michelle Davis) DNF
• 9TOES (Randy Gregorcyk) DNF

Read more: full results, MBTR discussion

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this epic event — wish I coulda been there!

Topeka, Kansas cyclist Eric Nordgren has embarked on a bicycle ride to raise money for local cancer victims. He set out from Topeka on June 4th, riding non-stop to Atwood, a journey of 335 miles, which he hopes to accomplish in 25 hours.

Last year, Nordgren rode 225 miles in one day, and raised $15,000, mostly from individuals making small donations, $5, $10, $20 at a time. He dubbed his ride the Northeast Kansas Tour de Cure, and the money went to Sunflowers to Roses Foundation, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and The University of Kansas Medical Center Cancer Research Foundation. Also, a $1,000 grant was given to local breast cancer victim Denise Benteman.

This year, all funds will support the same organizations and a new local cancer victim will be selected for a grant.

Nordgren, who owns Aspen Construction Services in Topeka, was inspired to ride in honor of his father and mother-in-law, both of whom died of cancer. “I decided to make it something really special and make it a commemorative event,” he said.

“It has really opened my eyes to a need that I wasn’t even aware of,” he said. “I had no clue that one-third of everyone in the United States will hear the words, ‘You’ve got cancer.’ That just never crossed my mind, and a quarter of those will die.”

“Part of the funds that we raise will go to research and will go toward those who are experiencing the illness and to help support them and their everyday need,” Nordgren said.

You can make a pledge by calling 785-266-7648 or by e-mailing aspentopeka@sbcglobal.net.

Read more: Topeka Capital-Journal, KSNT-TV, KTKA-TV