Trisha Luke Sets Flint Hills Ultra Gravel Singlespeed FKT

Main photo by Dan Hughes

Late last month, a dozen cyclists set out on a 1,050-mile journey along the inaugural Flint Hills Ultra Gravel event in the Flint Hills of Kansas and upper Oklahoma. The route is open nearly all year long and follows gravel roads with a substantial 50,000 feet of climbing.

Among the first group of riders was Trisha Luke, who finished her ride in 7 days, 13 hours, and 18 minutes, making her the first woman ever to complete the route and the fastest overall singlespeed rider. Trisha rode a Surly Cross-Check with 40×18 gearing, rim brakes, and a Brooks leather saddle. A few days earlier, Ashton Lambie finished first overall with a time of 4 days, 10 hours, and 23 minutes, followed by Robb Finnegan on day five. Robb was actually riding with Ashton early on in the event when he got word that his dog’s health was failing and left the course for 12 hours before returning and sleeping for 20-minute increments to try and catch up.

Finishing the route at all is an impressive feat considering the conditions of the route this year. Riders walked their way through long stretches of mud, strong winds, and there was no shortage of mechanicals. A highlight for Trisha was finishing her final 10 miles against a sea of Unbound riders while pedaling toward the finish in Emporia, Kansas. The mud slowed her ride down so much that the time between water resupply was stretched to 6-10 hours instead of the normal 3-6 hours in ideal conditions. Congrats, Trisha!

Flint Hills Ultra Gravel Route

You can learn more about the Flint Hills Ultra at DiscoverGravel.com.

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