Bottom Out Ride Recap
It was a great day for our second Trailnet Bicycle Fun Club Ride.
The day dawned clear and bright. It was just cool enough to start with a light jacket. Riders were lining up just a few minutes past 7:00 to register. The bike shop sponsor, Bike Stop Café was crowded with riders eating some of their delicious breakfast items.
Ride registration began at 7:25 and continued until about 9:45. After leaving St. Charles and heading into the country all routes were completely flat. Riders on the long and medium routes had their first stop at the South Shore Marina where volunteers from the American Diabetes Society (Tour de Cure) were on hand with snacks and drinks. South Shore gave riders a cool place to relax and watch the Mississippi roll by before continuing their journey. The next stop was at the Mississippi River Trading Post in Portage des Souix, which provided riders with food and beverages for purchase. The final stop and the first stop for the short route was the former town of Black Walnut. a former water stop on the Katy Railroad and now a trailhead for the Katy Trail. The stop was staffed by the great volunteers from Bike MS who had cold drinks and snacks in addition to the water and bananas and cookies supplied by Trailnet.
Riders finished their ride with a great party hosted by Bike Stop Café. They created a build your own chili dog station, had cold soft drinks and music by two bands.
Due to the fantastic weather, the flat course, and great after party, we had record turnout of 400+ riders! These riders were exposed to beautiful aspects of Missouri nature, potentially new local businesses, and a handful of our non-profit partners.