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Katy Trail Round Trip in Six Days?

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Jim from Denver, Co on 2/9/2010 8:38:47 AM:

Hi All,
I am planning on riding The Katy round trip starting from Clinton. My goal is to ride 3 days each direction. Day one - Clinton to New Franklin (camp), Day two – New Franklin to Bluffton or Rhineland (camp), Day three – Bluffton to St. Charles (hotel). Return will be – Day four – St.Charles to Hermann (hotel), Day five – Hermann to Rockeport (B&B), Day six – Rocheport to Clinton (hotel).
My goal is 75 – 85 miles a day is this realistic?
I’m planning on mid-May and I will be coming from Colorado on Friday. I will hit the trail on a Saturday morning ready to roll. I will be solo and with a BOB trailer and no more than 35lbs in the trailer.
I have done some touring and averaged 50 miles a day, but always in high altitude. That’s why I am thinking 75 – 85 miles is doable. I welcome your comments, please?
Jim

brad from st louis on 2/9/2010 10:02:06 AM:

I once did a round trip of the katy (plus side trips) for 540 miles in 7 days, and it sounds like you are probably in better shape than I was.

The flatness of the trail is faster than a hilly road, but the gravel surface will slow you down compared to pavement.

Jim from St. Thomas on 2/9/2010 11:57:02 AM:

We do a 4-day ride every year - 3 60-mile days and 45 miles on the last day. Your first and last legs will probably be your hardest. They will have the only inclines of the whole trip. That said, if you are in decent shape 75 - 85 mile days are very doable on the Katy. The only caveate I would throw out is to get a lot of seat-time in before you ride. If your butt is not used to sitting on a bike for 6 hours a day it can make for a pretty miserable trip.

trinjboro from jonesboro,ar on 2/9/2010 3:43:49 PM:

I echo the saddle time. The KATY is really flat, especially compared to CO and you won't need to get out of the saddle any. You'll have to make yourself do so and this will really be hard on your backside.

maxine from sedalia on 2/10/2010 11:49:30 AM:

If you plan on doing that many miles per day you won't have time to stop and enjoy the sights. We are not as scenic as Co. but have lots of nice things to see and do, the Katy Depot in Sedalia is a must, the winery's along the way etc. "Take time to stop and smell the roses". Enjoy your trip. Maxine-"Maxine's rooms for rent".

chris J from centralia IL on 2/10/2010 12:22:18 PM:

Jim, if you are an early riser, and get on the trail near sun-up, you will have plenty of time to enjoy, and still finish each day by early afternoon. For some people, it's all adout the winerys, B&B's, antique shops..., for me, it's about the isolation of the trail, the river, the bluffs, nature, and being able to propell myself 400+ miles in less than a week. I did it once in 5 days and once in 4. But I did St Charles to Sedalia and back. So if you are fit enough to do 50-80 miles, you will have no problem. Enjoy!

jd from gkc on 2/12/2010 7:44:18 PM:

Agree with the above comment. It's fairly easy to do 90-miles/day with an early start. Yet, mid-summer heat or rain could be a problem at times? Have you considered a rest day or two if needed? Otherwise; you should be okay with it. Enjoy.

Anonymous on 2/13/2010 9:17:54 AM:

Fairly easy to to 90 miles a day on a rail trail? There are probably few who post here that would find that to be so.

jd from gkc on 2/14/2010 5:59:09 PM:

Maybe. But I've seen distance riders do it quite a bit with time to stop and take pic's as well. Early birds also see neat game, like, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, and lots of deer. Also, a rest day or a big breakfast helps a lot too, I think. :) :)

Anonymous on 2/15/2010 8:27:32 AM:

Of course it's always easier to see someone else do it jd. wink wink wink

ChrisJ from Centralia, IL on 2/15/2010 11:04:20 AM:

Quote: "Fairly easy to to 90 miles a day on a rail trail? There are probably few who post here that would find that to be so.
- posted 2/13/2010 9:17:54 AM"

Clairifaction: There are many levels of bike riders; those who only ride nice days 5-10 MPH and consider 10 miles a "long ride". And then there are those who ride 100+ miles per week 10 months out of the year and enjoy the occasional (with some pain) century (100 mile ride). The trail is for both, and everyone in between.

I would be willing to bet that most of those "90%" that you speak of could do 90 miles if they wanted to bad enough.

Jim from Denver, CO on 2/15/2010 1:42:33 PM:

Thanks for all the comments everyone.
I do have rest days built in if needed and yes I'm an early riser. I will be trying to be on the trail around 6:00ish. Break camp and set off after a few hours of riding stop for some breakfast. It’s easy for me not to fix breakfast at a campsite because before you know it there goes another hour of fussing around.
Thanks again,
Jim

Trek on 2/15/2010 3:10:08 PM:

Fitness is key. My guess is that most folks that I see on the Katy would not beleive that a Century (or 90 miles) would be fairly easy to pull off in a day.

There are those who can ride 100+ in a week. That's just 20 miles a day for 5 days or so. That is somewhat different than doing a near Century for six days straight. I'd have to reclassify a ride from "fairly easy" to something else if it involved pain.

Mike from Rocheport on 2/16/2010 6:23:33 PM:

Jim, your plans to stay in Rocheport on the "flip-flop" should include us, www.schoolhousebb.com. Check it out and best of luck!

greg from glasgow, mt on 2/19/2010 11:04:25 PM:

With 14+ hours of daylight, doing a Katy round trip in 6 days is very doable. I'm planning a similar trip for late April or early May. I would recommend doing a 75 to 100 mile day trip in a rural area with your loaded trailer a few weeks before your trip to make sure you and your bike are ready to handle it.

savage24 from KC MO on 3/3/2010 11:49:27 AM:

Jim- It sounds like you will be traveling relatively light and not carrying much food. Plan your stops carefully! Do not assume services will be available in the small towns along the trail until you have confirmed it with a phone call.

Daytoncapri from Dayton OH on 4/26/2010 7:21:46 PM:

Jim - wishing you a great trip.

Pubmeister from Sonoma, CA on 4/26/2010 9:01:33 PM:

I agree with Maxine from Sedalia. When you return from a butt-busting 90 mpday bike
trip, what you come home with is bragging rights and a feeling of accomplishment, but
you won't come close to seeing the area and enjoying the uniqueness of the historic Katy
Trail. You can do all that mileage stuff at home. I know I won 't change your mind, I used
to do 80 mile days on tours, and I came home feeling good about it, but when I slowed
down to 45 mile days, I found out about the food, the local beers, the friendly people in
the cafes. I took more pictures and learned to sketch. I like it better now, and one of
these days when you're a geezer biker like me, you will also like it better. Meanwhile,
have a good trip, I'll be on the Trail in May, look for the old guy on the Blue Bianchi in the
slow lane. One word regarding saddle angst -- Vicodin.

Pubmeister

Skyguy9999 on 4/26/2010 11:36:29 PM:

I can understand both sides of this one. In one respect, there are a few sights to see along the way (in some respects), and there are many folks who would appreciate it if people were to. But in the other respect, the Katy offers something that's rare when it comes to riding - the opportunity for distance without much pressure. It's flat, and has very little traffic concern compared with "back home" for most of us (rolling steep hills in MO and probably mountains in CO) and resources are generally easy to find without too much effort and planning. So it's a good intro to long-distance riding. And even if you already are versed in riding with all those stressors, it's always nice to get into nature and have a stress free time and see how your performance translates to an environment like the Katy.

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