Katy Trail Forum

I am planning to make an attempt to ride the entire Katy Trail on Fridat Oct. 4th. I will be shooting for the Fastest Know Time of 14hrs 49sec. My plan is to start in Clinton at 5am and end in St. Charles. If things go well I will make an attempt to break the record. If not I still plan to ride the entire length and learn for this attempt for another attempt next year.

Darin this is not meant as "Rain on your parade" because anyone that can do the trail in a day is one heck of an athlete and I wish you GodSpeed; however, the first weekend of Octoberfest on a friday could quite possibly be extremely hazardous to both you and the throngs of newbies and day riders on the trail. This will be Especially true as you near the end exhausted and less able to focus, where it will be the most crowded. I wish you well though and offer a beer in toast to your success. Or in person if you get here and decide to hold up.

As a newbie who is riding with a group of people, we will be on the trail on that day so there will at least six people enjoying the trails between wineries in Octoberfest! I believe there is also a church group that is traveling on the trail that day as well! I admire your effort, but make sure you give us social riders the benefit of enjoying the ride!

I did not know that there was something going on the trail that day. What days is this taking place? I do not want to make this attempt bother anyone. I can change the date to Monday Oct. 7th if that would be better.

Octoberfest is a month long tourist draw in mid Mo especially on weekends. Mondays tend to be a lot less crowded than Fridays. They also tend to be the day restaurant and bar owners take a day off, which most likely won't effect you. Stores and B&Bs still open though.

OK I'm now going to attempt this on Thursday Oct. 3rd. I am exspecting to half to slow down for some traffic on the trail, but hopefully by doing it on Thursday it will minimize that. It's a long shot on the record for me anyway. And if I fall behind slowing down for others on the trail is not a big deal. I plan to use this if I fail to learn and take another shot in the spring of next year. I am a competitive ultra-runner who recently took up cycling, and have only done one bike race so far the Dirty Kanza 200 in wich I finished in 14:29 and felt good. Been doing my training for this on the Prairie Spirit trail in Kansas and have been averaging right around 16mph give or take (depending on wind) for 100 miles. And this is over double that. So everything would half to be in my favor to acomplish this on my first attempt. But I had to throw it out there in case I come close. My main goal it to ride the entire trail in one day anyway.

If you half to do it, don't go have as fast or it will take you twice as long. You may think that halfs to be in your favor butt you don't want to half to ride in the dark. Just my too sents.

More power to you! Good luck and may the wind be at your back :-)

Good luck. Hope you have a great day and a great ride.

Darin, I admire your attempt as it is something I could never do. However, you must know that on Oct 3, the sun does not rise until 7:12 a.m. in Clinton. You can reliably ride at Civil Twilight, which is 30 minutes before (about 6:45 a.m.), but earlier than that and you will need strong flashlights. And technically, the park is not open until sunrise. Riding the Katy that fast in the dark is pretty dangerous. That's why one-day riders like to do it on June 21. Just thought you should know.

Thanks, Don yes I realize that I will be starting in the dark and have a good headlight on my bike. I also have experience riding on rail trails in the dark with my headligh. However, I think I am changing the start time also to 6am. That will hopefully make me able to use ever second of daylight, and only have minimal time on the trail in the dark.

Darin, I do believe you will complete the ride. However if you read the Katy in a Day thread, there was a recent rider who completed the one day ride but really did not provide any objective evidence of his tremendous effort. So any trail evidence with time stamps or other witnesses would be helpful. Also if you continue to Machens you will be the first one day rider who has completed the entire KT. Good luck in the dark and may the trail weather spirits be with you.

Pseuido, my plan is to ride to Machens. I will have a crew as witnesses official start time pictures and finish pictures. Along with that I will also have complete Garmin data to back that up. I'm really excited to be the first one to ride the entire trail, record or no record.

8 - 10 of us are horseback riding that Thursday morning just west of Sedalia.

Darin, you just can't get a break. So you guys know he's riding to set a record so give him the space!

Go Darin!! We will looking forward to reading about your ride. After you complete the ride hopefully you will ride the Katy again and just enjoy the beauty of the trail.

Darin, We were just wondering if next weekend is still a go? We are very excited to see how you do and wish you the best of luck!

8-10 horses for a few minutes is not a problem unless the ground is soft. Even then just a few hundred yards of bouncing. No big deal for Darin.
May you set a record and the Cards win the World Series again this year.

And may you fully document your trip and prove your every move so the village idiot doesn't try negating any glory or praise for a job well done.

Yes this attempt is still on for Thursday Oct. 3rd. I will be starting in Clinton, MO at 5am on Thursday. I plan to post my entire plan with estimated times I will be coming thru some of the towns along the way. My crew is going to meet me in Sedalia, Boonville, Hartsburg, Portland, Mathasville, St Charles and Machens. With any luck I will finish in St. Charles by 7pm. So come out and see me, as I make this attempt. Stay tuned for more updates and my schedule for Thursday.

We really enjoy eating at Cafe Bella in Augusta. We frequently ride the Katy Trail and then have lunch at Cafe Bella. Everyone is super friendly and the food is delicious. Great seating outside on the patio and a great menu.

Tried to call...number disconnected probably closed

https://picasaweb.google.com/Denbo1510/KatyTrip?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKyVkpHg_5iO3wE&feat=directlink

I thought it might be time to repost the album of our May 2013 ride on the Katy Trail.

Thanks for the repost. I'm the guy on the "tricked out touring bike" that took your picture at the Clifton City trailhead.

Either will do just fine. So will any number of other bikes. The Katy is not real demanding--it's a flat rail bed with a hard surface, and good shelter from the wind.

Anything you spend more than $400 on will work great, stay adjusted, etc. i personally think a hybrid with 32s or 37s is the best way to go for most people. I say start there. Then, if you get Into it, go buy what you want once you know what you want.

More importantly, spend as much time as you can on your new bike before you get to the Katy. Adjust it. Tweak it. Make it fit you. Get in shape to ride it. Learn how to drink when you are not thirsty, and eat when you are not hungry so you can ride as long as you want to ride. Make sure you can fix a flat, and adjust the tension on your new shifter cable (or bring someone with you who can). Buy a chain tool and a master link, and know what to do with them too.

Those things, not the type of bike you have, will make it a great trip

Sound advice....has nothing to do with the previous posts....but sound advice.

"Katy is not real demanding."

????

Depends on a whole lot of factors including your physical condition and how hard and how long you want to ride on it.

For example...tell that to the folks who have ridden Clinton to St. Charles in a single day...

Katy is not real demanding. Yes, this was mis-posted to the wrong thread. But I stand by my statement that "Katy is not real demanding": At least as compared to other rides.

Go spend 200 miles on the Trans-Iowa Gravel Grinder, or The Dirty Kanza in Kansas. Go spend some time in Leadville,Co, or anywhere in the Rocky Mountains. Go do some of that stuff on a bike, then come back to the Katy and tell me honestly that lolly gagging on a hard packed limestone rail trail is not less demanding than some other rides. Having a place to get a cold drink, food, etc, at least every 20 miles is a very nice luxury on the Katy compared to many other rides.

A one day Katy attempt is a daunting task that would require lots of preparation, but I think, comparatively, it would be an easy ride. Yes, I think it is easier than the same distance on the road because you do not have to deal with cars, (as much) wind, heat, etc. If you pick the right day, you might even get a 240 mile tailwind. I'm thinking about a one day Katy attempt next year: I am not stupid enough to try Dirty Kanza EVER again!

For several years, I rode an old 1990s mountain bike with slicks on it and did great on the Katy. I would not think about taking it out to some of those other rides. Any decent quality bike that fits you will work good enough on the Katy.

So then the bottom line is the person and how fit they are to ride the trail and their ability to endure. Just because you have a tricked out touring bike doesn't mean you'll last more than a few hours out on the trail. A cheaper bike with greater knowledge of it and where you are riding may make more sense than the ability to brag about your oh so cool bike.

Here is a picture of the ramp to the bridge lane to Jefferson
city.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XqqyAJk1q1A/UZWVcVQmbzI/AAAAAAAAK9s/d59ccuMvfNE/s1600/Jefferson-City-MO-bike-switchback-ramp-infrastructure-bridge.jpg

This is a report I emailed to a friend who wants to ride the Katy this year. I am posting it here for those who are lurking, but may want the information themselves.


There is a guidebook available. The author is in the process of revising it for the 10th edition and it would be available in about June. Info on the Katy Trail website. http://www.bikekatytrail.com/default.aspx I used the 9th edition and the website for all planning info, then I called each place at which I planned to stay or eat to make sure it was open and get the hours of operation. I read all the comments below the info on each of these places on the web site to see what the folks thought about them. There was one place that had lots of negative comments, but we were pleasantly surprised when we ate lunch there.

We drove to St. Charles and the Lococo House B&B. Leo and Rhona Lococo have a shuttle service we could use, if we stayed at their B&B. I booked them for the end of the ride and they took us to Clinton the day before we started.

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Clinton. About a 1.5 ride to the trailhead. Total miles that day 41.66 to Sedalia and the Hotel Bothwell. We ate lunch at Raymond's in Windsor and had beers and ate dinner at the hotel. Very nice lady running the bar. It rained several hours in the morning, which made the crushed limestone kind of soft, about a gear or 2 lower. The first 2 days are a little hilly, not nearly as much as the GAP, but we had a support wagon on that one.

Next morning, we spent some money at a trail depot in Sedalia, then rode to Boonville's Holiday Inn Express. There was a cutoff a couple miles short of town that we took to the hotel. Total miles 35.89. We took a taxi to town

Just finished an end to end ride on the Katy Trail - what an adventure! A word about staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Boonville. It really is just 1/4 mile off the trail as advertised, but you must know where to exit the trail. We ended up in a bad spot because no one we called could tell us where to leave the trail and it was getting dark. There is a split 2.7 miles west of the trailhead that has a trail sign with very general information. I believe it said Community Services at the top and listed call for help numbers and such. The branch off looks unassuming and isn't marked. That is where you exit the trail. You will pass through a warehouse area and on up to Industrial drive. Up the hill past the truck stop and at the top of the hill you can see the hotels and an Arby's to your right. This would have saved us an hour and a half in the dark and in seedy areas of town had we known (park ranger directed us on to main trailhead), so hoping it helps someone else.
Much thanks to the kind city police officer that drove us the rest of the way in his SUV and showed us where the correct exit was.

I am planning a one-way ride next summer (2014) with my family. Have you heard of a car shuttling service so we can have our car at the end of the ride and not have to backtrack?

Click on the Trip Planner above and select "Shuttle". This will give you a list of shuttle operators to call.

My son lost his MP3 player on the trail on Monday Sept. 23. If you find it.....

I wish there was a phone # posted so you could check availabilty prior to DRIVING there to find out NOT.

There are several bike rental suppliers with phone numbers listed under 'Trip Planner'

KT caboose Fall hours for 2013. we have gone to long weekends and are open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Bike rentals are not available this season but we will have them available 2014. Our phone number is 636-433-2616. Thanks. KT

OK - I think you originally were asking about the caboose in Hartsburg. Best I could tell when talking to some local Hartsburg folks when I was updating the Katy Trail Guidebook last month was that it may have been converted into a private residence. If you want other lodging options in Hartsburg, the Globe Hotel has been very popular over the years. Their number is 573-657-4529. Now I see on this thread you also just got a reply from the Caboose folks over in Marthasville -- different town -- so just wanted to make that clear to ya. Have a great trip!

The caboose in Hartsburg is a private residence?

You would think the writer of the guidebook would get the facts straight before posting.

I have been trying for the last week to get a hold of someone at Pebble Publishing to get a copy of the 10th edition of the Katy trail book for our upcoming ride. I have emailed and called numerous times with no answer back. The answering machine said they started mailing the book in August. Any suggestions on how I can get hold of them and/or the book?

Amazon or eBay

I got an email in aug. saying they will ship sept. 10. I sent an email saying I had to have to the book at that time & she responded saying she had my order & will ship then. I think I'm going to send another & see if they are still shipping then.

Correction: just reread my email said they will ship the 9th. Oldest orders first. I sent an email asking if they were still going to be shipped then. I'll let you know what the reply is.
Amazon or eBay don't have this latest edition.

Thanks mornin' glory! It sounds like you are in the same situation I am in. We are riding next month, but I would love to have it in the next coming weeks. I emailed and called again today. Hopefully they will get back to me tomorrow. I just thought it was strange as I am wanting to give them $$ and they are not calling back!

She didn't reply to my email so I just called. She said she got notification from the printer fri & was getting ready to send emails out saying they won't get the books til NEXT week & are planning on sending them the 20th. I want the trip planned by the end of this month. I don't want to wait til right before I leave. I've never done anything like this. I want to know what I'm doing & have a plan b ready if neccessary. This is irrating me to no end. It's almost getting too late to get info from other sources at this point.

Unless you just want the blurbs about the history of all the little towns along the way, this website in my opinion is a better source than the book. I've had the book, sold it long ago. It gets dated and then is of little value.

Read through this site, the FAQ, services in the towns, search this forum, and ask here if you need to and you should do fine. Most of the trailheads have boards up that explain about the trail and history of the area. Read those too if you want to and you won't miss having the book. Plus you'll have some extra green in your pocket.

Ditto what Trek said. I bought the book a few years ago before our first trip, but ended up using it only to learn a little about the towns as we passed through them. All our planning then and now is done using the Mileage Chart, Towns & Services, and Trip Planner pages on this site.

Good news - the updated and revised Complete Katy Trail Guidebook, 10th edition, will be available this Friday (Sept. 20, 2013). We do have a small mountain of backorders but will have them all in the mail Friday and Saturday.
The updated edition has extensive updates to services. We've included about 50 new photos, new maps, mileage charts, shuttle information, and more. If you have a pending backorder, it will ship out Friday. The book is available at www.pebblepublishing.com.
Best wishes for some great Katy adventures this fall!
~Brett Dufur, author, The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook, 10th edition

I have found the best plan is to have no plan at all.Everything does not have to be put neatly into little boxes. Plans seem to rush your mood........

On the other hand....I love my plans! They help me relax.

Probably not an accident that the previous post about not liking plans was made by "lone wolf".

The KATY Trail is big enough for all of us. I think that's awesome.

Enjoy!

All of The Complete Katy Trail Guidebook backorders shipped out last Friday (September 20, 2013). Any future orders will ship out asap. The book underwent extensive updates. I've included a new fold-out map, 30 or more new photos, lots of additional service listings, new mileage charts and more. It is exciting to see so many new shuttles and other services popping up along the trail. I think it is especially helpful for those trying to plan how best to get from Clinton to Machens and then back again. The book is available at www.pebblepublishing.com.

Is it safe to leave our car at the Rocheport trailhead so we can drive east and stay at a B&B for the night, then drive back to Rocheport and the car the next day? Are there any B & B owners in Rocheport who would let us park outside their place?

I've left the car at the trailhead there without any problem and would again.

I agree - no worries. Lock it of course.