I Did It! St. Peters to Minneapolis by Bicycle

With a gentle right turn onto the Stone Arch Bridge this afternoon, I completed my bicycle tour from St. Peters, MO to Minneapolis, MN.

It has been quite the adventure. I pedaled for 15 days and took rest days in Nauvoo, IL; Galena, IL; and La Crosse, WI. I saw the Mississippi River from both west and east sides in five states: Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. I camped in state parks and RV parks. I stayed in big chain hotels and mom & pop motels. I ate (like a hog, thank you very much!) in family diners, convenience store parking lots, and by the sides of roads. I visited a few bike shops. I drank more than a few craft beers. I rode on dozens of bike trails. I cycled miles and miles on the shoulders of rural roads.

Friendly, helpful people were my constant throughout the trip. Everywhere I stopped, folks encouraged me and offered advice on where I could lengthen my trip to see the best local sites and vistas. On the few occasions when I needed help, I always received it with smiles all around.

Remarkably, it only rained one day and I happened to be indoors in a restaurant in Nauvoo, IL during the storm. Perhaps because I invested in good rain gear, I never got wet during the entire trip. I did use the jacket to keep warm on a couple of cold mornings but, other than that, the rain gear just occupied space in my pannier.

No, my knees are not sore. Though I did bring some ibuprofen with me, I never took any. The worst injuries I suffered were insect bites.

Here is a map of my route. If you click on it, you will be able to see a map and some pictures for each of the 15 days of riding.

I rode 742 miles, including the trips that I made around town most evenings to get to dinner. I climbed 22,727 feet. That works out to an average of 49 miles and 1,515 feet of climbing per day. I rode 64 miles on my longest day (Prairie du Chien to La Crosse). I climbed 2,835 feet on my most vertical day (Galena, IL to Cassville, WI). I carried about 60 lbs. of gear in four panniers when I left home. I shipped half of it (my camping gear) home from Prairie du Chien because I planned to be in hotels for the remainder of the trip.

I took a zillion photos. Over the next few days, I will continue to write my travelogue and share a few of the pictures. You will find those blog posts right here in the St. Peters to Minneapolis category.

It’s hard for me to believe that the first time I ever rode a bike 30 miles in a single day was less than two years ago. I rode from home to my congregation, stayed (and rested) for a couple of hours, and rode home again. And I did it with the help of the motor on an ebike. I am living proof that even a geezer can do athletic things if he wants to. And pigs do fly, as evidenced by this statue that I rode by today.

I would never have started this tour, let alone finished it, without the bottomless well of support and encouragement from Candy. Despite being baffled by my obsessions, she sticks by me. Kevin and David needled me as only sons can. Fear of failure in front of your kids is a powerful motivator. Gaby at Momentum Bicycle Trek Bicycle St. Peters has been an unwavering source of support, despite me doing things with an ebike that no sane person would (or should) have attempted. The whole team at Bike Shark West has been great, from big stuff like setting me up with my Masi Giramondo to little stuff like introducing me to T-9 lubricant.

Of course, there are all of my cheerleading friends, too. I cannot possibly list all of you by name. Please know that you energized me every time you said something nice or texted me or posted a comment here on my blog or a note on Strava. And I am still privileged to count you as my friends, despite having watched most of you stare at me and exclaim, “WTF are you trying to do?!?”