Tadej “the Tornado” Pogacar is skyrocketing up mountains and dominating the 2024 Tour de France. Two time defending winner Jonas Vingegaard trails Pogacar by over 3 minutes in the general standings, the up and coming Remco Evenepoel is over five minutes behind, and nobody else is within 12 minutes of the yellow jersey. We’re coming down to the last few days, though chances to make up time in mountain climbs still remain for Vingegaard and Evenepoel.
The Tour de France winner rides at speeds averaging around 25 mph over about 80 hours on the bicycle spread over three weeks of racing. All of the elite riders in the Tour de France average over 12 mph going up mountains and hills, and over 25 mph on flat ground.
On the other side of the world and athleticism, I have been riding my bicycle accompanied by dog Busta in our trailer or running alongside. We can go 6-8 mph with our loaded rig on flat, packed gravel.
This is part 3 of my report on our latest Katy Trail ride in May of 2024. It is the longest developed rail-trail in the United States, and part of a growing network of increasingly connected opportunities to bicycle around the country.
To recap, after being hit by a car last fall, me and Busta got back on the bicycle and trailer, which I soon crashed and repaired on the sidewalk as we made our way out of St Louis to the Katy Trail, where we survived clouds of mosquitos, and weathered a small camp flood over the first two nights.
We slept in at Dutzow after the midnight camp reset. Took our time packing up, and had a big lunch at the Dutzow Deli and Restaurant. By then, it was getting on 1 pm, and wouldn’t you know it, another storm was on the horizon
Two things that I haven’t mentioned were also affecting us.
For one, my brand new phone, purchased to ensure a working one on the trip, was not working. I could turn it on, and use the camera, but there was a data and connection issue. I had been able to send and receive a GB or two in the city. I think that included using cell service, and not just wifi. Anyway, I had no data now. I couldn’t check weather, while text and phone service was very spotty. Several long calls to support on the trip resolved it when I was able to disable a virtual simcard, as I suggested from the beginning, once we got home.
Another concern was the amount of work we have at home. We work on houses, and I left the undeserving spouse with that work, along with the kids and our own house chores. I have tried to get them to ride with us. Maybe next time. But the work was still there, and I had to get back to help.
So, there we were, going on 2 pm, sitting under the Dutzow pavilion roof, watching another rain storm blow through. But, we and our gear were still dry.
Should we go longer, or go home? I could make it home in two days even if I rode a little further out. If we kept going, there was still time to make it to the upcoming Pedalers Jamboree in Columbia, MO. We felt good with sleep, food and water. If we were going to continue, we needed to go a minimum of 27 miles to McKittrick. Thirty six miles to Steamboat Junction would be the best that we could hope for after 2 pm.
The rain had mostly past. The sky ahead looked clear.
Just then, a group of five riders rolled into pavilion from the east. I joked about how they rode through the storm and stopped just as it was past. We got to talking, and they were from St Louis and Columbia, and were riding to the Pedalers Jamboree. Us too, I said, if we could make it. I guess that meant that we were riding on.
Still wasn’t sure about making it to Columbia, but we could keep going that way.
As the group took a break, me and Busta headed further down the Katy Trail. I expected them to finish their break and pass us within a 5-10 miles.
As usual, we started with Busta running a few miles. It’s pretty slow, but I could soon tell that, with enough food and sleep, I was feeling better yesterday. On the third day of riding, we were finally able to get into a rhythm of Busta running for a while, before I pedaled a bit for both, taking a break, and repeating the cycle. The miles were going by smoothly.
Since we didn’t start until mid afternoon, we weren’t going extremely, but we could reach our goals to continue on.
We kept going at our slow and steady pace. Amazingly, we must have made it 15-20 miles before the group of riders past us. As they rode by, I joked about how slow they must be going. Indeed, it was a leisurely ride for them while I pedaled our 500 pound load pretty smoothly, I must say.
When I’m feeling good, the pedals almost seem to spin themselves. We enjoy traveling the trail. On this trip there were many turtles among the spotted wildlife.
We proceeded to the McKittrick/Herman trailhead over an hour before sunset. The gas station/grocery store just off the trail had end of the day closeout sandwiches. We scored a good dinner I thought until the next morning. Anyway we ate goodish, drank heavily, and filled our bottles.
The sky was clear enough. The sun was finishing setting, and a full moon was rising. It was a beautiful evening of riding and running. It was less than 10 miles to Steamboat Junction. Our lights were charged. There was no hurry.
We got maybe a mile when I remembered that I forgot to get mosquito repellent at the store. We needed to look for some in Rhineland, a few miles before the campsite.
Full moon over Rhineland
With no phone data, we traveled the old fashion way, by seeing what was there when we got there. Passing through Rhineland, we saw the Doll House Bed and Breakfast a block away with outdoor lights and people hanging around. We went to look for mosquito repellent.
Surprise, the group of pedalers jamboree riders was staying there. It was nice to talk with them a little more. It was after hours, but I knocked on the proprietor’s door to ask for relief from mosquitos. They kindly provided spray and repellent balls, and refused my offers to pay. I inquired about staying there, only half interested. No dogs allowed, oh well. What we really needed was bug spray.
Entrance to Steamboat Junction from Katy Trail, the morning after our midnight arrival
Before long we arrived at the Steamboat Junction campsite. I have wanted to stop there for years, but it was never a good stopping point for us. Turns out, it is quite nice, with plenty of space, along with an indoor toilet and shower.
Setting our tarp tent next to a table proved to be sturdy and comfortable.
Of course a rain storm went through during the night. We stayed dry. The sun came out in the morning. We just needed some extra time to dry, and we were on our way, with two days to get to Columbia, and a week more in total if we did that, with the poor spouse working each day at home.