Registration is now open for the 2017 Biking Across Kansas bicycle tour across the state. The 43rd year of the largest bicycling event in Kansas history — a 513-mile ride across the state — begins on Saturday, June 10.
BAK is an eight-day tour originating at the Kansas-Colorado line with a route of up to 900 bicyclists, including support staff.
The bicyclists will start at the Kansas-Colorado line west of Tribune. Their overnight stops will be Dighton, WaKeeney, Plainville, Lincoln, Chapman, Rossville, and Tonganoxie. The cyclists final night together will be in Tonganoxie on Friday, June 16. The following morning they will cycle to the banks of the Missouri River and celebrate the end of the ride in Leavenworth.
BAK is also routed through Scott City, Ness City, Hill City, Lucas, Abilene, Junction City, Manhattan, Oskaloosa, and many more Kansas towns.
The 2017 route offers BAK bicyclists a memorable tour of quintessential Kansas landscapes. Starting in the High Plains of western Kansas, participants will enjoy easy pedaling along K-18 through the green valleys of the Saline and Smoky Hill rivers, the rolling Flint Hills and the scenic byways leading to the Missouri River at Leavenworth. Some of the highlights include the Garden of Eden in Lucas, the Eisenhower museum in Abilene and the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, said David Rohr, chairman of Biking Across Kansas Inc.
Riders will range in age from 8 to 85 years old. Families representing multiple generations will be participating again this year. Many riders will be from Kansas, but entries will also represent as many as 30 states, including as far away as Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Mexico, Washington, and California. In addition, participants are anticipated from countries outside the United States.
The main goals of Biking Across Kansas 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.
For more information on Biking Across Kansas 2017 or to register visit www.bak.org.