Katy Trail Ride cyclists stop in Columbia
Thursday, June 23, 2011
www.columbiatribune.com In the middle of a 225-mile bike ride from Clinton to St. Charles, some of the more than 300 participants in this year’s Katy Trail Ride took a detour into Columbia yesterday before they headed down to Jefferson City.
The annual event, which began Monday and is scheduled to wrap up tomorrow, attracts cyclists from around the country to take a long, scenic ride on the trail. The participants camp at various points along the trail and are treated to free meals provided by the Missouri State Parks Foundation and a wealth of rural Missouri scenery.
Yesterday’s weather was optimal for the participants — it was sunny, and temperatures were in the 70s. On a 51-mile leg of the ride between Boonville and Jefferson City, participants are given a chance to swing through Columbia, where many take in local landmarks or have lunch.
Vicki Curby, a Columbia resident who was not a participant in the ride, was at the Katy Trail entrance in McBaine yesterday to guide participants into Columbia. She called herself a de facto ambassador of the city as she took participants up the MKT Trail spur and showed them the bur oak near McBaine and took them to lunch at Flat Branch Pub and Brewing in downtown Columbia.
She said the detour into Columbia adds an additional 17 miles to the ride, but she said many participants express interest in seeing the city, especially the University of Missouri campus.
“I’m sorry I didn’t sign up this year,” Curby said.
Bill Graves, a 61-year-old resident of Omaha, Neb., stopped in McBaine to have a rest and munch on a banana before he kept rolling on to Jefferson City.
He said this was the fourth time he has participated in the ride, and he enjoys taking in some of the views of the river bluffs near McBaine.
Graves said he began to participate in the event about six years ago and enjoys meeting other participants along the way. He continues to participate in the event, he said, “to see if I can still do it.”
Melissa Spieker-Rebstock, who works for Cyclextreme in downtown Columbia, served as the bike mechanic for the ride’s participants. But she was faced with a conundrum before the she offered her services.
She and her fiance had scheduled their wedding for this week several months in advance, but when the opportunity to take part in the ride presented itself, she found it hard to pass up.
So she and her fiance, who participated in the ride, decided to take the ride and get married in Boonville on Tuesday. “It was a very big compromise on his part,” Spieker-Rebstock said.
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Katy Trail Ride Applications Being Taken
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For die-hard bicycle riders in the Ozarks, what about riding the nation's longest developed rail trail. It's right here in Missouri.
Applications are now available for the 2011 Katy Trail Ride.
The 225 mile bike ride will be June 20th through 24th.
The ride will go from Clinton, Missouri to Saint Charles with about 40 to 60 miles traveled each day.
Stops are planned for Sedalia, Boonville, Jefferson City and Marthasville.
The event is limited to 300 riders and the deadline to register is May 21.
Applications for Annual Katy Trail Ride Available
For more information: 573-751-1010
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., MARCH 16, 2011 -- Applications are now available for bicyclists who would like to participate in the 2011 Katy Trail Ride, a ride on the nation's longest developed rail trail. The annual weeklong bicycle ride will take place June 20-24 and will travel across Missouri on Katy Trail State Park.
Sponsored by Missouri State Parks and the Missouri State Parks Foundation, this scenic bicycle ride will go approximately 225 miles from Clinton to St. Charles. The 2011 Katy Trail Ride will allow bicyclists to experience the entire Katy Trail State Park, which takes travelers through many of Missouri's rural communities, along open fields and near the Missouri River and its bordering bluffs. Daily mileage ranges from 37 to 68 miles. Stops will include Sedalia, Boonville, Jefferson City and Marthasville.
Participation is limited to 300 people and the deadline for registration is May 21. The registration fee includes breakfast and dinner daily, outdoor camping spaces each night, portable hot showers, gear shuttle, support stops and a Katy Trail Ride t-shirt and water bottle. Evening activities and daily trivia questions will highlight this five-day ride.
Transportation between St. Charles and Clinton on June 19 or June 24 will be available along with roundtrip transportation from Columbia to Clinton on June 19 and St. Charles to Columbia on June 24 for an additional fee. Day trips are available for bicyclists who would like to participate in this ride but do not have five days to spare.
The Katy Trail Ride takes 300 bicyclists through the many rural communities that border the trail, boosting the local economy. Riders purchase their lunch in a different community each day and several choose to stay in local hotels or bed and breakfasts rather than camp. Organizers also pay local establishments or organizations to provide breakfast and dinner daily to the participants and volunteers. Many businesses have developed in these small, rural communities since the trail was established and they rely on trail users for a big part of their business’ success.
For anyone who would like to help out with the ride, organizers are looking for friendly volunteers to load or drive the luggage truck, load bicycles, assist participants at the registration and information booths and support stops and serve as ride sweeps. Applications for the ride and volunteer information are available at katytrailstatepark.com.
For more information about the ride or for an application, call the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) or visit katytrailstatepark.com.
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