Teens ready for ride

Bicycling has grown in popularity in recent years as gas prices have climbed and people search for ways to save money.

For a group of northwest Kansas girls, however, cycling has offered a chance at something greater.

On Sunday, four Quinter teenagers will attempt to set a record as they perform a relay-style trek across Kansas.

"It's gonna be challenging," rider Addie Johnson said, "but I'm expecting it to go good."

Addie and her three friends will be attempting a Kansas south-to-north, four-person women's recumbent record, the first of its kind attempted in the state.

The record will be sanctioned by the UltraMarathon Cycling Association, which organizes and sponsors several cycling events year-round throughout the country.

They will use U.S. Highway 83 as the path for their journey, starting in Liberal and pedaling their hearts out until they reach their final destination: the Kansas-Nebraska border north of Oberlin.

The trip is an estimated 229.5 miles, and Addie's father, Eric, said he figures the trip will take approximately 12 hours to complete.

Addie, Jaci Crist, Lexie Woolf and Emily Ochs, all 13- to 15-year-old girls from Quinter, will take turns riding legs of the trip. Each girl will ride for 20 minutes before switching and resting for their next session.

They will be accompanied by five crew people and one official who will ensure the trip follows UMCA rules and regulations.

The official for this weekend's event will be Sara Carrell, manager of The Hub bicycle shop in Hays.

Carrell has set UMCA records the last two years riding the same highway route the girls will be this weekend. She said she "cannot wait to be in that back seat cheering them on."

The girls will be competing in the senior category, for ages 49 and younger.

Carrell said it is possible the girls will become some of the youngest cross-state record holders, as ages do not accompany every name on the cycling organization's Web site.

Helping the girls along the way will be Addie's parents, Eric and Michelle Johnson, their son, Tate, and Amy and John Crist, parents of fellow rider -- and Addie's cousin -- Jaci.

The crew members will ride in two vans: one behind the current cyclist and one ahead carrying the other three riders and their bikes, which were donated by The Hub for the girls to use throughout the summer.

Carrell said the bikes are matching, "so they'll feel like they've got that team spirit."

The bikes being used are different from traditional bicycles. These recumbent bikes are operated with the user lying back, with the pedals placed at the front end of the bike, in front of the handlebars, and a seat with a long back for the rider to recline against.

"It's a different point of balance," Addie said. "So it's difficult to get used to."

Balance and fatigue hopefully will be the only factors the girls have to fight against. The National Weather Service predicts temperatures along the route to be in the mid-80s, with only a slight chance for rain in most areas. All involved are hoping for southerly winds.

Even if the weather turns sour and the girls are forced to push themselves, Eric Johnson said they'll be ready.

Johnson created a training schedule for the girls to follow during the summer, riding four to five times a week, with the distance slowly increasing as the weeks and months went on.

He said they trained the hardest during the weekend, riding 40 to 45 miles per Saturday toward the end of summer.

He and the girls also traveled to out-of-town venues to train. Johnson explained that pavement is limited in Quinter, so traveling was an inevitability.

"We're kind of isolated here in Quinter," he said.

In August, the group visited the Kool-Aid Days in Hastings, Neb., where they competed in a 60-mile ride.

The weather during that race did not cooperate, as rain fell for most of the day.

"We got poured on at times," Johnson said.

Regardless of what happens Sunday, the experience is likely to stick with the girls, Carrell said.

"The opportunity that they have now to do this is going to be with them forever."

She said the record-setting process can be a big motivator for the girls and others who hear about the event. Riding not only helps people set goals, she said, but also teaches them determination, responsibility -- especially when three others are relying on your performance -- and "sticktoitivness."

Addie said some of her other friends have approached her wanting to join in on future events.

Although she is not certain how large a part cycling will play in her future, Addie said she will continue to ride, if only for fun.

Her father said he hopes cycling becomes a "lifelong pursuit" for all the girls.

If something interrupts that, however, it shouldn't be hard to start back up again.

After all, it's just like riding a bike.

source hdnews.net