The 2026 Flint Hills Ultra

Words and Photos by Preston Williams

Editor's Note: In this latest addition to the Buffet, Midwest Man Preston Williams recounts one heck-of-a-ride setting the Men's Single Speed FKT on the 1050 mile Flint Hills Ultra race. If you have an epic ride report or story you'd like to share on The Buffet reach out to zach.scsw@gmail.com. Let's go! 

A little about this 1,050-Mile Gravel Adventure

I decided to return to the Flint Hills Ultra for multiple reasons.

First of all, it's an amazing route. It heads north out of Emporia and turns west just short of Nebraska, then goes south into a 130-mile loop into Oklahoma. It's completed by heading north out of Oklahoma and back to Emporia. The views are spectacular, and the terrain is as challenging as it is fun — 50,178 feet of elevation change. The dirt roads are wild and so much fun when they're dry; it's like mountain biking on a wider trail. Some areas are very rocky and technical. When the dirt turns to mud, it's a nightmare. I wanted a chance at drier terrain than last year, but at the same time, I wanted to prove that I could thrive in bad conditions.

I also spent a year telling people I had the Men's Single Speed FKT (Fastest Known Time), but the women's time is actually faster — Tricia Luke's 2023 race is the fastest Single Speed time overall. Tricia is a stud and an awesome person. My goal for this race was to get the overall Single Speed FKT for myself.

Every decision I made in my bike setup was centered around riding ditches and rain/mud. I chose to ride bigger tires and made my gear ratio easier. To keep everything charged up, I took three small power banks, keeping two of them in dry bags at all times. Last year my power bank and cords got too wet, and I had some extra difficulties without the ability to charge my devices.

Seven days, 13 hours, and 18 minutes is Tricia's 2023 time to beat. My time from last year was 7 hours, 59 minutes…behind her. I set a next-level goal of sub-7 days. 

This spring, I started training in a pair of overalls from Duluth Trading Co., cutting off the pants to make them overall shorts. I'd been wearing cycling bibs with the chamois cut out for a few years — I loved the lack of a waistband, and the bibs had five essential cargo pockets — but I was feeling self-conscious about going into small-town diners and gas stations wearing spandex. The overalls are loaded with useful pockets and help keep everything organized.

Before a race, I make a cue sheet. I list everywhere on the route that I can get water or food, along with some good camping spots and swimming holes. I list the mileage and town, with the point of interest below. I look up all of the gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores and note their hours on my sheet, and I double-checked and called about hours for places I'd likely pass on Memorial Day. I keep my sheet separated into three parts and laminated in my back pocket.

Day 1 — Emporia to Frankfort

Friday morning started at the zoo. Bobby, the race director, took pictures of the riders and their bikes. We started, and the vibe was very chill. We got stuck behind a train before we even got out of Emporia.

It was dry when we started, but the rain came before we made it too far, coming and going all day. There was quite a bit of mud all day, which made for a slog, albeit a happy one. 

There was a Mexican restaurant in Onaga that I had on my cue sheet as closing at 9:00. I got there after 9, and they were still open! There was a group of people who looked to be in their mid-20s outside getting ready to leave. When I pulled up, they were all interested in what I was doing, so I told them about the race. One guy said, "I'm buying this guy's dinner." I followed him inside — he gave the bartender some cash and said to give me anything I wanted. The group left and wished me well. I got quesadillas and a couple of Mexican Cokes, then wrapped up half the food to stuff in my frame bag for later.

I made it to Frankfort to finish my day, at 162 miles. There was a car wash on my way into town, so I sprayed all the mud off my bike. I slept in a shelter at the city park, which had bathrooms and outlets. It's always nice to find outlets, since I have multiple devices I need to keep charged — I can make it 3–4 days on my power banks alone, so finding outlets pushes back my need for a hotel room. Before I climbed into my bivy, I had a quesadilla, and I ate the other one when I woke up.

Day 2 — Frankfort to Pillsbury Crossing

I started Saturday about 20 miles from Marysville, the northernmost town in the Flint Hills Ultra. On my way, Bobby texted me about a bakery in town — he said they have good breakfast bowls and donuts — so I sat outside to enjoy some coffee and a breakfast bowl. Mark, the owner of Backroads Bicycle Shop, walked up to me. He'd been dot-watching and knew who I was; the shop was a block away, and he offered to help with anything I needed. My chain was a little loose, so I had him tighten it up. I talked with him and his wife, Renee. They were very nice people!

It wasn't as hot as the next three days would be. I reached Olsburg in the afternoon, very low on water. The only thing on my cue sheet was a water fountain in the middle of the city park. I found it, and the water literally shot straight up into the air. I spent what felt like five minutes filling one of my three bottles, and it only got about a third full. I decided this was a huge waste of time and pulled up Google Maps to see if there was anything else in town. I found a bar and grill, got chicken tenders and fries to eat there, and ordered three very big (and expensive!) grilled cheese sandwiches to go, which, being my favorite bikepacking food, felt like a huge win. 

Later that night, while riding, I ate half a sandwich. My mouth did not want me to swallow it — it was very hard to get down, and I had to force it with extra water. Even though it tasted terrible, I had the other half an hour later. Using my headlamp, I could see there were multiple kinds of cheese, and there was a certain taste that wasn't agreeing with me. Everything was closed by the time I got to Wamego. I filled my water at a spigot and threw the other two grilled cheeses away. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. 

Pillsbury Crossing, a waterfall near Manhattan, was running very high. I took off my bike shoes and walked across the road with my bike on my shoulders. There was a parking lot on the other side with a trail leading to bathrooms, so I set up camp there. My second day was 143 miles. I woke up in the middle of the night freezing cold, much colder than I should have been,  and put on my rain jacket and wool hat before going back to sleep. An hour later I woke up again with violent diarrhea. I sat on the toilet for a long time, feeling like I could throw up. I was no longer cold, just soaked with sweat, and couldn't sleep anymore, which led me to decide to go ahead and start Day 3 early that morning.

Day 3 — Pillsbury Crossing to Council Grove

This would be the most trying day of the race. It was extremely hot, getting up to 104.8 degrees, and I was also dealing with a battle going on in my stomach. I threw up a handful of times throughout the day and spent the rest of it dealing with GI issues. I stayed positive and did my best to keep moving.

I reached Alma about 30 miles into my day. At a gas station, I stocked up on water and snacks, sat in the shade, drank a lot of water, and took a little rest. I had to go off-route a couple of miles to a Dollar General as I'd already used up all my baby wipes and needed more. I continued to stay positive even though I was suffering, though I had one moment that almost broke me. I was walking up a long, steep, rocky climb in full sun, overdue to eat something. I stopped and put a melted mini Kind bar in my mouth and instantly threw up everywhere. That's the moment I felt the most hopeless, but I didn't let myself get down or discouraged. I continued on.

There was a park with a shelter and bathrooms in Alta Vista, where I sat for about an hour drinking water and resting in the shade. I booked a hotel room in Council Grove, 30 miles away. Sunday, I only made it 94 miles.

A shower and a bed were an important part of my recovery. I needed to hit the grocery store in the morning, but it didn't open until 7:00. I slept over six hours — my biggest sleep of the race.

Day 4 — Council Grove to Eureka

I still felt rough in the morning, but I told myself it was going to be a better day. I stocked up at the grocery store with Nutter Butters, maple syrup, Uncrustables, and a gallon of water. I started my day on the second of three extremely hot days.

As the morning went on, I could feel myself starting to get better, and by the end of the day I felt quite a bit better.

Riding south, I saw a lot of people out training for Unbound. I met a young guy at the Casey's in Cottonwood Falls — Unbound was going to be his first big gravel race. He was nervous but excited, and very interested in my race; he wanted to get into bikepacking. We wished each other good luck, and I hope he had a great race. I also met a very nice lady in Matfield Green. She was training for the 50-mile Unbound race and had trouble wrapping her head around my 1,050-mile race. We wished each other well, and I hope her race was a great experience too.

After riding 137 miles, I camped on a golf course on the north side of Eureka. I woke up to the sound of sprinklers — peeking out of my bivy, I saw they were going off on the other side of the fairway I was sleeping on. I didn't want to start my day off with wet camping gear, so I got up, broke down camp, and got going faster than normal.

Day 5 — Eureka to Oklahoma

The Casey's in Eureka opened at 4:00 a.m. I washed a breakfast burrito down with some coffee and stocked up on snacks and another burrito for later. The next resupply option was water only.

Tuesday was extremely hot. According to my Garmin, it was the third day in a row with an average around 80 and a max temp of 105 — I really felt like I was getting cooked. Every time I had a chance to get water, I'd chug at least a couple of liters before leaving with all three bottles filled.

At this point in the race, I was thinking more and more about strategy — doing math, trying to get back to my goal pace. I was honestly concerned about Brad, and where I was compared to him, but I could see that I'd been closing the gap after a less productive Day 3.

I got into Arkansas City around 11:00 p.m., feeling good and not very tired. I stocked up at Casey's, not ready to be done for the day. That's when I found out you can call Casey's and order food through a robot! After grabbing dinner and breakfast for the next day, I rolled out of town. Fifteen miles down the road, I crossed the Oklahoma border and found a flat, mowed spot off the side of the road, in front of a horse farm, where I made camp, having traveled 149 miles. The horses were very interested in me and very friendly; from what I could tell, they stayed by me the entire time I slept. About an hour before I got up, I heard another racer Brad ride by, and I yelled, "Go Brad!" as loud as I could.

Day 6 — Oklahoma to Cedar Vale

Coffee would have been nice, but the burrito was amazing! On-and-off rain made the heat much more manageable. I was able to get hot food and resupply 30 miles out at Shidler, and again at mile 60 in Fairfax. After that, the bigger city was Pawhuska, where I got more essentials at a grocery store.

The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Reserve was five miles out of Pawhuska — 24 beautiful miles of open range with no fences, where animals are free to roam. I rode my bike over cattle grates and was among wild bison, seeing a lot more of them this race than last year, some very close up. I had one interaction with two bison that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I crested a hill to see the road dip down and around a bend, then climb long and gradual up to the right. At the bend, on the low side of the road, were two bison. I was excited to ride so close to them, and as I passed I gave them a calm, respectful "Hi!" After I passed, they started running up the hill alongside me and passed me, then watched me climb up to them before running by me again. They stayed on the low side of the road below me, continuing up the hill with me until we were almost to the top. Near the top, they got ahead and crossed the road right in front of me, watching me ride off from the high side of the road.

Sunday was the last time I took a shower, and I also needed a chance to plug in my devices, so I booked a stay at a hunting lodge in Cedar Vale, where I ended my 141-mile day. I was going to get there pretty late, so the owner told me to just put cash in the microwave on my way out the next morning.

The rain picked up quite a bit as the evening went on, and I got hit with some heavy rain between the Prairie Reserve and Cedar Vale. It rained non-stop while I slept. In the lodge, before shutting my eyes, I had to clean my clothes — since I'd ridden in the rain, I also had much-needed bike maintenance to do. I plugged in all my devices and, most importantly, took a shower!

Day 7 — Cedar Vale to Hamilton

The mud came back with a vengeance! I was actually excited about it — my main focus in preparing for this race was being more productive in the mud and riding through the ditches. Friday and Saturday mornings (Days 1 and 2) were very muddy, but this day felt like the ultimate test, and I feel like I aced it! I got better at spotting mud that was going to stick to my tires and avoiding it. Ditch riding is a skill and an art — you have to stand the entire time and thoroughly scan the ground in front of the bike, since the grass and weeds are tall and there are countless obstacles hidden on the ground. I kept calling myself "the ditch rider!" I handled the road and ditches well and actually had a lot of fun.

Today I got to ride a big part of the day with Brad — he's a great dude! It really felt like we weren't competing with each other. I'd told him, the night before the race and again this day, that my focus was the overall SS FKT, and that was all I cared about. I was much more efficient through the mud and put a decent gap on him in the late afternoon.

My focus for the day was to put myself in a position to attack the last day, so I decided to push to Hamilton, where there was a park with a shelter I could sleep under. The mud leading into Hamilton was extreme, with a few water crossings that were high and fast — I had to walk across knee-high water, holding my heavy bike up and out of the current. I rolled into Hamilton city park at 2:30 a.m. Mileage for the day: 147.

Day 8 — Last Day: Hamilton to Emporia

My alarm was a rooster — a little earlier than I wanted to get up, but I think it was a blessing. I knew it was going to be a Full Send Friday, but I didn't know how great a day it would turn out to be.

I had trouble getting started because my Garmin was frozen and I had to figure out how to do a hard reset; it acted funny for the rest of the morning. About eight miles out of Hamilton, my Garmin told me to take a left. A few miles later, I noticed I was heading into the wind — there had been a very strong east wind ever since I got to Oklahoma, and I knew I'd be going west and north all morning. While riding, I checked the wind direction in my weather app and saw there was going to be a south wind all day. I was excited at first, since I'd been pushing into a strong headwind ever since Day 2 in Marysville — then it dawned on me that I shouldn't be heading south! I pulled up Ride with GPS and saw I'd ridden three miles south, off-route. On the way back to get on track, I was angry and cussed at my Garmin, but once I got back on course I knew I had to get over it and turned that anger into fuel. The rest of the morning, I had to keep checking Ride with GPS to make sure I stayed on course.

I pushed and fought with everything I had for the rest of the ride. I needed to finish before 9 p.m. and had based all my math on finishing at 8 p.m. As the morning went on, it was clear I was ahead of that schedule, and I felt unstoppable — I was going for it, and I would leave nothing on the course.

I called in a burrito at the Casey's in Madison — the fastest gas station stop of the race. I filled my bottles, inhaled my food and a big cup of coffee, and was quickly back on the road heading for the finish.

There was a lot of mud in the morning, but the farther north I got, the drier the dirt became. I had hero dirt all afternoon — that perfect mixture of not too muddy and not too dry that feels fast.

I really like doing math while I ride, and my estimated finish time kept dropping as I pushed. At some point I realized I could possibly beat the start of the Unbound XL race at 3:00 — and I made it, with a few minutes to spare, riding 82 miles to the finish line at the zoo. My finish time was 7 days, 6 hours, 55 minutes.

Afterthoughts

I am very happy with my effort and my race as a whole. Sunday was a huge setback — it slowed me down but didn't knock me out. I dug out of that hole and picked up steam from there. Sub-7 days was a good goal, and I believe I could have made it even if Day 3 had been only slightly below average, rather than 50 miles below average.

I only briefly touched on riding in the wind, but it was a very strong, mighty wind the entire race. All but the last day was a headwind: heading north up to Marysville and back down into Oklahoma was a south wind. One positive about all the wind — it dried out the roads fast, and it also made the extreme heat in the middle of the week more bearable. As soon as I hit Oklahoma, the wind switched to coming from the east; it kind of felt like I was being messed with. Wednesday and Thursday (Days 6 and 7) were straight east the whole time. Finally, I got a south tailwind on the last day, and I felt like I was flying.

Other than bison, I saw some pretty cool wildlife. I saw a bobcat in daylight — it crossed the dirt road about 15 feet in front of me, then darted into the woods. I'm not sure I've seen anything that up close that looks more athletic. I saw an enormous tarantula late at night, walking across the middle of a gravel road in Oklahoma. Riding at night, I spotted a snake in the road — a copperhead. When my light hit it, I could see the diamonds shining off its back. I came across a lot of deer and possums, saw one live armadillo, and a handful of roadkill.

The overalls were a great call! I had many more people talking to me, everyone interested in what I was doing. They were a little baggy and heavy, and could have been more breathable. The next step might be custom bikepacking overalls!

I'm getting better at the little things: coming into a resupply with a mental checklist, getting more things done when I stop (which means I stop less often), and using outlets outside gas stations to get a little extra juice. I still have growing to do, but I can confidently call myself seasoned.

Taking so few photos is lame. On Day 1, I saw a beautiful sunset behind a storm — too cool not to capture, so I took four pictures from a couple of different angles. On Tuesday, Bobby asked for a selfie; I quickly took one where I was and sent it to him. A couple of miles down the road, I crossed the stone bridges in Cowley County, stopped, took off my helmet, and sent him another picture with a better background. On Wednesday morning, my bottle cage broke off my fork; later in the day, the other one did the same. I took pictures of the broken cages and my zip-tie/gorilla-tape fixes — wild, considering I'd had those cages on my bike for as long as I've owned it, probably four years. It's not strange that a cage broke; I break things bikepacking all the time. It's wild that they broke so close together in time, like old lovers. My friend Marco said it was Y2K for water bottle cages. The last picture I took was of my bike in front of the Tallgrass Prairie Reserve. People always ask if I took any pictures of the bison, and my answer is that I will never photograph my spirit animal.

In conclusion, this was such an amazing experience and a successful attempt. I recommend this event and route to anyone up for the challenge. I really appreciate Bobby Thompson for putting the time and effort into creating such an amazing route.