By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Biking Across Kansas (BAK) is an annual, eight-day, bicycle tour across the state of Kansas. Started in 1975, the routes throughout the state change each year.
Due to COVID-19, last summer’s event was cancelled and the organization was hoping to do a Santa Fe Trail tour this year in celebration of the trail’s 200th anniversary.
When the BAK committee had to make a decision
this past January whether or not to have the event, COVID-19 numbers did not
look so good with the vaccinations first rolling out. The committee voted
against holding the typical tour, but Executive Director Stefanie Weaver said
they wanted to put something together which involved the Great Bend area.
"We wanted to try something different later in the summer," said Weaver. "People can stay in hotels or limited camping. It would be a simpler experience but we can have a nice, medium-sized Kansas town as our hub. Great Bend makes a lot of sense because it lets us celebrate that Santa Fe Trail concept."
Instead of a long route through the state, there will be four shorter routes
that will all start and finish in Great Bend Sept. 4-6. Logistics for the
three-day rally will be different than regular cross-state tours. Bikers will
not be sleeping in school facilities; instead, participants can stay in a Great
Bend hotel or choose to camp.
"We identify many of the attractions around Great Bend to inform our riders and encourage them to take advantage," said Weaver. "We encourage them to visit the attractions and local restaurants."
According to the BAK website, the goals of the event are "to provide a safe, fun, and memorable adventure for everyone who undertakes the challenge of biking across the beautiful state of Kansas."
Weaver expects roughly 200 participants for the bike rally in Great Bend.
Online registration is available at bak.org.