words and photos by Roslyn Howard (@standfirmstudio)

The Stemcaps team has expanded its reach to the midwest!

André and I loaded up our bikes, random assortment of music instruments, and prized possession dog as we hit the road for Kansas City.

When we rolled up to our new home we were greeted with 5 inches of snow and temperatures so foreign to Texas that we resigned to the fact that we’d be riding a lot less due to the seemingly constant arctic freeze waves.

Turns out cabin fever is very real and the stir crazy got us out sooner than expected to explore the quirky streets and coffee shops of KC.

We got lucky with a few days of minimal snow fall and sunshine so we set out for Midtown, the Crossroads, and Westport to discover frozen river walks and some unexpected single track in our new backyard!

Riding in 20 below temperatures is not for the faint of heart or my desert dweller self, but we had some laughs dodging potholes on the Missouri side of the city (which we’ve come to find is the not-so-beloved child of KC) and trying not to eat it while balancing cycling cleats on ice. I imagined moving to the midwest would mean even fewer hills than Texas, but I was sorely mistaken *pun intended*. The city streets of KC ebb and flow in elevation from the sweeping descents into the West Bottoms to the painful climbs out of the Plaza. It’s no Dolomites, but it’s far from flat!

Stay tuned for out winter-coffeehouse-hybernation update, as we’ve come to find the Kansas City coffee scene is a cyclist’s dream.