Biking Across Kansas 2022: Memories and Photos From Our First Year as The BAK Support Crew

In 2022 we were contacted by Stephanie, the Biking Across Kansas director, a few weeks before the event to see if we would be interested in providing mechanical support for the week. The previous support crew was not able to continue, and they were desperate to find another shop to provide support.  We were very familiar with Biking Across Kansas, but neither Jon or I had ever participated.  We were actually thinking of riding that year because the route was perfect for us.  The southern route would take riders through our home town of Hutchinson midway through the week with the final night ending in Ottawa.  It was a perfect time to get involved. Besides, we were finally coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic (or so we thought) and we were looking for ways to branch out and continue to engage with the cycling community in Kansas. At the time the shop had existing about just over three years, half of that under the cloud of the global pandemic.   

For the weeks leading up the event we did our best to prepare. We ordered as many road tubes and tires as we could. It was extremely challenging due to supply chain issues resulting from the pandemic. We had no idea how many, what sizes, or types we would need. We made our best guess, packed everything up in our van, and got ready to head west for the start.  

Due to the route coming through Ottawa we were lucky to have a group of our friends and regular customers to come along with us. This also meant that we had to quickly get our bike hauler finished, which had been in-progress for a few months. We got the trailer ready with just days to spare. We loaded up the crew and all of our riders and headed west to start the event.  

The first day of the event was most memorable. Our biggest mistake was setting up our repair tent without giving much thought to the heat. This was probably the hottest day of the year and we ended up getting fried to the point of exhaustion on the very first day. The rest of the week continued to be scorching hot but we learned very quickly how to deal with it. 

The other mistake we made was not packing the right stuff. Due to the extreme heat and road conditions riders were blowing tires left and right.  We were set to run out of tubes in just a few days. We started stopping at every Walmart along the way to clean them out of tubes and we made on-line purchases through our suppliers and had them delivered to relatives along the route. We came very close to running out of supplies throughout the week but with some creative solutions and help from other bicycle shops along the way we made it through.

The rest of the week was such a blur that I don't remember much of the details. I'd have to say this was one of the most challenging weeks we have ever experienced at Ottawa Bike And Trail, but also one of the most rewarding. The highlight was when the entire Biking Across Kansas community gathered at Legacy Square right outside our shop in Ottawa to celebrate the last day of the ride.  We'll never forget it. 

While I didn't have much time to document the week I was able to capture a few great photos and I wanted to share them in this post.

We gained a lot of valuable experience during the 2022 ride that we were able to apply in 2023.  We are excited to be preparing for our third Biking Across Kansas in 2024.  We've made so many friends along the way and we can't wait to see everyone again.  

See all the photos in the album below.