Mountain - Plains - The Katy goes to Machens now

Went out today and thought I'd ride north from St. Charles to see if any progress had been done on the trail. To my surprise it kept going and going. I ended up riding 11 miles northeast, in to the wind,to the town of Machens. The new extension was a nice surprise. Someone I met on the trails said it has only been open for a matter of days.

Sounds like a new place to begin my full monte of the trail next spring.

Alright! That sounds great! A lot of people have been anticipating that through ride to the end. I understand they have started work, but with a few easement hang ups, on the Windsor to Pleasant Hill section, things are looking up! That will be nice to be able to ride from near KC to the confluence of the "Big Muddy" and the "Mighty" one. Thanks for posting that, sknhgy.

Is it paved?

Is it paved?

The Katy Trail is not paved, it's a crushed limestone type material.

So what are the typical speeds on the katy? Someone who averages around 18mph should be able to do 15? This spring I may take a trip up and ride the KT for a few days.

So what are the typical speeds on the katy? Someone who averages around 18mph should be able to do 15? This spring I may take a trip up and ride the KT for a few days.

Yea. You could do 15. I usually poke along a bit slower and enjoy the scenery. The Katy is a great trail for mental wandering. If the snow melts then we get a cold snap I would like to take a mid winter ride. You want frozen ground this time of year. When soft from freezing and thawing the Katy has high rolling resistance.

martialman.45: I've always felt that for the same amount of effort I'm riding 3-4 mph slower on the Katy than on pavement. It really depends on how smooth the trail is. Well-worn (heavily used) areas (such as St. Charles - Augusta and Jefferson City - Rocheport) when dry will be faster. Less used sections are rougher and therefore (much) slower. If wet, as from rain, very much slower. When soggy from snow melt, unrideably. I can agree with the previous poster, take it slower and enjoy the scenery, but if you wish to push it fast, you can do it. I like wider, lower pressure tires (like cyclocross tires). I think they do well for that type of surface, and you can pump them up harder if you want a fast ride. For reference, on my cyclecross bike with 700x32 cyclocross tubulars at 65-75 lbs pressure I can comfortably ride the well-worn/smooth sections at 14 mph, and if I really want to push it can hold 18. Last year on a 4 day St. Charles - Sedalia trip with a fully loaded touring bike with 700x38 tires at 70 lbs pressure I rode in the 11-16 mph range on the smooth parts depending on whether I had a head or tail wind, and 9-13 mph, depending on the wind, on the rougher parts (such as Hermann-Jefferson City).