2011 Planning- KATY Trail

Already dreaming up plans for next summer. As I am responsible for a group of 14 and 15 year old varsity scouts, I have to help them plan a high adventure activity each summer. Next summer, I will be joining my scouts on an epic ride on the KATY trail, a rails-to-trails trail that runs most of the way across Missouri, from St. Louis to Clinton MO. I have fond memories of this trail. My love for bicycles deepened when I was in my tween years when my best friend's dad would take us riding on this trail near Columbia, MO. The scenery along the Missouri River is fantastic. I look forward to leading a group of a dozen or so on this legendary ride next summer. I'm sure there will be many more postings about this trip coming up in 8 months!

My first INTERBIKE!

For those who don't know what Interbike is, it's only the BIGGEST bike show in the nation! Everybody who is anybody in the bike world goes there to show off their new products for next year and meet with their dealers. I happen to have a few friends in the outdoor industry that were willing to get me in. Once I found the right deal on an airline ticket, it was a done deal.

Monday and Tuesday were the Outdoor Demo. This was held at Boulder City, NV. There were buses to take people out to the demo where there were dozens of bikes, parts, and accessory suppliers camped out and ready to show their stuff. The main reason for being out there however was to ride the 2011 bikes! It reminded me of going to buy a stereo at Nebraska Furniture Mart. I went in to look for a new stereo, and I had never been there before. The selection and options was so HUGE that I turned around and walked out. It was overwelming.

Well, I didn't walk out of the outdoor demo, but I did wander a bit before settling down and going into the Yeti tent. I rode the ASR-7. I also rode the Pivot Firebird and the Trek Remedy 7 the first day. By the time I rode those, I had discovered that there were also 2 trucks with flatbeds on the back that were hauling riders up bootleg canyon. That was the icing on the cake!

The second day of the demo, I rode the S-Works Enduro (still my favorite bike) the Santa Cruz Nomad, and I messed around a little on a Giant. I tried to get on an Ellsworth, but they never had one in my size. That was the hardest part.

Wednesday and Thursday, I attended the tradeshow part of the event. It took most of the day just to walk the floor and see all of the booths. My main goal was to network and meet a few people that I have only talked to on the phone at Shimano and Specialized...mission accomplished. I also picked up plenty of cheap or free items. I can't wait to do this again next year!!...wonder what I'll be doing by then.

Recap of the MS150

Daryl and I had a great time. We left my house at 4am to get to Clever Mo. The ride was well attended. We averaged 16mph on Saturday. The rest stops were well stocked with great high energy foods. The route was excellent- no major nasty hills like you would expect in the Ozarks, just a nice and fairly even route.
Toward the end of the last leg of the day, I still had enough left to lead a group of 3 into Joplin to the finish. Not sure what my speed was, but i was keeping a pretty fast pace.
I wanted to do the century route on Saturday since I wasn't going to ride on Sunday, but Daryl was riding Sunday and didn't want to wear himself out too bad. He did the century without me on Sunday.
I had a great time, and I'm sure I'll do this ride again, and recruit a few friends while I'm at it....guess it's time to find a road bike, or at least by next year.