Big D Cycling, a competitive cycling club in Kansas City, has achieved much in a few short years.
The team was created in 2010 following the tragic loss of fellow cyclist and friend, Dalton Eli Hawkins. Dalton was a straight-A, pharmacy student at The University of Kansas and loved riding his bike. Dalton’s nickname, Big D, was given to him in third grade by Stephen Whalen, his neighbor. Dalton showed interest in cycling at a young age, as his father, Shawn, passed along his passion for cycling, along with his old steel frame road bike.
In 2007, Dalton and his father completed the infamous Triple Bypass Bicycle Ride in Colorado, along with numerous other charity rides. Shawn commented that, even though Dalton was young, on the local Wednesday night hill ride, “He could hang with those front guys.”
Some of the early members of the team, Shawn Hawkins, Shawn Knight, John Taton and Whalen, raced at the Froze Toes Road Race in February 2009 under the Whale Spout Race Team, named after Whalen’s car wash in Shawnee, KS. After Dalton’s passing, they continued to race and started writing ‘Big D’ on the race registration form, in memory of Dalton.
Later in 2009, they started talking about registering the team with USA Cycling. To honor Dalton, they chose the name Big D Cycling. The team eventually obtained its first title sponsor, SeQual, and sponsored its first race, The Veterans Cross, in November 2010.
Fast forward to 2015, the team has achieved a long list of on- and off-the-road accomplishments. The team’s current and long-term title sponsor, Keen Wealth Advisors, is deeply committed to the development of cycling in Kansas, in particular the junior racing category, donating $3,000 over the past two seasons to the Kansas Cycling Association to sponsor Kansas junior race entry fees. In line with this, Big D Cycling, over the past five years, has teamed up with the local Kiwanis Club and Shawnee Rotary Club at their annual bike rodeos, helping youngsters with simple maintenance of their bikes and proper helmet fitting.
In recent team competition, Big D Cycling won the Kansas Best All-Around Team competition for Overall Women’s Masters Team in 2013 and for Overall Men’s Masters Team in 2014. The 2015 season is just beginning, but Cody Jones, Joe Kleidosty and Greg Vaught have already stood on the top of the podium, winning their respective categories at the ALS Road Race Series in Perry, KS, in March 2015. On April 11, the trio of Nick Comiskey, Joe Kleidosty and Greg Vaught won the Eddy Merckx division at the Sunflower State Games Team Time Trial event in Lecompton, KS. The team has its sights set for more podium finishes at Tour of Kansas City and Tour of Lawrence, to name just a few of the major races in the area.
Big D Cycling has grown from a handful of cyclists in 2010 to 55 strong, with members competing in almost every race category. With an emphasis on junior and women’s team development in 2015, the team will continue to grow and carry on the memory of Dalton Hawkins.