Cyclists roll into Sedalia for last leg of Katy Trail Ride

It was 188 miles down, 37 to go for the riders who pulled into Sedalia on Thursday for the final overnight stop on their weeklong trek across the Katy Trail.

More than 300 cyclists participated in this year’s 10th annual Katy Trail Ride, hosted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Katy Trail with a 225-mile trip from St. Charles to Clinton in five days.

The riders, who represented more than 30 states and ranged from 6 to 81 years old, stopped at the Katy Depot for lunch after biking more than 50 miles Thursday morning from Rocheport to Sedalia.

This year’s ride marked the 22nd time 81-year-old Ed Bielik, of Webster Groves, has traveled across the full length of the Katy Trail. Bielik, a former physical education teacher, said he has made the trip at least once each year since 1990, walking the trail in the first six years and taking his bike for the rest of his treks.

“The faster you go, the less you see. When you walk, you see so much more of the little stuff,” Bielik said.

Although he said he now knows almost every turn in the trail before it comes around the bend, he keeps coming back every year to enjoy the diverse scenery with a new group of riders.

“It’s the scenery and the people,” Bielik said. “It was the biggest thrill the first time I rode it. It’s a gem of a trail for Missouri.”

Italia Metts, of Atlanta, Ga., came up with her husband for the couple’s first ride on the Katy Trail. She said the beautiful sights and friendly fellow riders made the trip worth contending with the high heat indexes, but she said she made sure to avoid checking the mileage she’d have to travel each day.

“With the ride it’s OK, but it’s sleeping in the heat that is difficult,” she said. “I only take it one stop at a time, otherwise I’d give up.”

This year was the third Katy Trail Ride for Susie, a Jack Russell Terrier traveling with her owner, Jim Lewis, of Butler. Lewis hauled a buggy behind his bike to hold Susie, but he said she didn’t like to stay inside the kennel while he was riding.

“The first year I just had her inside, but when she’s inside she wants to get out and run along the trail,” Lewis said. “So I let her (run) for four or five miles a day and the rest of the time she rides balanced on top” of the buggy.

After having lunch at the depot, many of the riders headed over to Liberty Park, where they set up tents for the final overnight campout of this year’s ride. They planned to take off early Friday morning for the final stretch, a 37-mile trip to Clinton.

Carolyn Crooker, director of marketing for the Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce, said the annual ride comes through Sedalia every year, but the group only stays overnight in town when the trip runs from St. Charles to Clinton, instead of the opposite direction it goes every other year.

“Tomorrow is the easy day and it’s the end, so they’ll be celebrating tonight in Sedalia,” Crooker said.