Ben Alexander has one suggestion for those partaking in Saturday’s inaugural Octagon Gravel Race.
Have fun.
“In fact, it’s not allowed to have a bad time,” Alexander joked. “It’s against the rules.”
Alexander, owner of Southwind Cycle and Outdoor in Iola, has organized the first-of-its-kind bike event for this part of the state, which will take cyclists across some scenic, if barely used, gravel roads.
The festivities will start at 6 a.m. Saturday for those taking part in the 100-mile race, at 8 a.m. for those following the 50-mile course, and 9 a.m. for those doing the 25-mile trek.
All will depart from the square in downtown Humboldt.
Alexander and fellow cycling enthusiast Andrew Monfort biked pretty much every square inch of gravel roads throughout Allen and Woodson counties to develop the route.
The roads that stood out for either their particular beauty or their challenging terrain made the cut, Alexander said.
The routes will be almost exclusively on gravel, while avoiding many of the major-use county roads.
“If you’re scheduling an event in June, people will be harvesting wheat,” he explained. “If you’re on any main-ish gravel roads, you’re kind of in the way. By being on those crazy, poorly maintained roads, you’re pretty much out of the way, ya know?”
Each route will have some difficult stretches — affectionately referred to as “gnars” (short for “gnarly” parts) — Alexander said.
The 100-mile route will take the riders west, across rural stretches of Allen and Woodson counties as far south as Buffalo and as far west as Toronto Lake, before heading north and back east past Piqua and finally south again to Humboldt.
The 50-mile circuit starts in the same manner, but cuts off closer to home.
The 25-mile race remains much closer to Humboldt, although Alexander warned the challenging stretches in the short run are as tough (or tougher) than anything the longer rides will offer.
“It’s a road that leads to nowhere but a couple of cow pastures. It’s not maintained for any reason,” Alexander said with a mischievous grin. “It’s a real mess. It’s gonna be a fun time.”
Some of the roads aren’t maintained at all because of sparse traffic. Others are well-maintained, but still have enough loose gravel that simply maintaining speed is a challenge.
Oh, and there are hills, he added.
But with the effort lies the rewards of seeing some spectacular rural Kansas scenery as well, Alexander noted.
THE RIDES start early enough in the day that most should be back in Humboldt before Saturday’s temperatures reach their expected low-to-mid 90 range.
In addition, Alexander has recruited volunteers to man food and watering stations along the routes, and others will travel behind the cyclists to assist in case trouble arises.
The first 100-mile riders should return to Humboldt between 11 a.m. and noon, hopefully around the same time the 50-mile cyclists are back. Alexander expected some rides to extend to mid-afternoon.
“Our 25-mile riders should be back well before then as well,” he added.
Each cyclist will be announced upon reaching the finish line, and greeted with a raucous crowd of supporters.
Live music will be supplied through the day, as well as such delicacies as sno-cones and barbecue.
The Hitching Post has plans for a concert as well.
The event coincides with Humboldt’s traditional Saturday evening movie night on the square, which starts at dusk.
This week’s showing is “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.”
“Those who ride will get to brag about how they beat the Octagon,” Alexander said. “You can have a sno-cone and some barbecue and hear some music. Sounds like a good Saturday to me.”
THE NAME for the event has multiple influences, firstly the ill-fated Octagon City vegetarian colony that was formed in 1855 and lasted barely a year before most of the 100 or so settlers either got sick and died or moved away. (Humboldt’s Octagon City Coffee Co. drew its name from the colony.)
But Alexander also notes that each route has a set number of “gnars” along the way. The 25-mile route has two; the 50-mile jaunt has four; and the 100-mile course has eight such challenges.
“There’s eight, another octagon,” Alexander said.
As he kicked around the idea, Alexander also came across a film starring Chuck Norris in which he was tasked with battling a group of Ninja assassins.
The film’s title: “The Octagon.”
“It’s just a terrible movie,” Alexander laughed. “I remembered it as a kid, but I could barely watch the three-minute trailer this time around. It’s a terrible movie, but the name stuck in my head.”
WHILE THE deadline for online registration for Saturday’s rides has passed, folks still can sign up from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday in front of the HoneyBee Brunchery in downtown Humboldt.
Riders also can register for the two shorter routes the morning of the rides.
For more information, visit the Octagon Gravel Bike Race Facebook page or call (620) 228-5566.
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