Katy Trail Forum

On Thursday Oct.3rd I plan to attempt to ride the entire Katy Trail in a day. And shoot for the Fastest Known Time set by William Sharples June 22nd 2007 in 14h00min49sec. From Clinton to St. Charles. I plan to continue to Machens to be the first to ride the new 237 miles in a day. This is a tall order and I will need great weather, and an even better day on the bike. Here is my planed itenerary for anyone interested:
Start 5:00am from the Clinton Trailhead.
Crew Stop 1. Sedailia Depot/Trailhead aprox. 7:05am
Crew Stop 2. Boonville Trailhead/Depot approx. 9:17am
Crew Stop 3. Hartsburg Trailhead approx. 11:30am
Crew Stop 4. Portland Trailhead approx. 1:45pm
Crew Stop 5. Marthasville Trailhead approx. 3:45pm
Crew Stop 6. St. Charles Trailhead between 6:15-7:00pm. Will need to be there by 7pm to break record.
Finish Machens Trailhead approx. 7:30-8pm or later depending on how the day goes. The above times are based on 17mph and should be the earliest arrival times. My wife and 15yr old son (both redheads) will be crewing me and waiting on me at each of the following Crew Stops above. I will be riding a red Specialized Crux Cross bike, wearing black shorts and a blue and white Capp's Bike Shop Jersey. Come and and cheer me on or holler at me if you see me out on the trail. Happy Trails, Darin

Good Luck, Darin! We are excited for you! We want to wish your crew good luck, too. Will be watching for your posting. Have a very blessed day and ride!:)

I do wish you luck.


The rest of my comment is, uh, no comment.

Nice job, Darin! Congrats!

I am happy to announce that there is a New Katy Trail Speed record from Clinton to St. Charles. I left Clinton at 5am and finished in St. Charles at 6:50.27 for 13h50m27sec besting the old record of 14.00.49. I was averaging 17 mph thru mile 175 till some cramping slowed me down big time for 20 miles. I was able to recover and hammer down the last 25 miles to get the record. I half to thank my wife and son for crewing for me all day, they did awesome. It was really, really tough, but i'm happy to get the record. My plan to go on to Machens was spoiled. Our garmin would not find Machens and my directionally challenged wife could not find it without it. She said if I wnet on I would half to ride back to St. Charles or back to somewhere to give her an address to pick me up. Since it was also dark, and she can not read a map, I reluctantly agreed since I knew I would half to ride back and really didn't want to do that. I do have complete Garmin Data and video as proof. After spending the weekend in St. Louis with the family I will try and get it posted. Thanks everyone along the way for your encouragement.

Great Job...Riding part of the trail this weekend with KCMBC but won't be setting any records! I encourage you to try and set a record for the entire length another day!

Congratulations Darin! You're the man!

I'd like to ride the full length of the Katy sometime...in a matter of a few days. We did do a Century on the Katy a few years back. I'm guessing that you are a bit younger than I though.

About your Garmin...that's what that Favorites button is for on there! To preprogram before the trip and to have all the necessary locations and points of interest in the Favorites folder is golden. I usually know which direction is which, but don't always know which direction to go.

Again....Congratulations on your stellar accomplishment!

Way to go Darin!! Looking forward to your posting. Now maybe you and your family can leisurely ride the Katy and enjoy the scenery. Also, congratulations to your "crew"!!

Nice...

I guess I should have mentioned I'm 44 years old. Me and my wife have been out on the Katy for some nice easy rides. I did find a few more spots I would like to explore more. I'm planning next spring a long weekend of leisurely rides on the Katy. Now after some rest and trying to compress what I did, I'm really happy with my ride and working thru the cramping that slowed me down. I kept my head rebounded and was able to finish strong. The good news is, I see room for improvement and plan doing the entire trail again soon. I seen tons of people on the trail yesterday. I know some people were worried I would be a bother, but I can say I don't think I bothered anyone on the trail yesterday. I wouldn't tyr this on a weekend, but during the week I don't see a problem with it. I did slow down when aproaching trail traffic. And, apparently a lot of prople knew of my attempt. My wife talked to several people who knew what I was attempting. It was a good day and the entire trail is just amazing. I really enjoyed it.

Not sure if Anon is trying to be witty? Or is it Darin, Anon? Anyway, great job Darin, you are inspiring to many of us.

Congrats! On Monday just 4 days earlier my first try at cycling the entire Katy in one day was a bust due to losing nearly 2 nights of sleep in a row (Sat. and Sun.) and using a bike that was too new to me, so, I think it's great you set a new record on the very same week. I was on the Katy everyday last week except for Thursday the day you set the record. I was visiting relatives in Windsor. Had I known I would have watched for you and cheered you on. My uncle and I walked the trail from Washington street to the bridge west towards Clinton for about a quarter mile hike and we didn't see anyone else on the trail. You picked a great day for your historic run. Knowing how things were for me I know you had to buck up and overcome discomforts, so, great going, hope to cycle with you someday soon. pastor Bill Kruse bto cycling missionary

Big congrats for a big accomplishment!

Here is my Garmin Data for my ride.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/387503948

Wow, Garmin got a little confused at the end of your ride (with a max speed of 108.4 mph) but overall it did a fair job of logging your ride.

I've been known to approach that speed in that last mile before the cooler of beer.......

You gotta be careful around that 88 mile an hour mark though.

Thanks for posting the Garmin info. Tell me more: What kind of bike? tires? Mechanical problems/flats? What did you eat? --your Garmin estimates that you burned 19,000 calories--I can't imagine eating that much in a 14 hour period......and that leads to the next question, What about bathroom breaks?

My Bike was a cross bike. A 2014 Specialized Crux Comp Carbon. I ran a Panaracer T-Serve Protex 32mm tire. It was a good choice of tire, I had no flats or mechanical problems all day. I fueled with Oatmeal Cream Cookies, Candy Bars, Nature Valley Energy Granola Bars, GU Roctain, GU Chomps and Coke and a couple Turkey and Cheeze roll ups on a tortillia. I used water and Poweraid in my bottles. One of each. I estimate I took in between 2,500 and 3,000 calories. I only had a couple (3) bathroom breaks to pee, all but one was at a trailhead where I met my crew. I'm also a competitive ultra-runner, and have completed and won nuemerous ultras from 50K to 100 miles. So I am not new to ultra-endurance events. However, I have only been biking since Feburary of this year. Finished the Dirty Kanza 200 (my first bike race) and a couple 100 mile Gravel Grinders this year. I have plan to do it again next year only next time continue to Machens and hopefully improve on my time.

Congratulations Darin on an amazing accomplishment! I have added you to the list of riders who completed the trail in a single day. Truly awesome.

I'd like to know more about how you avoided bonking. I think the Garmin 19,000 calorie number is a bit high, and I think the actual number of calories you expended is more like 10,500 calories (750 an hour x 14 hours). Whatever the actual number was, that is still a TREMENDOUS calorie demand placed on your body, and well beyond its ability to pull those calories from fat.......and beyond the 3,000 calories you say you took in.

Many of us routinely go on 6 or even 8 hour rides, but we take breaks, eat lunch, etc. Then we go to sleep. So, how did you keep from bonking late in the day when available calories in your blood sugar were just not there?

You mentioned you cramped: Does that mean you got behind on your water too?

By the way, I think your October choice was a great move for the attempt. Well done!

Darin,

Congratulations on your amazing ride. I was westbound from Machens to Clinton and I believe we passed each other a couple of miles south of Boonville.

I had read your posts so I knew of your attempt and was keeping an eye out for you. I waited for a storm to pass over Rocheport before I headed out that morning and was wondering if the rain was going to force you to pick another day or at least slow you down.

Having spent 19 hours over 3 days to complete the same distance, I tip my hat, raise my beer and say "Cheers!"

Kenny,
I agree the Garmin calories are a bit high. I was figureing 600x14=8,400. I have always been a low calorie runner/rider and routeinly go out for 5 to 6 hour rides or runs on very minimal calories. While saying that, this will not work for everyone. I think I have trained my body to burn fat efectively, however there has been a time or 2 when becoming calorie deprived has bit me in the ass also. I did have some minor cramping that slowed me down, I don't think it was from getting behind on my hydration. Rather I think it's from pushing that hard for that long. In several of my run races, the times cramping has got me it also was from going to hard for too long and generally in the heat. I seem to be able to push thru harder and longer in cooler temps -70 deg. It has been a trial and error thing learning this. I have been running ultras since 2009.

My guess is that when the Garmin lost track of you towards the end (when it calculated your max speed of 108.4 mph) it probably affected everything else including the calories burned. It takes a heck of a lot of calories to go 108.4 mph.

Congratulations!!! My attempt this year was hindered by lack of training and time. I'm hoping to attempt it next summer solstice. - "I have plan to do it again next year only next time continue to Machens and hopefully improve on my time." - If you're up for some company by chance, have the admins here connect us via emails, and we can converge on a plan. Again congrats, and best of luck in your future endeavors!!! - Reno

Reno, Darin may have a good point for the time of year in Oct for reduced temperature instead of the summer solstice which is high temps and humid for MO. However, Darin how many hours were you in the dark in the AM and PM? 3-4 hrs? Not too many problems with trail light and crossings with traffic especially in Sedalia?

I was only in the dark for about 2.5 hours in the morning and arrived in St.Charles right at dark. Reno, yes I do plan to do it again and make an attempt to improve on my time. I would like to do the entire trail at a much more leasurly pace, and would love to have some company for that.

New record?

http://www.strava.com/activities/156500390

Anon, it looks like we have two records now with the addition of Machens. July 17, 2014 Dru Dixon did it to Machens in 13:51:16 secs. Looks like its to St. Charles in 12:42:51. 12.6 miles is the difference ? Your guy could have broke the full distance based on his speed. The post is under "24 hr Ride".

We are planning a return trip to the KATY in late September or early October--dates are flexible. We've got 2 riders, 2 bikes, and pannier set-ups and want to ride St. Charles to Clinton. Anyone looking to share costs of shuttle? Thanks!

Colorado, you may try the "Share a Shuttle" link on the Katy Trail Home page on this site. I would post a link but I know it would be deleted.

Thanks, we're set up now.

Thinking about riding the Katy trail from St. Charles to Clinton this summer with my two teenage sons. We loved the trail from DC to Pittsburgh. Did you do this ride last Fall and how did you like it.

We've had the pleasure of riding the KATY a number of times during summer months--sometimes very humid and hot, but always fun! This last fall's ride was spectacular; the colors, good people and a a trail that can't be beat! We've camped, panniered, and credit card camped on various trips and each has been wonderful. If you enjoyed the GAP and C&O trails, then you will enjoy the KATY as well!

How many bikes and riders does the shuttle carry?

How much does the shuttle Cost Per person?

You will need to click on "Trip Planner" above to get a list of shuttle services and call a few in the area of the trail you plan to ride. They basically charge by the mile.

We are currently looking for someone to share a shuttle with from St Charles to Clinton in the afternoon of Oct. 6. Does that work for you guys?

Steve H, not sure if you noticed, but you replied to someone looking to share a shuttle 3 years ago.

Dang it! I thought I checked that. What would we do without you Midsouth.

I think your best bet would be to contact Katy Bike Rental. They seem to have several shuttles that are not full that you can share.

We are planning a trip Sep. 21st - Sep 27th. We had planned to go West to East along Katy's Trail. We have 2 riders, 2 bikes, and a Pick-up towing a pop-up camper. We would love to share driving/shuttle, except one of us would have to reverse our trip. Your thoughts?

We biked the Katy Trail in May 2014 from Sedalia to Clinton. Upon our arrival in Green Ridge my son was attacked by two dogs. They approached him from behind and bite his shoe once and then his ankle. Even though he had two pairs of socks on the dog managed to break his skin. No police or sheriff's deputy would assist us and even blamed us for not hunting down the biting dogs on our bicycles. We are now, unfortunately, undergoing treatment for rabies. I will say the staff at the local Casey's was very helpful and downright the best part of our visit to Green Ridge.

So very sorry to hear of this bad experience! Hope your son recovers completely and quickly.

Any further dog encounters in this section of the trail?

I rode thru Green Ridge today. No problems with dogs.

Kathy Moss: we found some items belonging to you around MM 70.

This place was wonderful. They put forth extra effort to meet request. The cleanest place I stayed.

Please help! My dad and I are driving to specific trailheads to visit Lewis & Clark sites, and I was wondering if there was anywhere to park at Bluffton. Can we park at the Steamboat Junction Campground or the gravel areas right were the trail meets highway 94? Or perhaps in one of the nearby neighborhoods? I'm just worried about parking somewhere that's illegal that I don't know about.
Any advice welcomed, THANKS!!!

I have always had good luck at parking at the gravel area where the trail meets highway 94. One suggestion is to back in so it is easier to get back on the road from that location. That 90 degree corner is hard to get backed back out onto after a long ride. The people at Steamboat Junction are always awesome, you could check with them on parking too.

A great week on the KATY Trail. I started in St.Charles - Agusta - Hermann - Jefferson City - Booneville - Sedalia. Great folks all along the trail. Make sure you stop at Pop a Wheelie on the KATY (Agusta) try a pop sicle, and the Capitol Plaza in Jefferson city and the Bird House in McKittrick Rich and Joey have big plans for the town. A great time !

We are 6 riders looking for shuttle around the McBaine (Perche Creek MM169.5) bridge closure and back on at Providence (MM 165.5). Anyone out there that can help? Shuttle needed mid-Sept.

It is always nice to have people make sure you are OK when you are stopped along side the trail. Special thanks to the guy who offered to go get his truck and pick me up after my spokes broke on my back tire and I had a few miles into the trailhead.

Chuck's has closed their shop

We just did a back-and-forth ride between Rocheport and Sedalia and we found that the Best Western was still a great stop to make in Sedalia. We swam in the pool, shot pool, soaked in the hot tub and napped on the pool chairs, finished up with some rousing pinball and then strolled a block to the north to Patricia's, a very nice restaurant. The Best Western breakfast was still good, too. Room was smallish but nice enough; price was right, with AAA discount, staff friendly and helpful. We found directions on this website: exit at State Fair, drift through the neighborhood on Southwest Blvd. and then two blocks east on 32nd St. Easy. By the way, the old neighborhood on the east side of town was not too creepy... we looked worse than the residents. But heed the warnings about Sedalia drivers ... we almost got hit by a pickup running a stop sign at the trail!

Yesterday I did my first century ride (100 miles) and it was on the Katy trail. I have been reading this forum for some time about the trail conditions and tips. Thank you all for the valuable information. I started in Clinton, MO and my turn around point was Clifton City. Weather was overcast and misting for most of the morning, then mostly cloudy and 80's during the day which kept me from getting baked. The trail was dry and packed. Everyone I came across was very friendly. I had to pack heavy since I was riding solo and unsupported, but got it done! Also no flats...hooray!

Bike:
Trek 4900 MTB, front suspension locked, 26"x1.75 Conti Travel Contact (tire model recommended in FAQ's.).

Congrats!

Chad, congratulations on your personal milestone. May I ask how old you are and how far you have ridden in one day prior to this attempt? Did you set out yesterday knowing you wanted to do 100 miles? I have only been able to squeeze 80 miles in a day out of this 54-year old body! :)

Don, I am 36 and longest I have ridden at a time was 75 miles. I'm usually riding the trails such as Tomahawk, Mill Creek, and Indian Creek trails in Johnson County, KS as these have some good hills to give my legs a workout.

I had planned to do 100 yesterday as a personal achievement and it being symbolic to me. At the time it seemed like a good idea, but when I got to about 75 miles I really "hit the wall" so to speak. I was committed to finishing not only because I was near the end, but because my car was at the end too so if I wanted to get home, I didn't have much choice in the matter ;) My reward was to make a jaunt over to the Osceola Cheese business.

Have an upcoming Katy Trail ride and have a question. We are needing to end our ride in Marthasville and were hoping to be able to have our car there waiting (we plan to shuttle it there ahead of time).
Anyone know if there are any approved/safe places to leave the car for 5 days?

At the trailhead??

Safe for 5 days? Just don't want to get towed or broken in to. There have been instances of vandalism at a couple of other trailheads.

Marthasville should not be a problem

The movement continues for the 211 mile Rock Island Trail.

Wednesday's article on Mo Bike Fed... http://mobikefed.org/...Rails-to-Trails Conservancy steps in with offer to purchase Rock Island Trail corridor.

Last week the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, working together with MoRIT, Missouri State Parks, the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, and private partners, submitted a bid to purchase the corridor.

Here's that link: http://mobikefed.org/tags/rock-island-trail

Staying at Katy Junction B&B was one of the highlights of our Katy Trail ride. Jerry says he likes to spoil his guests, and he really does. The hospitality was outstanding, the accommodations were excellent, our bikes were safe, and Jerry makes the best breakfast on the trail. In our conversations with Jerry, we learned a lot about the history of Pilot Grove. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend Katy Junction B&B.

Will you be able to ride horses on the trail close to Leeton/ Chilhowee area?

No.

I wanted to let everyone out there know what a good man Doug is! My wife and I were cycling the entire length of the trail and we were having problems with my wife's front tire shearing off the valve stem.
We were out of tubes and desperate so we stop at Doug's house and B&B. Doug was more than willing to help us out.
Doug got his tools out and after some doctoring Doug had us back on the road. By the way we had no more flats the entire trip!
THANK YOU DOUG!!!

Great place to eat! The Phoenix Public Houaw Restaurant in downtown Boonville is a great place to stop and eat lunch or dinner. They have a great menu at very reasonable prices. They have great specials and sometimes live music on the weekends. https://www.facebook.com/ThePhoenixPublicHouseEatery

Plus, the cutest little men's room ever.... : )

Sharon

Uhhhh, nope no way, I aint askin'! Thanks for the info Sharon. :)

LOL!! You will just have to go see for yourself.... : )

Sharon

I am considering a ride between N. Jeff City and Hartsburg with an 8-year-old. Can you describe the ride: shaded/treed? flat? scenic or not? Is the N. Jeff City trailhead safe to park at? Any other recommendations? Want to stay at a hotel with a pool. We'll ride out and back the same day.

The ride from N. Jefferson to Hartsburg is flat, scenic and has plenty of shade. The parking area is fine to park at for the day.

If you're looking for a hotel with a pool, you'll find them in Jeff City. We stayed at the Baymont, which has a pool and was very reasonably priced. I'd also highly suggest riding the special bike bridge across the river at Jeff City. Awesome views of the river and the capitol building. And a really cool multi-level ramp to get there. Have fun!

Thank you! That helps a great deal.

I believe that some of the Jeff City hotels will let you leave your car in their parking lot and may even shuttle you to the trailhead. Worth asking.

I was wondering if anyone has ever hiked the whole Katy trail from the beginning to the end, camping along the way?

Click on trip planner then get to the one day riders and through hikers section and it shows you all the info. Ray does a good job as the webmaster.

Just fine-- nice folks, very nice breakfast. Comfortable rooms and good bathrooms, close to Mizzou campus and walkable to a ton of places to eat. Wifi was solid. Very helpful people and slept like a rock.

Good, comfortable place to crash in a rusticish farmhouse. The downstairs is two rooms, one with a queen bed and bathroom, adjoining a large room with four twin bad, so very flexible-- pricing is by the bed. Somewhat disappointing breakfast setup (given that there are few places to eat in the town) but we happily overlooked this because Cath was super nice and offered us cold cans of beer when we arrived and collapsed on the porch. Cute little town, and the Inn is exceedingly convenient to the trail.

Good, nice folks. We got there about 1/2 hour before they opened, but since we looked sweaty and famished they fired up the grill early and we had a nice chat with the bartender and drank sweet cold cold yellow beer and all was well.

Glad Jerry is the way he is, a graceous, amazingly thoughtful host. Everyone should know ( especially cyclists ) Jerry is a genuine friend. The flat tire scenario I had to face was somewhat complex due to a non-standard inner tube. just as I was about to give up and cancel my entire trip Jerry's encouragement and assistance was the difference maker that got me back on the KATY.