CSCman

Okay all need some advice on my first tour. I have four days off over Labor Day weekend. Planning on going to the Katy Trail and biking 75 miles a day and going west two days to the Katy Roundhouse and then turning around and going back to St. Charles. Does this sound very fesible for a first tour. What are some of your thought on a plan like this. Advice please.

Bikepacker67

Are you planning on camping?
If so, have you ridden that milage fully packed up?

jtaylor

A common mistake first-time tourers make is to assume they can go farther than they're actually prepared for. Seventy-five miles per day is a very doable distance for an experienced tourer, but it's possible you might find it to be a bit optimistic for your first time. My advice: don't overdo it. If you go 75 miles on day 1 and feel like 40 might be more manageable for day 2, don't be frustrated. And if you make it 75 each day, then great! Above all, have fun. Don't forget, it's not how far you go that counts most; it's how your tour sets you up for the next, and the next, and the next.

bradw

I did the entire Katy up and back last year off of a base of around 125 miles a week.

In January I wasn't riding, in February I started doing about 50 miles a week, by May I was doing 100, etc. I did about 50 miles a week commuting on my MTB, and the rest over the weekend on my road or touring bike. I tried to ride with a touring load at least once a week. I also did a two-day 150-mile test run in April.

I ended up averaging 78 miles a day for 7 days, with an average speed of 11.3 mph. I was fairly tired on the last day, and the little hills between the katy and my house in st. louis seemed like mountains :->

So, if you've been doing the weekly miles, and have experience riding your bike with a touring load, then you might be able to do 300 miles on the katy in four days. It's almost perfectly flat, most of the things you want, like food and drink, are near the trail, and if the weather cools down a little, you'll find it fairly pleasant. The gravel surface is a little slower than road riding, but the lack of hills makes up for it. If you turn off the trail and head into some of the towns near the river, you will find some very steep hills.

I used this site to help plan: https://www.bikekatytrail.com/

And like the other guy said, if a shorter distance feels better, do that instead. Just bring a list of the possible campsites, etc with you so you have alternatives.

jnoble123

I would focus less on the mileage and more on the fun aspects of the tour. If you are pedaling along enjoying yourself and hit 75 miles great. If you are enjoying yourself and only do 35 miles a day then great!

With a first tour you are likely to experience a variety of new things. I encourage you not to overdo it with a strict focus only on distance.

If you can do a short overnight tour before your four day tour I recommend it. This will give you a chance to pack your gear and see how it rides on the bike. You are likely to discover things you don't need as well as items that you forgot.

The Katy Trail link is a good one. Ray Scott is the webmaster of that site. He is very approachable, knowledgable and quite happy to help.

He wrote the following article about the Katy trail that you might find of interest:

https://www.bicycletouring101.com/PlacesKatyTrail.htm

On BT101 there is a Getting Started and What's Touring section that might be of interest to you as well.

~Jamie N
www.bicycletouring101.com

bradw

When I did my two rides last year, I had a different mindset. I wanted to be able to say to myself, "I went X miles in X days". I was challenging myself to complete a task.

This year I'm planning a trip for September. I'm going to go for fewer miles, and not be worried if I take a day off. And I will allow for more miles if I feel like it after completing the first leg of the trip. In fact, I'll go back to the Katy as the potential second leg of the trip.

In other words, I'm backing off the "grueling challenge" goals of last year. My new goal is to spend more nights camping and less nights in motels or B&Bs.

BTW, I like that bicycletouring101 link. I took the last photo on that page

jnoble123

Hi Brad.

I agree that there are lots of different touring styles. I just finished two different tours a very short time apart. My Round Lake Michigan tour was heavily focused on a schedule, daily distances etc while my Deja Vu tour was essentially just a relaxed tour back to the place where I completed my first tour.

Both tours were fun even through they had different focuses.

I like that picture that you took especially the way you captured the light coming through the trees! I know that at the time Ray obtained the permission to use the picture in the article. If you have a personal web site that you would like an explicit link to then I would be glad to add it.

~Jamie N
www.bicycletouring101.com

CSCman

Well last November I did a metric centry on the Katy, without gear. And this Saturday a friend who is also going to do the tour and I are going down to the Katy for a test ride fully loaded. Plan on going from St. Charles to Marthasville and back. That will give us 80 miles roughly and give us a good indication on if we want to scale back our plans any.

bradw

It'll also be a good test of your heat tolerance, with temps in the 90s and the usual high humidity

Bring water - although there are towns along the way, it's not always easy or convenient to get to a store. Fortunately this stretch has a lot of tree cover.

On your multi-day tour be prepared for dust. After a week of riding on the trail my bike was coated. Even after the final 27 miles on regular roads after the Katy, my bike was still a mess (see photo).

I used a wax-based lubricant for my ride. Just wipe the chain with a paper towel and squirt some new stuff on it every day or so. The chain held up well.