Help to put the FUN in our Bicycle Fun Club rides!
These rides, which take place throughout the region, typically draw hundreds of riders. We need help from lots of volunteers so that everything runs smoothly. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities, including:
Registration Setup
Rider Check-in
Membership Table
Group Ride Leader
Rest Stop Help
On regularly priced rides, BFC volunteers ride free at the close of registration and receive a voucher for another regularly priced BFC ride of their choice.
Pick a ride and sign up here – and THANKS for helping!
Trailnet’s St. Charles County Epic Mountain Bike Event – January 17, 2015
While the conditions for single track riding in Lost Valley and Klondike Park were too spongy, the Hamburg and Katy Trails utilizing the Great Rivers Greenway connector were almost ideal. For mid-January, the weather seemed more like spring. The day started out in the low 40s with bright sunshine. Our partner, Missouri Department of Conservation, hosted the start/finish at the Weldon Spring Conservation Area maintenance facility near Highway 94.
At 9:00 a.m., 60 cyclists were ready to roll and begin their 14-mile loop. With temperatures unseasonably warm, the frozen ground thawed and was slightly soggy. Though soggy, the two trails served as great routes for a pleasant ride. Cyclists returned smiling and slightly speckled with white limestone mud. After resting briefly and getting some nourishment, cyclists who made the loop in less than 2 hours jumped back on for another go-around.
While the cyclists were out, Trailnet’s new Executive Director, Ralph Pfremmer, prepared chili for the after-party. Ralph was also the day’s announcer, calling out some of the faster or muddier cyclists. By noon most of the cyclists had returned from one, two, or three laps of the course and were ready for chili with all the fixings.
They were also treated to cold beer from O’Fallon Brewery. St. Charles County Parks, another Epic partner, prepared handmade plaques from sections of local cedar trees for all cyclists– a cool reward for finishing a fun ride! By 2:00 p.m., temperatures were in the low 60s and cyclists ended the day with their fill of food and drink at the after-party.
The day started out chilly with temperatures in the upper 30s for our final road ride of the season. The cold air reacted with the warmer river water to create some foggy conditions near the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The fog moved in after registration opened at 7:30 and lingered for another hour, seemingly clearing from the top down. The effect created some beautiful and eerie scenery.
It was a slow start Sunday morning with most cyclists opting to start after the sun was brightly shining overhead. The routes were hilly but short compared to other rides this season. The long route traversed many rolling hills, with riders visiting historic Augusta twice in their 31-mile journey. As the temperatures climbed to the 60s, the bright sun and colorful autumn leaves created a perfect fall ride.
Riders enjoyed sampling wines from Sugar Creek, Noboleis and The Yellow Farmhouse along with the host winery, Chandler Hill. By 11:00 a.m. Chandler Hill Winery was hopping with crowds of people spending a fantastic fall day at the vineyards. All 80 riders had a great time.
A real adventure! Trailnet’s Journey Across Missouri began on Monday, September 30 with a train ride from St. Louis to Kansas City. Spirits were high and the trip to Kansas City passed by quickly with a car of lively riders making acquaintances and sharing their excitement. Upon arriving in Kansas City, riders immediately got on their bikes for a short four-mile ride to the Kansas state line to mark the start of their Journey Across Missouri. Afterwards, riders cruised on a scenic ride along the Missouri River to the Monday night campsite.
The kickoff party Monday night was organized by BikeWalkKC and held at Harry’s Country Club. Delicious food and drinks were consumed as riders learned about BikeWalkKC and Kansas City.
The first day of riding was beautiful, but challenging. Riders made their way to Higginsville, a 67-mile trek with 3,000 feet in elevation change. Along the way, riders visited the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence and several Civil War sites before racking their bikes for the day. For dinner, the Higginsville Rotary Club provided a grand feast of rib-eye steak sandwiches with all the fixins’ and live entertainment. Riders set up camp in Fairground Park.
Wednesday morning started off with advancing thunderstorms. A few riders left before the rain and some waited and watched, however most everyone experienced a soggy ride. Seeking shelter from the rain, riders were treated to lunch at Arrow Rock in the historic J. Huston Tavern. Arriving in Booneville, riders looked forward to a savory dinner at Maggie’s Bar and Grill. A smoked pork barbecue buffet was served in a private upstairs dining room. The campsite that night was at Fredrick Kemper Park where the Boonslick Heartland YMCA provided hot showers. Unfortunately, the forecast predicted strong thunderstorms for Wednesday night. The YMCA graciously offered their gym for a night of unconventional camping. Many cyclists took advantage of this offer to stay dry.
Rain was an integral part of the ride on Thursday. Riders battled bouts of heavy rain on the scenic and hilly ride to Jefferson City. Campsite plans were altered due to the severe thunderstorms. Thankfully, the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation extended their multi-purpose room in the Ice Arena for riders’ use to stay dry that night. Dinner was held at Bones Restaurant and Lounge in downtown Jefferson City. It was a scrumptious meal with chicken and beef options. After dinner, riders were spooked at the famous “haunted” tour of the old Missouri State Penitentiary.
By Friday morning, a cool front had moved in and the skies were clear. Riders started with a hot breakfast at the Downtown Diner then took off for a quick ride to the historic German-settled town of Hermann. With a strong tailwind, some riders made the 50-mile ride in under three hours, arriving before noon. Dinner that night was at Stone Hill Winery. Before dinner, riders enjoyed a tour of the historic winery with some of the largest underground cellars in the nation. The fun continued after dinner with riders attending the first night of the Hermann Oktoberfest, an event that lasts all month. Settling down for the night, the campsite in Hermann was in City Park.
Saturday morning began with sunny skies and very cool temperatures due to a strong northwest wind. It was another hilly ride en route to Defiance. In Defiance, riders checked out the old railroad depot town of Mokane on the Katy Trail. They also enjoyed visiting the historic Daniel Boone Home and Heritage Center. Riders camped out at Katy Bike Rental, conveniently located on the Katy Trail. Live entertainment, great food, and good times were had at the Defiance Roadhouse Saturday night. Back at the campsite, a big bonfire created a warm and reminiscent night with riders sharing their favorite moments of the 6-day adventure.
On the final day of the ride, the wind shifted from the south bringing warmer temperatures. Many riders opted to take the Katy Trail to Page Avenue Bridge, crossing the Missouri river and avoiding the rolling hills. Arriving in St. Louis, riders rode throught quiet neighborhood side streets and admired many St. Louis sites. Trailnet hosted a rest stop at the Missouri History Museum. The ride finished at Laclede’s Landing on the Mississippi River.
An after-party at the Admiral Portico welcomed riders. To celebrate the completion of their 340-mile Journey Across Missouri, riders made their way to the river for the ceremonial dip. Friends and family joined riders for the festive after-party with music by Tim Ryan Quartet, food from Sundeckers, and beer from Morgan Street Brewery.
Sunday, August 31 started out with decent temperatures in the low 70s and beautiful blue skies. Riders were eager and ready to go by 7:10 but were held at bay until 7:25 a.m. The turnout for this Sunday City ride was stellar with nearly 400 cyclists.
Each route started cycling in different directions and featured unique rest stops. The short route began by going north into Forest Park. Cyclists then had a refreshing rest stop with cold watermelon at Turtle Playground.
The medium route cyclists first headed south and rode a bit on the River des Peres trail before stopping at Bellerive Park. At the park, cyclists admired a scenic overlook of the Mississippi while enjoying snacks provided by Pedal the Cause.
The long route traversed some of Grant’s Trail and River des Peres Trail before heading north into the City. Making a stop at the Carondelet Park YMCA, cyclists replenished with some hard-earned trail mix.
Most of the riders returned before the afternoon temperatures and humidity became too overbearing. The historic Giro della Montagna ProAm races of the Gateway Cup started in the early afternoon just half a block from our ride start. The Giro della Montagna races have been going on since 1986 and attract a large crowd and professional racers from all over the nation.
Saturday morning, August 16, started off with a steady drizzle of rain and temperatures in the mid 70s. Checking radar, it appeared the skies would clear for our 11 a.m. start but the rain kept coming. Despite the weather, cyclists arrived ready to check out some awesome St. Louis breweries.
Ann Mack’s “Growler” group was the first to start. Behind them was George Nelson’s “blue circles” and then Hawkie Moore’s “let’s party.” As groups departed, more cyclists arrived excited for the tour.
The next groups to depart were Dave Beattie’s “Oranges” and Ian Hackett’s “purple shooters.” Groups were initially divided with 20 riders in each but approaching the end of registration, groups included close to 40 cyclists. Barrett Schmidt’s “blue balls,” Brian Hanke’s “black beards” and Steve’s “Crazy Train” began the ride at around 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, June 29 started off cloudy and followed a rainstorm so the pavement was still damp when this classic Trailnet BFC ride started. The temperature was warm, in the mid-70’s, and the humidity was high.
Many eager riders arrived before 7:00 ready to roll but were held off until about 7:20. It seems like arriving early is the new “fashionably late.”
Turnout was excellent, with more than 500 riders of all ages and biking experience. The parking lot at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was filled to capacity. We created four routes ranging from 20 to 65 miles so there was something for everyone. Riders of all routes went to Wilson Park in Granite City for their first stop. That stop was staffed by great Bike MS volunteers who provided snacks for the riders. The middle, long and extra long routes went out to Horseshoe Lake State Park for the next rest stop. That is a quiet and scenic oasis in the middle of urban Metro East. The long routes then went on to Edwardsville and our friends at Sacred Grounds for another tasty rest stop. The extra long riders had their final stop at the Confluence Tower in Hartford, IL.
All routes crossed the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and ended up at the famous Birthday Bash. At the bash riders were treated to live music from Generation Gap, hot dogs from Roger’s Hot Diggity Dogs, lunch from Steamroller Bagel, and three special micro brews from Square One Brewery. For dessert there was outstanding birthday cake from The Cakery and always-delicious frozen custard from Ted Drewes.
Even though the clouds looked ominous at times throughout the day, not a drop fell on any part of the ride or party.
The new Cottleville Country Classic had a fantastic first run. It will truly become a classic ride for Trailnet’s Bicycle Fun Club BFC).
Registration was held at the centrally located Red Barn in Cottleville. It was a great location that seemed to be specifically set up for events like ours, that is, we found it complete with bike racks. It is an iconic structure that defines Cottleville. At registration the local confectionery/wine bar/restaurant VB Chocolate Bar was on hand with free iced coffee and some amazing cinnamon rolls and muffins.
About 350 riders turned out – a great number for a new ride, and we are happy to say we signed up a good number of new members. Riders had three routes to choose from – all featured scenic roads not often used for BFC rides. All routes went to the old town of St. Paul and visited the historic Dog Prairie Tavern for a rest stop. On the way they were able to take in the views of St. Paul Catholic Church built in 1898 from local limestone. Medium and Long route riders were able to view Lake St. Louis on their way back.
