It’s official! Bike MS Kansas City & Bike MS Eastern Kansas are merging into one new and exciting ride. The Kansas City starting point will begin in Olathe, Kan., at Garmin’s headquarters. The Eastern Kansas starting point will begin in Topeka. Both rides will merge into one and travel to Lawrence, Kan., for an even bigger and better overnight.

Bike MS: Kansas City Ride FAQs — Link to Website

Route Options

  • DAY ONE KC START OPTIONS: 38, 71 & 109 miles. Five miles may be eliminated from the KC and Topeka Century routes, depending on construction. Route towns include Olathe, Spring Hill, Edgerton, DeSoto (lunch stop), Basehor, Tonganoxie, Eudora and Lawrence.
  • DAY ONE TOPEKA START OPTIONS: 38, 71 & 114 miles. The decision to take the 71-mile versus the 114-mile route occurs at the lunch rest stop (#5) at approximately Mile 59.
  • DAY TWO OPTIONS: 38 & 71 miles. Both routes will begin at South Park in Lawrence and will finish at the starting line at Garmin’s Headquarters in Olathe.

Start/Finish

  • KC START: The ride begins at Garmin’s Headquarters: 1200 E 151st St, Olathe, KS 66062, on Sept. 17. Start line will open at 7 a.m. for the 71-mile and 109-mile routes. Top fundraisers are first in line! Short route riders will begin at 8 a.m. All routes will re-combine at Mile 10.
  • TOPEKA START: The ride begins at Shawnee Heights Middle School: 4335 Southeast Shawnee Heights Rd., Tecumseh, KS on Sept. 17. Start line will open at 7 a.m.
  • FINISH: The second day begins at 7 a.m. at South Park in Lawrence.
  • Riders will cross the finish line at Garmin in Olathe on Sept. 18. You will get your finish medallion, claim your luggage, grab food and listen to music. Don’t forget to take your bicycle home!
  • Bring your kiddos for a bicycle rodeo and helmet fitting at the finish line from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., sponsored by Headstrong for Jake (headstrongforjake.org). Enjoy the festivities and cheer in the finishers!

The Village

  • The Village is hopping! All along South Park (11th to 12th Street), Massachusetts Street will be closed for Bike MS.
  • TENTS: The Boulevard Hospitality Tent will serve beer and feature live music and general info about the weekend; The Research Medical VIP Tent will be available for TreadSetters with a special spread of food and drink; The Ameriprise Information Tent will provide detailed info about the Village activities, including tent maps, the music line-up and vendors.
  • TEAMS: From the Vermont St. side, teams will be able to bring supplies into the Village by vehicle, but vehicles cannot be parked on the grass. All supplies needs to be delivered to tents by 10 a.m. to ensure the safety of all people involved. No vehicles will be allowed in the park after.
  • ACTIVITIES: Invite your family to enjoy the festivities including a playground, bounce house and many other fun things!
  • FESTIVAL: Ingredient will host a festival of music, food and drink on the East side of South Park. Starting at noon Saturday, listen to live bands on two separate stages while enjoying tastes of Lawrence from local food and drink vendors. The MS Society will not have a free pasta dinner, but meals will be available for purchase through vendors, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the MS Society.

The Overnight

  • ACCOMMODATIONS: Free outdoor camping in South Park is on a first-come, first-served basis. Limited indoor camping will be in the Lawrence Recreation Center. There are also many hotels.
  • SHUTTLES: Purchase a $5 ticket and receive shuttle service to your hotel on Saturday and back to the start line on Sunday. Schedules will be in the Ameriprise Info Tent.
  • SHOWERS: Portable showers will be available at South Park. Our contracted vendor has successfully provided clean, private, warm shower services to many other Bike MS rides across the country.
  • ONE DAY ONLY RIDERS: A shuttle back to the Olathe start from Lawrence will be available for those only participating on Saturday. If you have not yet reserved a spot, call the MS Society.
  • DAY TWO RIDERS: The MS Society will not provide shuttles back to Topeka from Olathe. However, riders who need a way back to Topeka on Sunday can share their need by connecting with other riders through a Google Group: Bike MS-Topeka Ride Share (http://groups.google.com/group/bike-ms-topeka-ride-share) or ([email protected]).If the demand for rides from Olathe to Topeka outstrip the supply of rides, other accommodations may be arranged.