Realistic

I would like to ride from Sedalia to Washington this summer. Is 50 miles a day realistic? I am in pretty good shape, would stay at B&Bs so I would be carrying minimal gear.

Depending in your riding ability 50 miles is completely realistic. Especially not carrying gear. There is a bit more rolling resistance on the trail than pavement, so maybe you'd want to go a little shorter than your maximum distance on the roads. But if you are riding 50 or so miles on the road you'll have no problem on the trail.

Since 2020, my brother and I have made an annual Katy Trail Ride. Our first 7 rides took three days:
Clinton-Boonville
Boonville-Hermann Area
Hermann to St Charles Machens

During our last 3 trips we included the Rock Trail which added a day to our trip:
Pleasant Hill-Sedalia
Sedalia-Columbia
Columbia-Hermann
Hermann-St Charles

I turned 65 last July. Our wives don't ride with us, but they offer SAG support

50 on the trail is about like 75-80 on roads.

A few basic questions come up when I see how well you two covered ground: First, what bike brands and model were you using?, Second, what tires were you using?, and third, you mention that your wives provided SAG support, so it it correct to assume you were riding without the burden of panniers and gear? Lastly, it sounds like you were probably in motels or B&B's since you had ground transportation...correct? You obviously have this thing down; we could learn a lot and plan better if you'd kindly share your gear and trip details. Thanks!

Whoops...typo...we started our Katy Trail rides during 2010.

I posted a "travelogue" on this site at https://bikekatytrail.com/trip-report.aspx

Look me up on Strava, and you can see the details of my our rides

The link seems to be broken, and perhaps if you'd send a note to the webmaster, he could repair it.

I ride a TREK 7200 hybrid bicycle and until this past year my brother rode a Trek MTB. This year, he made a major upgrade and bought a gravel bike. The Katy Trail trip is the only time that I ride gravel... otherwise I am a road cyclist.

You are correct, we carry a small tool bag on the bike frame and a Camelback for a few additional supplies plus water.

My mother in law lives near Knob Noster and my son lives in St Charles, so we have a place to stay at the beginning and end of the trip.

We love Bothwell Hotel in Sedalia, the Frederick Hotel in Boonville, and the Tiger Hotel in Columbia. In the Hermann area we have stayed at B&B's... the Bluffton Barn, the Dollhouse in Rhineland, Joey's Bird House in McKittrick, and a Cigar/Spirit shop in Hermann which also has a B&B with it. The cigar shop is operated by a former oil business colleague.

Karl's Katy Trail travelogue is working now - there was a problem with the file but it's fixed now. Sorry for the trouble.

First item on this page: https://bikekatytrail.com/trip-report.aspx

Wow, Karl, you guys make a 12-hour trip up from Missouri City, TX; I suppose having family on both ends of the trail makes sense. Thanks for the info on your ride. Looks like the 2010 Trek 720 came with 700x35 tires. I am more of a road cyclist, too. When I did the 165 miles on the KATY, I was using a Specialized Crosstrail (similar to the Trek 720) with 700x38 tires, and I was carrying about 70 lbs of gear in my panniers and my rack. 32~35 tires would have helped, but I underestimated the drag produced by the gravel. After 55 miles days, I was spent. Truthfully, I could have been in a little better shape, too. Thanks again for all your good info. I hope others find it useful, too.

I'm 67 and ride a steel frame Fugi Touring bike. I've ridden the the trail 3 times, first with 32mm tires but now with 37's. My last trip I went Sedalia to Clinton, Clinton to Pilot Grove, @62m, Pilot Grove to Tebbits, @72, Tebnbits to Marthasville, @55, Marthasville to home near Six Flags in St Louis County. I camp and travel self contained with @35# of gear. West to east is the easier ride especially after you get to Pilot Grove. I think the earlier road-to-trail mileage comparison may be a little overstated. But everyone's experience is different and a lot depends on the trail conditions, wet and soft or dry and hard packed, also on the type of roads you ride. I've ridden some pretty unpleasant chip and seal. Wind and weather make a big difference too. Heat saps my strength much more at 67 than it did at 30. A tailwind vs. a brutal headwind makes a big difference. If one is riding enough to consider 50 mile days then one probably can. Get an early start, take your time, ride your pace, take plenty of breaks and enjoy the ride. Often the biggest challenge is being able to keep your ass in the saddle all day. If you can't stay on the bike it doesn't matter how strong a rider you are.

YOU GUYS ROCK! We hope to 'run into'/'see' you again this year! Be Safe!

50 miles on Katy is conservatively 5-6 hours of saddle time for a novice rider and 3 hours for a good rider. I say train (preferably with the load you will be carrying) and plan based on that.

It's very doable, I did 80 - 100 miles a day . Started in Kansas City