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Important Information for Katy Trail Cycling Vacation

Overview
We want to thank you for joining us on this weeklong tour of one of the nation's top rail-trails! There is so much information we want to share, but here's a basic outline of each day:

  • Breakfast at Host Hotel
  • Begin Riding
  • SAG/Lunch Stops
  • Arrive at Host Hotel
  • Informative Dinner (6pm)
  • Explore the Town or Relax at Hotel

In order to best prepare for this vacation, please read the information below to get a more detailed explanation of your upcoming adventure! 

Arrival and Check-In
Check-in will be from 4pm to 6pm on Saturday at:

Comfort Suites in St. Charles
1400 S 5th St
St Charles, MO 63301

You’ll check in at the hotel front desk directly for your room and can do so as early as 3pm. At check-in, we’ll carefully load your bike for transport. When we arrive in Clinton, we’ll gently offload the bikes and place them on our bike racks for you to grab when you’re ready to begin. If you rented a bike, you'll have the opportunity to check out your bike upon loading, and if fit adjustments are needed, they'll be done before loading.

If you're driving and needing long-term parking, please send us an email by May 1, so we can reserve a spot for you. Long-term parking could be limited, so please contact us asap. Alternate long-term parking is also available at the Lewis Boat House, which is less than a mile from the hotel. Please complete our online waiver before checking in.

Airport Shuttle
If you are flying into Lambert International and need a shuttle from the airport, we’ll have a shuttle available starting at noon on Saturday. We’ll also have a shuttle back to the airport on Friday. If you will need shuttle service, please email us by May 1 with flight details, including airline, flight number, and arrival time of incoming flight and/or departure time of outgoing flight.

Wristbands and Baggage
When you check in for the event, you’ll receive your souvenir jersey, along with your packet containing a wristband, license plate name tag, two baggage tags, and zip ties. If you are sharing a room, you and your partner will each receive a packet. Please attach a baggage tag to each of your two bags immediately, using the zip ties included in your packet. You’ll also want to attach a tag to your bike so that our crew can keep track of bikes belonging to our tour group all week. Please wear your wristband all week to help our crew know who has access at our support stops. Please also affix your license plate to your bike, so that we know your bike belongs to our group. It also helps others riding with us learn your name and know you're on the event too! Here's a picture of a sample packet and its contents:

   

Each guest is allowed two bags, each weighing 40 lbs or less. As you begin to pack, you'll realize that you’ll have ample space for what you need. If you are undecided between one and two bags, opt for two and split the weight up. Bags over 40 lbs are tough to carry and are subject to additional fees.

You should pack your bags as if you were boarding a plane. Since all baggage goes into a truck or trailer, Padre's cannot transport items not in a bag or case designed for transport. Additional fees will be assessed for overweight baggage or loose items, so be sure to weigh your items before you arrive. If you absolutely need to be over the limit, contact us in advance to make special arrangements. All checked bags must have a Padre's Baggage Tag affixed with the provided zip tie. Please note that overweight bags, extra bags, untagged bags, and/or loose items are subject to a $40 baggage fee per item. Bags may be weighed, and each overweight item will be tagged as such and be subject to the $40 fee. Additional baggage, such as bike bags or boxes, may also be stored in the baggage truck for the duration of the event for $40 per bag.

Bike Storage and Charging
At most hotels, you’ll store your bike inside your room and can charge e-bikes there. We’ll let you know which hotels have dedicated bike storage areas in advance. These areas are secure, but feel free to bring a bike lock for peace of mind.

SAG
Each day, there will be one official SAG stop along the trail. Here, you’ll find a spot to rest with complimentary snacks and refreshments, including water, ice, and sports drink powder. We'll have one cooler solely for clean ice. When getting ice from the clean ice cooler, please use the ice scoop, and sanitize your hands before doing so to avoid the spread of germs. Do not grab ice while wearing cycling gloves.

We also provide emergency assistance along the route. If you have an issue, please call our SAG hotline at 314.644.4440. We hope you have an incident-free week. But just in case, we will have a support rider on the route to assist with flats or minor issues. For mechanical failures, we will transport you and/or your bike to the nearest bike shop. 

Meals
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included, beginning with dinner on Saturday, and ending with lunch on Friday.

Each breakfast will be at that morning's host hotel. Gatorade powder will be made available in the breakfast room upon request. 

Lunches will be conveniently positioned on or nearby the route at varying locations. Depending on the daily route, lunch may either be before or after the day’s SAG stop. 

Each evening, typically at 6pm, we'll have a nice, semi-private sit-down dinner, where we can celebrate the day's accomplishments and discuss any important details of the upcoming day. Most of the dinner venues are on the finer dining side (think entrees not sandwiches, china not paper plates), but casual wear for meals is acceptable. During dinners, we’ll discuss any important information regarding the upcoming day and route. If you don’t attend a dinner, please be sure to read any text alerts to ensure you don’t miss any important information. Check out our daily dinner menus in advance!

Daily Safety Check-In
We want to keep track of everyone so that we know you’re safe and accounted for. To do this, we ask that you check in at each daily SAG stop and lunch stop - even if you don’t need to stop or have made other lunch plans. Thanks!

Text Alerts
We’ll send out a few text alerts throughout the week of the event as reminders or important updates as needed.

Last Day Procedures for Friday
On Friday, we'll celebrate the end of a great week with a picnic lunch in Frontier Park. We'll have Pavillion #2 reserved and will have refreshments ready, along with a great lunch from a local eatery. From there, you can make your way back to Comfort Suites Hotel, where we'll have your baggage waiting. We'll also have two hotel rooms available for showers on a rotating basis for those who need to shower before departing.

Informational Meetings
We’ll provide an orientation during our Saturday night dinner. We will also brief everyone as needed during daily dinners. Additionally, we will follow up with important highlights via text alerts in case anyone misses those meetings.

Gratuity & Crew
The Padre’s crew be hauling as much as 2,400 lbs of luggage twice each day as well as completing other essential tasks for our guests. If you need anything, feel free to ask one of them. We'll have a tip jar available the final evening, as well as the final day of the event to thank our crew for their work and assistance. The tips are for the crew (all workers, not Dave or Jimmy). If you need to leave before the last day and want to leave a tip for the crew, please see Suzie, Jimmy, or Dave. 

See you soon!