When Randy Rasa and his wife, Laura, were looking for a place to relocate, they rounded off the list to “around six” towns in southeast Kansas.
They wanted something small, between 5,000 and 15,000 residents, and with “enough amenities to live somewhat sufficiently.” They visited Atchison first, then Iola, and that’s all it took.
“We said OK.”
Rasa stopped by The Register midway through his moving process to Iola, to discuss his background, his decision process and what a small town means to him.
RASA HAS been a cycling enthusiast for about 10 years. He grew up on a farm outside of Lexington, Mo., before moving to Kansas City to attend DeVry University. Now, he builds websites independently, one of which is Kansas Cyclist, a cycling database and resource for enthusiasts in Kansas.
Cycling was something that Rasa took into consideration when selecting a new home — he and his wife are moving from a rural area in Johnson County, between Olathe and Spring Hill — but it wasn’t the only consideration.
“It’s a less hectic lifestyle and a place where we can walk,” he said of living in Iola.
Where they lived prior, he and his wife were five miles from any store, what they “consider biking, not walking” distance. Also, Iola as a place isn’t a far cry from what he considers home.
“In a sense it’s coming to a place sort of like home,” he said. “I’m comfortable in small towns.”
But, cycling did have a major influence on his decision. The access to trails — he has ridden on the Prairie Spirit and Southwind Trails — and a new setting was enough to entice him to the area.
RASA SAID he began cycling for fitness at around age 40. He lost about 25 pounds in the first two years. Now, cycling is very much a part of his lifestyle.
While he said he enjoys almost any form of cycling, touring is what he spends the most time doing. Touring is a multi-day event, including spending the night at campsites. He said he rides around 5,000 miles per year as a goal, and is well on his way to match it in 2013.
He said the cycling mentality has changed; people no longer see it as a viable form of transportation.
“People see transportation as a car,” he said. “Within a small town, cycling is really easy.”
He believes the cycling community in Kansas has plenty of room for expansion, and is always looking for it to grow. It was his motivation for starting Kansas Cyclist in the first place.
“There was nothing that brought together the entire state,” he said of his online resource. “It has been very positive, people tell me it’s indispensable to them.”
While it does not make as much money as his other websites, which generate funding through advertising, he regards Kansas Cyclist as a “labor of love” worth maintaining.
He looked at the websites Bike Iowa and Bike Portland to get ideas for Kansas Cyclist, which launched in January 2008.
THE RASAS are in the process of moving. They are preparing for an estate sale on their former home, and are living in Iola part-time. They closed on a home in late September.
He said numerous things lured him to Iola, but “they got a good feeling” overall from the community.
“We were charmed with Iola, it seemed to have a good civic spirit,” he said.
He said he has ridden his bicycle across the area, including to the Southwind Trail opening June.
“You see things differently from a bicycle,” he said. “I didn’t realize how little I knew about my area.”
He said he believes Iola has the potential to become a cycling community, and he has already been on a ride with Dave Fontaine’s Thursday night riding group.
It’s a budding aspect of Iola that he is looking forward to, among other things.
“I have a whole new area to explore,” he said.
