While an unanticipated windy start to the 2020 Open Range Gravel Race added to its challenge, most participants just kept on pedaling through Pratt and Barber counties last weekend, doing their best to stay upright amid strong blasts of wind. The number of tour participants, 18, was only a fraction of the 322 who signed up for the Open Range race option, but the two-day noncompetitive Open Range Gravel Tour will likely see increased numbers in the years ahead, if comments from tour riders are any indication. The tour route exactly mirrored that of racers in the 200K Open Range Gravel Race, who completed the course in one day. Since the Gravel Tour was no race, participants had ample time to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Red Hills without worrying that someone might catch up with and overtake them as they stood on the side of the road snapping photographs or perhaps taking a cool nap in the shade.
(Read more: News – The Topeka Capital-Journal)
