As 2013 ends, here’s a quick look back:
Passings
The year started off so well. Through late May, no bicyclists had died on Kansas roadways. It was probably unrealistic, but I was hopeful of keeping that number at zero all year long. Sadly, that wasn’t to be the case:
- Gail Kline was killed near Salina on May 31st.
- Jeremiah Conlin died in Kansas City on July 9th
- Ralph Lowe died on July 10th in Topeka
- Hayley Berrios was killed in Lawrence on July 21st
- Michael Glaser was killed by a train in Emporia on October 9th
- Ronald Kennedy died on October 24th in Emporia
- Santiago Zamora-Zamora was killed by a hit-and-run driver on November 29th in Kansas City, Kansas
The Weekly Reader
The biggest quantity of bicycling news shared on this site came through the Sunflower Cycling News, a weekly roundup of bicycling news and events in Kansas and neighboring states.
It was a lot of work, but I managed to make the deadline pretty much every Wednesday, all year long, with only a few exceptions. I think that recap of the weekly news was valuable, if for no other reason than it captured some of the fleeting stories, both good and bad, that would otherwise have been missed.
The downside of the weekly digest was that I wrote far fewer feature stories throughout the year. I’m afraid that some of the stories, which got a passing mention in the Sunflower Cycling News, actually deserved more attention than they received.
I’m considering changes to the format in the coming year, though I’m not yet sure exactly what those may be…
Personal Notes
2013 was a pretty good year for me, personally. The big change was that my wife and I moved from Olathe, after 27 years, to the small town of Iola (Moving to Portland (Alley)).
Going from the edge of a large metro to a more rural area is a pretty big transition, which I’m still feeling my way through. Most of my September, October, and November was consumed with the move, so my autumn rides were limited.
Still, I met my goal of averaging 100 miles per week. I’ve ended 2013 with just over 5400 miles. I rode every single day from early June through the end of September, and only missed perhaps 2-3 days in the two months before that. In all, I made approximately 300 bike trips during the year, perhaps half for transportation — getting groceries, running errands, business meetings, etc. — and about half just for fun
I got away for a few overnight trips, plus three little tours (which I never got around to writing up — shame on me!):
— In early June I toured from Olathe to Iola, via Parker, Blue Mound, and Uniontown, among others.
— In late June I did a short tour in northeastern Kansas, overnighting at Atchison and at Perry Lake, and passing through communities such as Leavenworth, Holton, Valley Falls, and Tonganoxie.
— In mid-August I (along with Bill of CarfreeAmerican) rode the Flint Hills Nature Trail from Pomona Lake to Council Grove, overnighting at Ottawa, Osage City, Council Grove, and Burlingame.
Again, I hope to get out more in 2014, and do a better job of documenting trips. I don’t have any specific tours in mind yet. I’m sure most of my shorter tours will be in southeastern Kansas, but I’m hoping to get further afield in our great state as well.
Thanks for following Kansas Cyclist, and have a great 2014!
