In early June riders participating in the 41st Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska (BRAN) will get a close-up look at Nuckolls County. Though this year’s route will not bring them through Superior, they will come close and some may venture off the route to see the Victorian Capital of Nebraska along with several capitals that are on the route.

BRAN’s typical routes start in the west and return east as typical summer wind patterns come from the west and blow to the east, In addition the state’s elevation generally declines from west to east but that doesn’t mean the riders never face the wind or never have a hill to climb.

In recent years the routes have rotated every third year between Northern, Central and Southern routes. This is the year for a Southern Route.

This year’s route provides for shorter days to give the riders more time to explore the features along the route.

This year’s ride starts in the Republican River Valley town of Benkelman and will continue east on the first day to Cambridge. Originally called Collinsville in honor of Moses Collins, an early settler in that area, the name was changed by the railroad to honor a rancher named Benkelman. The town is the county seat of Dundy County. One of the community’s “feel-good” stories is that after a carnival stopped coming to town, several local residents banded together to travel around the nation to amass a collection of rides and games to be enjoyed at the Dundy County Fair.

The first day’s ride will be the longest at 80.6 miles and have an elevation gain of 1,719 feet and elevation loss of 2,434 feet. The route’s maximum grade will be 3.6 percent and the maximum descent 4.9 percent. If the rider survives the first day, the rest will be easier.

Riders will past through the towns of Max, Stratton, Trenton, Culberson, McCook, Indianola and Bartley,

On Day 2 the ride will depart from Cambridge and conclude at Alma.

In 1871, Hiram Doing, was the first to settle in the area. He built a cabin in the area where three years later the town of Cambridge was established under the name of Medicine Creek. Two years later, Doing sold his claim to J. W. Pickle, who renamed the area Pickeltown. When the Burlington Railroad was built through the area in 1880 the resulting town was named Cambridge by railroad officials. The name was selected to honor both Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the old university town of Cambridge, England. Hidden gems of the area are the Medicine Creek State Recreation Area and the Cambridge Museum.

On the second day, riders will travel 49.9 miles between Cambridge and Alma. They will gain 552 feet in elevation and descend 840 feet. The maximum grade will be 2.6 percent and the maximum descent 2.1 percent.

The route will pass through the towns of Holbrook, Arapahoe, Edison, Oxford, Stamford and Orleans.

Day 3 starts in Alma, a town founded in 1871 by three Union Pacific workers, Mark Coad, N.P. Cook and Thomas Murrin. It was named in honor of N. P. Cook’s daughter, Alma. The town is the county seat of Harlan County.

From Alma the riders will pedal east 45.7 miles to Red Cloud. It will be a more uphill day than the first as they will go up 2,049 feet. However, it will also be downhill as descend 2,311 feet. The maximum grade gain will be 2.7 percent. The maximum descent will be 3.9 percent.

Towns along the way are Bloomington, Republican City, Franklin, Riverton and Inavale.

Ride promoters tout Day 4 as the cultural high point of the ride. Red Cloud is the county seat of Webster County. It was named after Red Cloud, an Oglala Lakota chief. Red Cloud’s claim to fame is its connection with the celebrated writer Willa Cather and her novels about life on the Great Plains. In addition to having an opportunity to explore the Willa Cather properties, riders will have an opportunity to visit the Webster County Museum and see the Starke Round Barn, the largest round barn in the United States (130 feet in diameter). That day the ride concludes in Hebron. The route covers 54.8 miles. Riders will gain 1,936 feet in elevation and declined 2,182 feet. The maximum grade will be 2.1 percent and the maximum descent 3.5 percent.

Towns along the route include Guide Rock, Ruskin and Deshler.

On Day 5 the route takes the riders from Hebron to Wilber, a distance of 55.1 miles. Towns along the route include Gilead, Alexandria, Daykn, Plymouth and DeWitt.

Hebron was named by pioneers affiliated with the Disciples of Christ after the Palestine town of Hebron, a biblical city located in a beautiful valley much like the Little Blue River Valley in which Hebron is located. The town’s most notable attraction is the world’s largest covered porch swing. That swing is 32 feet long, Gov. Pete Ricketts named the city “Nebraska’s Porch Swing Capital” on June 1, 2016. Hebron is the county seat of Thayer County. The elevation gain for the day is 1,856 feet. The elevation loss for the day will be 1, 966 feet.

On Day 6 the route takes the riders from Wilber to Seward. Wilber is the county seat of Saline County and the Czech Capital of the U.S.A. Wilber was named for Professor C. D. Wilber, the man responsible for plating the town in 1872. The annual Czeck Days festival draws more than 40,000 visitors to the community each year. The Wilber Czech Museum preserves Czech artifacts related to the heritage of Nebraska’s early Czeck settlers. One of the more quirkier attractions is the Les Vida Presidential Museum and Library located in an outhouse. Les (jestingly) Vellda ran for president of the United States in 2008 as a member of B.E.E.R. party.

Day 6 is a shorter route, covering only 35.6 miles but it is mostly uphill as the riders will gain 843 feet and descend 677 feet. The maximum grade equals the maximum descent at 2.6 percent. Towns along the route include Crete, Dorchester and Milford.

Day 7, the last day of the ride will stretch 50.4 miles from Seward to Ashland and pass through the towns of Dwight, Valparaiso and Ceresco. It is the hilliest day as the elevation gain is 2,208 feet and the decline, 2,616 feet. The maximum grade is 3.6 percent. The decline is 3.5 percent.

Seward is the county seat of Seward County. The county was named for William H. Seward, the United States Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. Seward is home to the world’s largest time capsule with more than 5,000 items.

In 1979 Congress name Seward “America’s Official Fourth of July City.” Seward is home to Concordia University, a private Lutheran school, which was established in 1894. The university houses the Bartles Museum and the Marhausen Gallery of Art. The Nebraska National Guard Museum is in Seward.

The ride concludes at Ashland. The town was named after the estate of Henry Clay, the founder of both the Whig and Republican parties. The town is home to the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum. The museum boasts the largest collection of Cold War aircaft in the United States as well as the Willow Point Gallery. The community is also the birthplace of Astronaut Clayton Anderson. The nearby Mahoney State Park boasts an aquatic center, numerous trails, an observation tower and sites to go sledding and ice skating during the winter.