Wichita, Kansas has a strong cycling community, with numerous bike shops, a large and popular recreational bike club (the Oz Bicycle Club) and a vibrant mountain biking club (the Kansas Singletrack Society).
But unlike the Kansas City area, where cyclists such as Noah at KC Bike Commuting, Dave at Dave’s Good Stuff, Warren at Limited Warren T, and the inimitable CommuterDude have been telling their tales for some time, the bicycle commuters in Wichita have been largely quiet.
Up to now.
John Buaas recently launched Cycling in Wichita, a blog where he writes about his “decision to travel primarily by bicycle on the streets of the third-worst U.S. city for cyclists”. (That would be Wichita, of course; Kansas City is the worst, according to this list at Bike Commute Tips Blog.)
John is a recent convert to the joys and challenges of bicycle commuting, though he’s been blogging for awhile on other topics at Blog Meridian, and is a strong writer. It’s fun to see that initial rush of excitement and discovery as a new rider takes to the streets, and John conveys that well.
John’s not the only bicycle commuter in Wichita to speak up, though. Russell at In Medias Res has also recently shared his story: “I’ve put close to 5000 miles on (his Trek 7100) in the nearly two years that I’ve been here. And yes, I do commute year-round–biking in the cold isn’t usually a problem, if you’ve got the gear for it; the only real difficulties in Wichita weather-wise are the occasional snow and ice on the roads and the high winds.”
Well done, John and Russell — hope to hear more about your cycling adventures in Wichita!
Post tags: Wichita
Randy, it’s most gratifying and flattering to see this. Thank you, sir.