Hays ? Sara Kay Carrell was “smelling the barn” with about 30 miles to go in her race across Kansas in October. She was given the advice by her boss at The Hub Bicycle Shop here to help her get through the toughest miles of her 230-mile trip to become the fastest woman to cycle across Kansas.

Using a 27-speed Bacchetta bicycle, Carrell, a Hays resident, started on the Oklahoma border, traveling Highway 83 all the way to the Nebraska border in 12 hours, 18 minutes. Her average speed was 18.66 miles per hour.

Despite nearly 100-degree heat, Carrell pedaled her way through road construction and Kansas winds to make her way into the record books. Support from her five-person road crew was key to Carrell’s success from their constant encouragement to keeping her well hydrated and fed.

The conditions of the race were intense with strict guidelines for Carrell and her crew to follow. The heat became a factor as she was forced to make more stops than she had planned so that she could cool off.

“I wanted to do it in the best time that I could, so that somebody else didn’t have an easy job trying to break my record,” Carrell said.

Though she wanted to complete the trek on Highway 183 so that she could ride through Hays, previous records had been established on Highway 83, which required her to complete the same course as other record holders.

Carrell was the first woman to attempt the feat, as records already had been established by men and tandem teams, which motivated Carrell even more to race across Kansas.

Carrell seriously began cycling while she was in college and started working on crews at large racing events.

“I was fascinated with how these people could get on a bike and ride and ride and ride. I thought, ‘Why can’t I do this?'” Carrell said.

Her race across Kansas was her first distance race. She used it as a gauge for the next race she entered, the North American championships. She won the 12-hour championship on her first try, cycling 160 miles against unfavorable conditions including stiff winds.