Thinking back

Yesterday as Kay and I were driving back from South Dakota I glanced at the clock and noted that it

was about the same time exactly a week ago that the MRC rode triumphantly into St. Charles. For a few moments I was right back in the saddle chewing up the miles.

I'll remember a lot of things about those four days, but the best part was the final day - a perfect day for a long ride, and a ride that was perfectly executed by our team. I finished the day feeling like I have at the end of a couple of my marathons - like it didn't beat me, I beat it.

The ride is going to be a feel-good memory for a long time.

KATY Trail ride is history

The Men's Running Club of Kansas City went riding last week, covering the KATY Trail from Clinton to St. Charles in four days. First thing we did was find a helpful citizen to take our picture at the depot. From left, it's Jerry Adams, Rob Perschau, Mitchell Krasnopolar, Jody Cox, Bill McClave, Sean Joyce and Steve McClave. Mike DeGhelder rode with us over half the way as well. The ride was recorded at lengths varying from 220 to 243 miles, depending on side trips to bike shops. We averaged right at 12 mph while enduring something like 14 flats, three broken spokes, a blown tire (not just the tube), and a full day of rain on Saturday.
I forgot to turn my GPS watch on several times during the ride, but it was on when we started and when we ended, and enough in between to come up with these numbers: Elevation gain 5,185 feet; elevation loss 5,478 feet; average speed 11.8, average moving speed 12.1 miles. Ride time was roughly 20 hours and 42 min.