Mountain - Plains - Might be making a move to the Wichita area.

Just got a tentative job offer in Wichita and am curious about riding in the area. I have heard all kinds of horror stories about how flat and windy it is. I'd be coming from SW Ohio, so flat is relative I guess.

Anyone ride in the McConnell AFB area?

I've never spent much time in Wichita so I can't say anything about streets, country roads, routes, etc. But that area of south central Kansas and north central Oklahoma is pretty flat by any standard you could measure it against. And wind? Let's just say that if you have a cut-off of 20mph that you won't ride above you'll have a lot of days that you won't ride. 15 mph is considered a gentle breeze around here. 30 mph is getting a bit windy.

There are some good bike paths in Wichita but they are not soooo good for fast riding. Most 'real riders' go west on 21st street...that means you have to transport to the west side of town. Guess the answer is...with a little looking you should be able to find some places to ride. There are several bike shops in town that should be able to help you too.
Good luck in your movie

http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Park/Bicycling/bicycle_paths.htm

I live on the northwest of town in Wichita, so the bike path is about 2 miles away from my house. I usually ride the 2 miles from my house on the sidewalk. After the sidewalk ride I am at Sedgwick County park and the path there is nice and smooth, the outer loop around the park is about 4 miles if you are into doing laps. I like taking the connecting path from the park to connect to the Arkansas River path downtown, and would keep going all the way down and then stop at the pho(vietnamese noodles) place to get some energy for the ride back. On the way back I might stop at the local gas station near downtown to get some beer and chill near the river. I only would go down the arkansas river path on my day off because the whole journey can take 3+ hours covering 28 miles. I am sure a lot of people can probably do it faster though. For me bicycling is like an escape or adventure from the normal routine.

I lived and cycled in Wichita from 88 to 96. I was stationed at McConnell AFB and I pretty much split my time between road/off road. Since I've left Wichita has really grown with houses popping up every where. So since I've been gone the areas I'm describing may have been built up over the years. But I used to spend most of my road riding to the east and north. Out to towns of Rose Hill, Douglas, Lathum, Mulvane,Udall, Rock had some good country riding just to name a few. yes it's mostly flat and windy but when you get to the Flint hills it can be pretty hilly. Roads were in good shape and I never had any problems with the drivers.
Off road there isn't much unless you want to travel. Boeing hills, Sante Fa Lake and Pawnee Prairre are close and have some ok trails but nothing to brag about. Some great dirt roads out in the Flint Hills and Smokey Hills with a few decent climbs. Do a google search for Wichita cycling and it will give you some good web sites to go to.
After Wichita I moved to Spokane Wa Which this place "Rocks" if you a cyclists. Glad I left KS. IMO.