50 years ago, the inaugural Biking Across Kansas ride kicked off with participants traveling through Tribune. For the anniversary year, over 700 riders gathered back in Tribune and have spent the past week cycling across the Sunflower State. BAK is the second longest across-state ride in the country. While the eight-day, 505-mile trip can be physically demanding, it’s the comradery with fellow riders that keeps them coming back year after year. Former participant and first-year Executive Director Bryan Toben considers everyone to be family. “It can be a challenge, but we always talk about doing this together,” Toben said. “There isn’t a rider out there that is doing it by themselves, so we just work together…while it can be a challenge it’s also very rewarding. You start that Friday night on the Colorado border with strangers, maybe people you have ridden with before, but by the time you are two to three nights in, it is people that you have slept next to, that have pulled you across the state, that you have hours of riding together and they really become a bond.” Aside from the bond, this ride gives participants a glimpse into the beauty of Kansas that many miss driving by.
Source: WIBW News Now!
