Compton Drew Middle School Bicycle Club starts annual Katy Trail Adventure

Joe Torrisi (President of the Missouri Bicycle Federation and mentor of the Compton Drew Middle School Dolphins Bicycle Club) sent the following announcement:

The 7th and 8th graders of the Dolphins Bike Club at Compton Drew Middle School are pleased to announce that they are now traveling on the club's 8th annual Katy Trail Bicycle Adventure. There are 22 students and 9 adults on the tour.

On Sunday, May 3 they left St. Louis via Amtrak at 8:30 a.m. and arrived at Sedalia, Missouri at 12:00 noon, then biked 45 miles to Booneville, Missouri. On Monday they will bike 50 miles to Jefferson City. On Tuesday they will tour the capitol and take Amtrak back to St. Louis in the evening, arriving around 10:00 p.m.

Since February the kids trained by riding 12 miles a day, four days a week in very windy, rainy and cool weather. Twenty-two students qualified to go on the trip and 15 are on their first overnight bike adventure ever! The Dolphins student bike club was founded in 2001, and has introduced over 450 students to the joys of bicycling.

Many thanks to all those who have supported the club with donations and well wishes, including Will Cycle For Charity.

Pictured below are some of the kids in the club starting out on their trip to Elsah, Illinois last autumn with parents in back, and mentor Joe Torrisi kneeling.

Creating more school bicycle clubs is one of the goals in MoBikeFed's Vision of Bicycling and Walking in Missouri.