It’s time for bicyclists to grab their helmets and prepare for the  40th annual Biking Across Kansas bike tour in June that will pass through Larned and Great Bend. They will stop for the night in Ellinwood.
“It’s a great opportunity for Ellinwood to once again roll out the welcome mat. We’re honored to have BAK as our guests,” said J. Basil Dannebohm, Ellinwood Chamber of Commerce administrator. Plans are underway in Ellinwood already for collaboration with schools and civic organizations to provide accommodations and meals.
 This is the 40th year of the largest bicycling event in Kansas history. The 550-mile ride from southwest to northeast Kansas begins on Saturday, June 7. It is an eight-day tour originating at the Kansas-Colorado line with over 800 bicyclists and support staff.
 The bicyclists will start at the Kansas-Colorado border west of Elkhart. The overnight stops will be Satanta, Spearville, Ellinwood, Salina, Wamego, Oskaloosa, and Hiawatha. The cyclists’ final night together will be in Hiawatha on Friday, June 13. The following morning they will cycle to the Missouri border near White Cloud and will enjoy a celebration picnic on Saturday.
 BAK is also routed through: Hugoton, Dodge City, Kinsley, Larned, Great Bend, Ellsworth, Abilene, Junction City, Manhattan, Rossville, Horton and many more Kansas towns.
 “We are all excited to celebrate the 40th year of Biking Across Kansas by offering the highly requested diagonal route that crosses every other previous BAK route since 1975,” said David Rohr, BAK chairman. “With this route, cyclists will have the opportunity to experience an amazing cross section of Kansas geography.”
Starting with the wide-open Cimarron Grasslands in the southwest, riders will pass through the farmlands of central Kansas, cross the scenic Flint Hills, and pedal right up to the banks of the Missouri River in the far northeast corner.   
Riders will range in age from eight to 85 years old. Families representing three generations are expected again this year. Many of the riders will be from Kansas, but entries are also expected from as many as 30 states, including some as far away as New York, Maryland, Maine, New Mexico, and California. In addition, participants are anticipated from as far away as the United Kingdom.
Participants will enjoy the state’s favorable early-June cycling conditions. The main goals of BAK 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.
BAK promotes health and wellness through bicycling, the history and beauty of the Kansas landscape, and the warm hospitality of the Kansas towns and people. BAK started in 1975 with fewer than 100 hundred riders. Forty years later the tour is now capped at 800 bicyclists annually.
For more information on Biking Across Kansas 2014 or to register visit www.bak.org.