Done! My version of Tour de Flint Hills, 325 miles of hills, rain, cold weather, mud, Garmin malfunctions, even a little sunshine and fun for two days. This was also the first time that I have rode with all the packs on the bike. It is definitely harder/slower going with the added weight. I know that when I am racing I will lighten the bike up!
Day 1 was from Lawrence to Emporia covering a good portion of the Dirty Kanza course. The first 70 miles were dry but then things turned wet and muddy very quickly. Many of the minimum maintenance roads were rideable, just lots of standing or running water. A few were bike 'n' hike for a bit. and lots of stopping to clean the mud off the bike. There was one MMR that I didn't even try to go down. At Council Grove, I got some dry clothes on and warmed up at Dairy Queen. My Garmin decided to go on the fritz after leaving Council Grove and started rerouting me back to town, so I ended up taking a more direct route to Emporia instead of finishing up the DK course. A big thanks to Jeff Young and Michelle for letting me crash at their place. A warm shower and some food was great.
Day 2 started out raining and muddy roads. The first 40 miles were heavy downpours, but having a cross / tailwind helped out. I didn't get started as early as I hoped because I thought I might miss a little of the rain. Actually I should have started real early to beat it. The last 25 miles of the ride was probably the best when the sun came out.
I am hoping to do a version of this ride at least one more time in preparing for DKXL next year. It sounds like the course next year will be mainly north, which will be tough, if 350 miles in the Flint Hills isn't tough already.
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