Bike Across Kansas rolled into Ottawa, Friday, June 17, 2022 and by all accounts, had a great time. I had the privilege of having dinner Friday night in Downtown Ottawa with one of the bikers, Fred, who didn’t want his last name revealed, is from Denver. He says he has done dozens of long distance rides all across the United States, he named them and I lost count at 32. Fred told me he had been biking for decades with his wife and after she passed away from cancer a few years ago, his desire for the sport increased. He continues to do the long cross-state rides and some multi-state rides of over 1,000 miles. Fred is in great shape for his age and you would have to be to do the rides he does, at the age of 76.
Fred says he was thrilled by the hospitality the riders received all across the State; but, he says, Ottawa was extra special, with the concert in Legacy Square, the beautiful Downtown area, the shuttle from Ottawa High to the Downtown area and the spacious gym at the high school, with showers available for everyone. He says some of the towns they stayed in, the gyms were tiny and some were not airconditioned and with the heat last week, air conditioning was a welcome relief at the end of the day.
Fred says he knows his body is slowing down a bit, but he plans to keep doing three or four long rides a year for as long as he can and will do Bike Across Kansas again next Summer. He asked me to thank the people of Ottawa for their incredible hospitality and he hopes to visit again soon.
Thanks for having dinner with Grayson and I, Fred. Good luck in future rides and we hope to see you again.
