This bike ride will always be one of the most epic, fulfilling and fun adventures. It’s been over 6 months since we completed this crazy endeavor but I’m still not quite over it and since we ended the ride, I knew I had put some words on paper that were a little bit longer and more deep than my goofy strava captions. This recap is definitely in retrospect so my memories and thoughts about the event are certainly not as clear as they were in the moment and I’m almost definitely thinking back on it through a glamorized lens. But here goes - a recap of bike across Kansas, a 4 day / 500 mile bike ride with two good friends, Daniel and Dan.
Dan first proposed the idea in July 2022. When he first told me, I was all in immediately. It didn’t take much convincing to get Daniel on board either and so began a year of planning and training. With any big event like this, the preparation and lead up to it is half the fun and oh what a year of riding bikes it was.
In the winter, we brought our trainers (or rollers if you’re Dan) into work so that on the bad weather days (which is most of the winter days in Kansas) we could still get our miles in. Every lunch hour we were out on our bikes cranking away at interval workouts (which always were completed with constant complaining) or outside grinding through the wind and hills. Thursday and Friday mornings before work were reserved for long rides on the trainer. And that left us with the weekends for extra long rides, ideally outside, weather permitting. It was all about just getting in as many miles as we could and as much time in the saddle as possible. Because at the end of the day, we were just in it to bike 500 miles across the state, speed didn’t really matter. To keep it fun and help track progress, I threw in a couple FTP tests throughout the training cycle, which I, personally, had a lot of fun doing (others, not so much). Yes, they hurt. A lot. But it was pretty cool to see the numbers go up and see all the months and accumulated miles start to pay off. Trainers really do work in getting bike fitness levels up!
When we weren’t on our bikes, we were dreaming up all the details for the big day. Many emails, teams messages and hallway conversations were exchanged with all sorts of different thoughts about how we were going to do it. The original plan was 3 days, 150 miles a day with nights spent at campsites. We would bikepack the whole thing and carry everything with us. That original plan dissolved kind of quickly as it dawned on us just how much we would be riding each day, how tired we would be at the end of the day and how much gear we would have to carry on our bikes to make it happen. So instead, we settled on B&Bs and cabins and also brought along a support crew in the form of family! All of whom were so helpful and a lot of fun, I was super grateful they came along. The route also took some thinking but Daniel mapped out a great route from Coolidge on the western border to Overland Park on the eastern border, with stops in Dodge City, Newton and Melvern Lake. 500 miles of pure downhill riding.
We watched the weather closely, knowing that wind could make even a downhill ride miserable and something on the scale of a tornado could put an end to the trip all together. But I was never really that worried. This ride was going to happen rain or shine.
Day 1: Coolidge to Dodge City
The day started at the Colorado border with 130 miles on the schedule. This would be my longest ride ever but it would all be downhill and we really lucked out with the weather. There was little wind in the morning (very rare for western Kansas) and it was overcast with nice temperatures. The first 70 miles seemed to fly by so quickly as we passed cornfields and farms and while most might consider it “boring” scenery, I actually really liked it. There was just something pleasant about riding through expansive countryside - the sky stood a little taller and the fields were a little greener.
Colorado State Line
Kansas State Line
One thing that stood out though, was the cows. We passed varying types of cow ranches - some were small and family owned where the cows had lots of space while others were big factory farms with crowded feedlots and a horrible smell that covered the little towns we passed through. As the day passed on my nose started to get used to it and I didn’t notice the smell quite as much, but it really brought up conversations among us about the ethics of how cattle are raised and where the meat that we eat comes from. This was one moment (of many to come in the following days) where being on the bike made me slow down and think through things that I likely wouldn’t have otherwise. I mean those driving by in a car would certainly be able to see and smell the cows and feed lots but there was something about heavily breathing in huge wafts of air for miles and hours on end that made me think about it a little more consciously.
Somewhere along the way, we found this tank on the side of the road
When we reached Garden City (around mile 70), we met up with our support crew and made a stop for lunch at a Starbucks. It was mid-day and getting a little warm (I had some nice sweat/salt streaks across my face), so sitting in air conditioning and eating real food that wasn’t my warm electrolyte/protein drink mix felt amazing. 30 minutes went by quickly and as soon as we hopped off the bikes we had hopped back on. I remember feeling refreshed, almost like I had just started biking for the day. But that feeling only lasted about 10 miles and then I was suddenly keenly aware of how hot it was, how the clouds had disappeared and left us with a beating sun and how there was now definitely a crosswind that felt more like a headwind. The next 10 miles seemed to last forever and as we passed endless fields of fluffy green grass, I wanted nothing more than to just lay down in it. So when we stopped again on the side of the road at around mile 90 to just take a little break from sitting in the saddle and get some time in the shade, that’s exactly what I did - sprawled myself onto the ground, the beginning of what would be a theme of the bike ride.
Me, lying in the grass
At mile 105, we rolled into Cimarron (the first town we’d seen since Garden City) and made one final stop at a gas station to get some more water and sports drinks before the last 25 mile stretch (something about getting a cold gatorade brought me back to life every time). At this stop I was definitely feeling the last 105 miles of sitting on a bike but 25 was just a ‘long lunch ride’, we’re in the home stretch. This would be easy. But the last 25 miles on this day (and honestly every day that followed) were by far the hardest. Something about being so close made my brain and body just want to be done right then. So it was honestly the best feeling in the world when we arrived at our little airbnb in Dodge City.
Despite it being mentally hard, this part of the ride was actually very beautiful and quiet. Most of the day we were riding on highway 50 but the last 20 miles we jumped onto a smaller, local road. I think we maybe saw 2 cars on this road which was such a nice change to the loud, busy highway.
The rest of the evening was filled with stretching out muscle cramps, the most cleansing shower and an amazing homemade dinner by Erika. We prepped our food for the next day’s ride and fell asleep so quickly.
We all bought 4 pairs of Kansas themed socks to wear for each day, day 1 for me was sunflowers as we set off across the sunflower state
My watch thought I died this day
Day 2: Dodge City to Newton
Day 2 started bright and early with a 5am roll out time. This was our longest day and we wanted to give ourselves as much time as possible and also try to avoid some of the afternoon heat. As we were just finishing getting everything ready and I started to hop on my bike, I looked across the street, where there was a small park with a swing set. Daniel’s bike was lying on the ground, his rear red light blinking and Daniel himself was swinging on the swing set. I burst into laughter because it was 5am, we were about to ride 150 miles and this man was swinging like a carefree child. What a great start.
This morning was one of the most beautiful mornings of riding. We started in the complete dark but within an hour the sun rose with the most stunning sunrise. We had a tailwind at our backs and were pedaling on a small downhill, so were easily cruising at about 20 mph as we passed wind farms, cow pastures and trains. When I had dreamed about what this ride would be like leading up to it, THIS was exactly what I imagined. Easy pedaling, beautiful weather and the best company.
We sailed through the first 50 miles before 8am but were quickly forced to stop with our first flat tire of the trip. We stopped on the side of the road and I of course took this opportunity to lie down in the grass while Dan changed out his tube. Daniel was making fun of me but a few minutes later he too was in the grass with his eyes closed. I’m telling you, there is something so renewing about just laying in the grass to take a little break from sitting on a bike for several hours.
Flat Count - Dan:1, Daniel: 0, Clare; 0
Being extra helpful and laying in the grass while Dan changed his flat
Not even an hour later, we had our second flat, this time from Daniel. Daniel’s blue brick has a tubeless set up and it looked like the sealant was doing it’s job and closing the hole. So he just pumped it up and back to pedaling we went. But in another 30 minutes or so it had lost more air and an hour later when we rolled into a gas station to stop for lunch, it was completely flat again. So flat number 3 it was, this time fixed with a tube instead of relying on sealant. And I should clarify here, a patched tube because that’s all Daniel had on him at the moment and despite my insistence that he use the brand new tube I was carrying, he was determined to use his patched one.
Flat Count - Dan: 1, Daniel: 2, Clare: 0
Flat 1
Flat 2
By noon, it was already starting to heat up. The sun, along with 200+ miles in the saddle over the last couple days, was definitely already catching up to me. I spent a lot of miles only standing up to get some relief from the pain of sitting down and we attempted to distract our delusional minds with a little music. We fell into a rhythm, with Dan often pulling ahead because he’s an absolute beast on a bike and I swear the man could just ride forever at a fast pace.
We got another flat 30 miles later, again it was Daniel's same tire he had already fixed twice and now he finally relented and used my new tube or as I would call it an 'actual tube'
Flat Count - Dan: 1, Daniel: 3, Clare: 0
As we passed through Hutchison, passed through mile 130, and surpassed my farthest ride yet again. We made one last stop before the last 20 miles. Another gas station, but this one also had a McDonalds attached to it. Daniel and I gave each other a look and without saying anything we both just knew what the other was thinking - icecream. And let me tell you, McDonalds icecream has never tasted as good as it did at that moment.
The last 20 miles this day hurt a lot worse than they did the day before. This was one stop where stopping seemed to hurt a little more than it helped, and it was so painful to get back on the back on the bike. These 1.5 hours felt more like 15 hours and the couple miles on bumpy, crunchy gravel were so painful I was actually on the verge of tears.
My body was definitely beat up after this one. Sitting on the bike and some blisters on my sit bones were causing most of my problems. My right hand was a little numb, but figured it would be fine by the next day. Surprisingly my legs, other than a little general soreness, still didn’t feel bad and I was so in awe of the fact that we were able to hold 17.7mph for 150 miles (yes, we did have tailwind and the route was pretty much entirely downhill, but still, that’s an accomplishment in my book).
The rest of the night was honestly really nice. In fact all of the nights were really nice. We would roll in around 5pm, with still a few hours of daylight to just relax, re-tell the tales of the day, play around with toothbrushes (iykyk) and just live in the moments where our only responsibility for that day was to pedal to the next town.
Some smiles along the route
Wizard of Oz socks for Day 2
Day 3: Newton to Melvern Lake
This was the hardest day. But also my favorite day. Another 5am start in the dark, on gravel roads (which are a lot harder to ride on when you can’t see all the dips and holes and ridges in their uneven surfaces). My whole body ached. My butt was burning from blisters. My right hand numb. Legs sore from pedaling. And everywhere else was just in general discomfort from being in the same position 2 days in a row. I was constantly shifting myself around to try and get a little more comfortable, standing up then sitting down, only holding the handlebars with my left hand, then my right hand, constantly moving myself around the seat. But it would only seem to help for a little bit. The other two didn’t let on as much and if they didn’t verbally confirm they were also hurting, I would have never known.
Another pretty morning
On top of all the pain, we didn’t have a tailwind like yesterday and it certainly wasn’t downhill. We had gotten to the flint hills and while we weren’t climbing mountains or anything, there were certainly some ups and downs. We weren’t on highway 50 anymore though and that was a nice change. Quiet country roads, with no cars and just farms for miles and miles. It was another beautiful sunrise too and that always makes the pain a little more bearable.
At one of our stops, I of course took the opportunity to lie down in the grass and captured this pictures of the two Daniels and one of my favorite pictures of the trip.
Then we turned onto the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway and all the pain seemed to momentarily melt away as we spun down this beautiful 25 mile stretch of highway. Those who say Kansas is geographically boring need to go to the flint hills because they are honestly stunning. Endless rolling hills. The brightest green fields. And wide open blue skies that never fade. And luckily enough we had a pretty strong wind from the south that pushed us along this little northbound segment. It felt like we were flying. I couldn’t help thinking ‘this is what we trained for’. All those early mornings on the trainer, those interval rides over lunch, and long rides on the weekend. All those times, I didn’t want to get out of bed because I was exhausted from all the workouts or the days I just wanted to relax at home instead of spending hours on a bike. It was all worth it for these moments of pure bliss, in beautiful scenery with fantastic friends. It was hitting me just how surreal the last few days had been. Just wake up and ride our bikes. For these four days, that’s all that mattered. And no matter how much my body hurt, I was just happy to be there, living in the moment and taking in all of Kansas from a new perspective.
Somewhere along the scenic byway, Dan got another flat. And while he replaced his tube, Daniel and I jumped a fence and wandered around a field.
More photos from the beautifulFlint Hills
At the end of the byway, we made our first stop of the morning at a gas station. At this point, gas stations were becoming some of my favorite things to see - they offered cold drinks, endless snacks and an opportunity to just pause. But this gas station in particular will never be forgotten. The blisters on my sit bones were becoming increasingly more uncomfortable and when I went to the bathroom to check on them, I was horrified at what I saw and felt. I’ll spare the details here, just know they hurt. In a last ditch attempt to prevent it from getting any worse, I bought some Vaseline at the gas station and applied it in gobs to try and better the situation.
We were only about 5 minutes past the gas station when we ran into Mikki in her van, on her way to Melvern Lake. So of course we all stopped again to say hello. As I pealed myself off the bike, a giant smear of Vaseline came with it and within those 5 minutes, it had already melted onto my seat and all over my shorts. It turns out Vaseline was not the best choice for fixing my problem. But it sparked immediate laughter in all of us, because it was pretty funny. Daniel commented ‘See that’s what you get for not wearing real bike shorts’ (he’s been bugging me to get them for years now and I just haven’t listened to him, oops). And I’ll never forget Dan’s reaction to that. His face dropped to the floor and he stammered ‘You haven’t been wearing real, padded bike shorts this whole time?’
Yes, yes I know I am crazy for not wear real padded shorts. But to be completely honest, I never had an issue with cheap unpadded ones I had worn for 3 years. I’ve even done a few century rides in them without any problem. Well, I learned the hard way one century ride is one thing, but three century rides back to back to back is another thing, and my $10 cheap shorts were definitely not cutting it.
As soon as Dan realized I wasn’t wearing real bike shorts, he suggested we get some. TODAY. We would be passing through Emporia, which is a biking mecca and we knew they had a bike shop that would surely have some. “They are going to change your life” Dan kept telling me our whole ride to Emporia. And that became my motivation for the next little bit - just get to Emporia, get the bike shorts, and everything will be ok.
When we got to Emporia, we somehow stumbled upon the finish line of a gravel race happening in town. Everyone thought we were racing it and a couple people who noticed we didn’t go through the finish line, told us we had to back so our times would count. We blended right in.
I bought my shorts at the shop. Trek! Just like my bike! (And also the only pair they had available) and then we continued on. Dan was right, the shorts did change my life. They didn’t necessarily fix the damage that had already been done, but they did prevent it from getting any worse and I was actually a lot more comfortable on the bike, which was good because these last 30 miles had a lot of gravel.
After we left Emporia, things got hard. It was really hot now, definitely the hottest afternoon yet and it was all direct sunlight. We were all feeling it after this day and actually ended up taking a shorter route than originally planned to just get there quicker. It was a little hillier and had a little more gravel than the original route, but at this point I was up for anything if it meant taking off a few extra miles. As always, the last 10 miles seemed to drag out forever and the sign for Eisenhower state park (with a lake!!) was the best sight possible.
Not even half a mile from our cabin, we got another flat. Daniel again this time and since we were so close we just hopped off the bike, took his shoes off (??) and started running cause we were just so close. He didn’t make it very far…the pavement was very hot, so he got rescued the last half mile.
Flat Count - Dan: 2, Daniel: 4, Clare: 0
Little House on the Praire socks for Day 3
We got to our destination today a little earlier than most days (3pm) so had quite a bit of the afternoon left, which I was super excited about. There was a lake at this stop and after a sweaty, hot afternoon on the bike, nothing sounded better than jumping in cold water. Of course I had also brought my cap and goggles to get in a little swim cause I can’t pass up an opportunity on a lake swim! I did my best to convince the boys that a splash in the lake would feel so nice, but they were a little more hesitant (saying the water would be too cold), so I walked down with Mikki. As I was getting ready to get in the water, Mikki gasped. “I see the blisters you’ve been talking about and they look really bad, how have you kept riding the last couple days??.” It felt a little good to get some validation on the pain I had been feeling because a part of me felt like I was maybe just complaining about something that really wasn’t that bad. She tried to convince me not to get in the water with broken skin, but there was no way I wasn’t jumping in this lake and off I went. It was only a 20 min swim, but wow it felt amazing to move my whole body after sitting in a stiff upright position the whole day. And when I got back, Daniel and Dan had also meandered their way down to the lake and gotten in the water!
This night, we were all super grateful we ended up staying in a cabin instead of camping because it stormed (lightning and all) the whole night and a tent would have been pretty miserable. I fell asleep in disbelief that we only had one more day of this adventure.
Day 4: Melvern Lake to Overland Park
THE LAST DAY. And our shortest day. My numb body was certainly ready for it to be the last day, but I wasn’t ready for this adventure to end. So I was a little sad when we rolled out for the last time. Today was only 90 miles (it was kind of crazy how 90 miles sounded so short, after riding over 400 miles in 3 days) but it was still going to be a tough one. It was the hilliest day and we finally got that headwind we had all been dreading.
Kansas flag socks for the last day
The first 40 or so miles were spent on the flint hills nature trail, which was such a nice change of scenery to the highways we had been riding the last 3 days. No cars. Mostly flat. Shelter from the wind. And just groves of green trees. The three of us spent these first 40 miles saying how we would have to come back some day and ride the whole thing (which stretches over 100 miles) because it was really a gorgeous trail.
The trail wasn’t without it’s difficulties though and it did give us a couple flats. Guess who?? Daniel first. Followed by Dan a few miles later. Daniel again tried to put in another patched tube and after 5 flat tires at this point, I had to comment ‘No just put in an actual tube’. Dan and Daniel both laughed (At this point we were all so delusional that anything was funny) and it became a joke for the rest of the ride, questioning if everything was actual or if it was fake. When my cheap sunglasses broke, I said I would finally buy some actual cycling sunglasses (another item Daniel had been trying to get me to buy for the last few years).
Flat Count - Dan: 3, Daniel: 5, Clare: 0
The trail dumped us out in Ottawa and at about 40 miles, we stopped at a coffee shop for breakfast. As we were getting off our bikes and taking off our helmets, an older man walked up to us to tell us how he loved to ride his bike and launched into 20 minutes of stories of him and his bike. I don’t remember the details of his stories but I remember the general theme was that he had an injury that made walking difficult and biking allowed him to get places. He was so excited to tell us how much he loved riding his bike and how it kept him going during a tough time in his life when he couldn’t walk far. He had one quote that I’ll never forget “I like riding my bike because walking, that shit takes too long”. The three of us all looked at each other with the biggest grins on our face doing our best not to laugh at his comical statement, that we all related to. Biking opens up so many possibilities (like traveling across Kansas) that wouldn’t be possible any other way. And as someone who also suffers with walking difficulties from a foot injury, it really hit home just how much cycling has opened up new possibilities for me and has made up for what I lack in walking ability.
Breakfast in Ottawa
We continued on from Ottawa and started to find familiar streets - Edgerton road, 17th st, Waverly, etc. Our daily stomping grounds. This was kind of a surreal moment. We had made it home. We were so close to the end.
Our route took us right past the office, so of course we had to make one last quick stop. It was so fun to see some familiar faces and get a little bit of encouragement for the very last 30 miles to the Missouri border.
Laying in the grass outside the office and a visit from Becca and Emily
Seeing the ‘Welcome to Missouri’ sign was a really surreal moment. Three years ago, during the beginning of Covid when everything was shut down (including all the pools) and I couldn’t swim. I dusted off the old bike I rode as a kid and went for a bike ride every morning as a way to get out of the house and move my body. Three years ago, I thought 15 miles was a long ride, had no idea what clipless pedals were or that cycling specific clothes existed. Three years ago, I would have never imagined that I would ride my bike 500 miles across an entire state.
This ride proved a lot to me. Just how much can change in three years. How capable our bodies are. How underrated Kansas and its beautiful prairie is. How much joy can be found in the simple things, like green grass and gas stations. How much of a difference real bike shorts can make.
This whole endeavor was a team effort and I owe a huge thank you to Mikki and Erika for being the best possible support crew. They drove the same route we rode and spent hours in the car to get our stuff to the next location. They brought an extra layer of fun to all the cycling, nothing was more comforting at the end of the day then seeing their welcoming faces at each destination!
Of course I have to give a huge shoutout to the two Daniel's. There are no better cycling companions when it came to all the riding, planning and fun that went into this event. Their cheerful attitudes, mental grit and insane talent provided motivation for all those 5am trainer rides, inspiration for the long hot afternoons through the Kansas fields, and laughter and fun the entire way. Here's to the next adventure ride!
Laying the grass: a series
