BAK 2019 – The Good Land

I’m writing this in the back seat of the car.

Life the past two years has been….full. And it seems to be getting more full every month, and week, after signing up to be a member of the Kansas House of Representatives.

But right now, I’m riding in a car, bikes strapped on a trunk rack, headed for Goodland, Kansas where the annual bicycle ride across Kansas will begin. I first rode BAK – short for Biking Across Kansas – in 2015. It’s funny to think about how nervous I was that first year. It seemed like such a daunting task, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to complete it. I had convinced myself that I wouldn’t make any new friends, and would spend the week standing in the corner, waiting for someone to come talk to me. You know, the typical middle-school aged anxiety that somehow continues far too long into adulthood for some of us.

But quite the opposite happened. I did finish it. I did a century – riding 100 miles in a day. I met a group of people who became very much like a family to me. We rode together during the day, ate dinner together at night. Slept under the same high school gymnasiums, or in tents set up right next to one another.

I came back again in 2016, and tn 2017 – with my son Mitchell. I couldn’t make the entire trip in 2018, but managed to sneak in one day of the trip thanks to some very helpful friends. This year, I’m back for the full thing, and once again, my son is joining me. I couldn’t be happier.

I’m not going to lie, life has been challenging the past two years. The learning curve for the Kansas Legislature is steep. What I know about the important policies affecting isn’t enough, despite efforts to fully educate myself. There is always more to know, and learn. There are meetings, fundraising drives, public forums, visiting with constituents, and a host of activities that can wreak havoc on a schedule. And, of course, there’s the whole living and working in Topeka for four or more months each year. It’s also a very fluid type of work – issues change, people change, and what might have been a good approach one day suddenly changes and goes a different way. I enjoy the work, and feel humbled that my friends and neighbors in Hutchinson want me to represent them in Topeka. But I’d be lying if I said its not without its difficulties.

This week, however, I have one job. Get on my bike and ride it to the next town. Along the way, I will get to visit with my friends and family. I’ll get to see the amazing small towns across the state – and I’ll tell you, they really roll out the red carpet for us. I’ve met incredible people on BAK, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the graciousness and hospitality of the communities that host us. If you are a cyclist and you haven’t done BAK, you really should. It’s an experience you won’t regret. If you’re not a cyclist, you should visit some of the towns along the route. I sometimes suggest people just drive the route in a car, if they don’t cycle, and stop in the same towns. You won’t regret that either. In a world that’s often polluted with toxic anger, extreme division, and hateful rhetoric, getting out to enjoy good people doing good things is quite cathartic. And fun.

I haven’t trained properly. Time simply hasn’t allowed it. I concerned, but I am not terribly worried. I’ll ride slow if I need to. I’ll take extra breaks if I’m getting fatigued. I’ll enjoy both the forward progress, and the spaces in between. I’ll hug my friends whom I’ve not seen for nearly a year. And we’ll immediately start behaving like we’ve spent the better part of that time together.

I can hardly wait.

Post ride update – Mitch and me traveled to the state line from Goodland, then back to Goodland, where we met up with our friends for dinner. The 19 mile ride out was pleasant – the wind was mild, and we were feeling pretty good. The 19 mile ride back was not bad though the wind picked up. Our biggest challenge was that we didn’t pack enough food and Gatorade – thinking this was just a “short run.” Mitch, with Type I diabetes, requires food at the ready in case his blood sugar drops. My legs didn’t cramp, but they did this weird twitching thing they do when they want to cramp up. We both were in desperate need of electrolytes and food. We found it thanks to our friend Amy, who stopped and gave us a little of her food to eat before heading back into town.

I found it funny on the ride that Mitch, at his ripe old age, kept asking me if I was drinking enough water. I would say “probably” or something like that. And he’d say “because I hardly see you drinking any water at all.” Aside from the niceness of the whole thing, it assures me that I’ll be able to keep riding for a very long time, so long as I have Mitch around to tell me to stay hydraded and to take the appropriate number of breaks.

Dinner was at a local Mexican restaurant called Tequila’s. The food was outstanding, but the real story here is the size of the margaritas, and that we got to meet up with some of my great  people who don’t get together nearly as much as they shood – Nick Levendosky, Christy Hopkins, and Amy Delamaide. Of course, Tyler and his son Anton, Kyler, Brian, Trevor, Mack, and George all came were there too.

Anyway – these margaritas. The “Medium” size was enormous. I mean like two or three regular margaritas in one. But when a couple people ordered the “Monster” size, I was sort of in shock. Pictures don’t do it justice. But trust me. This is not a one-person drink.