20 replies to this topic

[point to point]

So... who thinks that organizing a "race" across the Katy Trail is a good idea?

Start in St. Charles, end in Clinton? 225 miles, one day.

Or, end in Jefferson City. About 105 miles. perhaps that is a better idea.

USCF, or come as you are?

Throw your name into the Goblet of Fire if you'd participate.

I think I'd consider it as sort of a Paris-Bordeaux sort of event (albeit shorter) that is kind of race (i.e. they place people and give times) but also just a challenging distance ride.

What about a single speed category?

Scott.

[ray]

I'd consider it... but I think it would need a bus/shuttle of some sort. Also, you'd probably have to start west of Marthasville or you're going to be dealing with a ton of congestion on any given weekend. (Unless you did it in the winter.) Remember, there are lots of families tooling around on the Katy, and I don't really see DNR taking kindly to racer-types blowing by grandparents on townies.

Winter, though, hmm...

Edited by ray, 21 December 2005 - 05:55 PM.

[localyokel]

Great idea.  I think it should be more of a time trial with no drafting thing.  It seems like a big pace line on the Katy would be hard to manage when you came up on people out for fun.  The whole thing would be a real challenge.  Lots of categories for sure to make it interesting.  That's my two cents.

[point to point]

What about Sat. March 11?  Average high temp 53º, average low 35º.

I'd think that would be early enough to avoid most regular traffic. And riders can always exercise caution when passing. Does anyone have a good idea of how busy a weekend gets? And how early? I've mostly ridden during the week.

I'll look into shuttle service.

Scott.

[S&M]

what about a chainsaw crew to take out those pesky "nutcrackers" and barriers located at rest stops and intersections?

Jeff city area would be very busy, too. Maybe something less ambitious: Augusta to Jef city? ......and back? Then you wouldn't need shuttles  

M

[Dr. T]

I'm in.  Agree with above:
-winter or very early spring to avoid traffic.  There are a suprising number of people out there even in bitter cold.
-time trial format is a good idea.  Maybe 2 or 4 person teams as well?
-out and back probably best, avoid shuttles.
-keep it 100mi or less

[Dozer]

I like the out-and-back format, but I think it would be more interesting if it were longer, say 120 to 150. Also like a 2- or 3-person team option. Four might be hard to manage, given the propensity for traffic. A three-person time trial creates an opportunity for some serious interval work, which would be a good workout for that time of year.

L

[Slick Willy]

I think 3/11 is the day before the ICCC Sylvan Springs crit.  Consider Sunday 3/5 or 3/19 instead.  Out and back makes the most sense to me, especially if I have a mechanical, cramp, or something like that out in the middle of nowhere.  Has anyone ever done fast pacelines on the Katy trail?  I'd imagine you'd be caked with fine bits of gravel after this ride was over.

[ray]

Slick Willy, on Dec 21 2005, 09:33 PM, said:

Has anyone ever done fast pacelines on the Katy trail?  I'd imagine you'd be caked with fine bits of gravel after this ride was over.

Depends. If it's super dry or otherwise recently wet, yep, you'll be wearing it.

[ROELLERMAN]

what about taking a train west and coming back to st. charles?

[stan]

I would think it would be best to take the train to Sedalia and start there. There is a shop there and the owner (Ebby) would be happy to help. The race could then go East which, in March, is VERY nice. A headwind on the Katy for that many miles would not be fun. Make sure the town end point of the first day gets involved with some hoop-la and such.

You guys may be on to something

[JimmyMc]

Definitely correct about the prevailing wind.  And maybe Amtrak would see this as a cheap promotion.  They could offer reduced, or free, fares to all registered racers.  St. Louis people could take the train to the start and KC people could take the train back.  You'd definitely want to do it as a team TT.  A Pack on the KATY would be too weird.

[point to point]

Thats a cool idea too, but I don't know if it works schedulewise, plus, it looks like the train costs $38.00, which is strangely pricy.

What about this: March 18. avg high 56º, avg low 37º. Sunset: 6:11

Even though it wasn't my original idea, I think running it at as a 3-4 person TTT the first time is a good idea. I don't think 4 people together would be an issue.

Start & Finish: St. Charles  Turnaround: McKittrick  Total Distance: 122.6 miles 197.4 km

So if you average 30 kph or 18.6 mph, which I think is reasonable, time would be about 6:40.

I'd say the start should be at about 9:30. That would give us about 8.5 hours of daylight, and I guess it doesn't matter too much if it gets dark anyway.

Teams are going to have to be self supported, so I'd reccomend bringing a few tools, an extra chain, and a cell phone just in case.

Bill, are you in? This sounds right up your alley. I'm pretty sure I'm going to plan this, so everyone toss your hat in the ring, I want some folks to show up. Its the ideal training for Hillsboro, maybe.

Maybe if things go well we can make it a two day event in the fall, and incorporate the train?

Scott

[Dozer]

I think this is a great idea and had been planning to see what training out on the Katy would be like early this spring.

I do, however, think that four riders is too many for a team. Imagine the situation where one four-person team is passing another four-person team in some of the places where the trail has a somewhat high crown. There's not going to be a lot of room on that road for maneuvering, and racing bikes tend to float a little on that chirt surface. Imagine a team leader miscalculating the distance required to pass and/or the speed of a recreational rider coming toward them.

This is not good braking surface. It's highly likely that teams will be doing well more than 20 miles per hour for long stretches -- especially four-man teams.

In a three-man paceline, the guy in the back can see the guy in the front fairly easily, if he's trying. A smaller team is also likely to be going more slowly. And it's easier to get two other knuckleheads interested in this kind of thing than three. I think three is the maximum safe number, given the surface, the roadbed width, and the great likelihood of civilian traffic.

If we get a fantastic day in mid-March and the temp is 75 (not unusual), you could have a TON of moms out with kiddies on training wheels on the stretch from St. Charles to Greens Bottom, and the comfort-bike brigade will clog the trail, riding and passing on the left or the right, out to Weldon Spring. It won't be a race. And Missouri Parks will be so quick to invent rules to prevent such a thing from happening again that you won't be able to plan a point-to-point event out there in April.

But if you start/finish at Weldon Spring and turnaround in Portland or better yet, start in Augusta and turn around in Mokane, you get the same distance and avoid the most heavily trafficed section of the trail.

Again, I love the idea. I wouldn't invest the time to write this response if I didn't want to see it succeed. But think safety first. Think like the Park Service. They aren't going to be happy when Eddie and Moe blame a bunch of guys in lycra for pushing them off one of those elevated grades and needing to be airlifted back to St. Peters.

Oh, and the Katy Trail State Park closes at dark. You want to be careful with that.

My .02

Larry

[ray]

Dozer, on Dec 22 2005, 02:00 PM, said:

But if you start/finish at Weldon Spring and turnaround in Portland or better yet, start in Augusta and turn around in Mokane, you get the same distance and avoid the most heavily trafficed section of the trail.

Word.