Stretching across the state of Missouri for nearly 250 miles, The Katy Trail State Park is one of the nation's longest, most inviting and scenic trails in the midwest.  Like other converted railroad lines, The Katy gets its name from the former rail corridor that linked Kansas, Arkansas and Texas, originally known as the MKT.  The trail begins just outside St. Louis in the suburb of St. Charles and winds its way for just over 150 miles along the great Missouri River until it parts company near the quaint river town of Boonville.  From there, it wanders past farms, fields, wetlands and prairies until it dead-ends just outside of Clinton, Missouri near Kansas City.  The kiosk in Clinton both welcomes and bids farewell, depending on the rider's chosen starting point.

Recreational biking can be a fun, affordable family activity that is appropriate for every family. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on fancy family activities; a simple bike ride to the park or bike ride in the country can be a fabulous way for the family to spend some quality time together. When you go biking with the family though there are a few things to keep in mind before you hit the road to make sure that everyone enjoys the experience and that no one get hurt or upset.

There are many different places you can ride your bike.  In fact, "where to ride" is only limited by your desires and the local rules of the road.

Obviously, most cyclists bike on the road. If you’re going to be biking on the road make sure that you get a copy of the rules of the road for cyclists put out by your local department of motor vehicles. Go over these rules with your kids to make sure they know the rules and hand signals they will need to safely bike on the road. Another option for cyclists who want a flat, smooth paved surface to ride on when riding hard for fitness or training are local bike parks or jogging paths. Many areas that have waterfront jogging path have set aside a portion of the paved jogging path to be a cyclists path so that cyclists can use the path without having to worry about running over joggers and walkers and the joggers and walkers don’t have to worry about getting mowed down by an avid cyclist training for a race. In some places they do not separate the jogging and cycling tracks to be careful to not injure any joggers or walkers you come across.

There are numerous ways that you can improve your mountain bike safety.  Many riders will tell you that wearing a helmet is the most important step to staying safe.  The second most important step is that you should always ride in control of your mountain bike.

By riding in control you'll not only prevent crashes, but keep others on the trail safe as well.  When riding out of control you loose the ability to adjust to the terrain as you ride over it.  This can and usually does result in serious injury to yourself and others.

Follow these helpful guidelines and you'll remain safe when riding your mountain bike.

For the cyclist in Paris there is only one rule: don't think, just go.

Despite what may at first seem like total mayhem, Parisian traffic is really more like someone's messy desk. You shouldn't clean it up because there's actually an organization to it. 

All the concepts about safe riding that have guided my adult life had to be put aside as I, and a group of about twenty American bicyclists, negotiated the winding streets of one of Europe's most beautiful but seemingly disorganized cities.