They've finally finished Lone Elm over by Olathe Medical Center, and what used to be a narrow two-lane road is now a gorgeous four lane wide affair with bike lanes marked off almost wide enough to allow riders two abreast.
The only unfortunate stretch of this ride is 159th after you get past the new stuff (West of the bridge over I-35), the pavement gets a big ragged; right before you cross the train tracks there's a short stretch of maybe 15 feet that's actually gravel instead of blacktop.
But overall, especially on a Sunday evening when there's little traffic, it's a pretty tasty route. There are a few climbs, none intense. There are a lot of stretches where you don't have to stop, so that's a plus, too. Once I passed Madison on Gardner Road going south, there's no stop signs or lights until Dennis & Parker. In an unlikely turn of luck, I timed that light and the one crossing 56 Hwy and didn't have to apply brakes until Lone Elm and 151st where it was flashing red.
23.1 miles, averaged 13.1 mph.
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