To celebrate his 70th birthday, Lake St. Louis resident Jerry Leigh decided to do something a bit unconventional by riding 70 miles of greenway in a week. From Aug. 28 to Sept. 7, Leigh explored a variety of Great Rivers Greenways’ system of trails in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. At the end of the week, he ultimately logged 82.1 miles.
“It was a great way to celebrate my birthday,” said Leigh. “I enjoyed seeing all the rivers, creeks, parks and people around the greenways. St. Louis is a wonderful place for cyclists and is getting better each year thanks to Great Rivers Greenway connecting these greenways together.”
Cycling long distances to mark milestone birthdays isn’t new to Leigh. For his 40th birthday, he rode 100 miles in one day. Leigh decided to stretch this ride out so he could enjoy a different greenway every day. Together with his cycling friends Richard Herman and Larry Maley, he planned routes using Great Rivers Greenway’s new website. Each day’s ride took them to one or two different greenways that offered unique sights, sounds and experiences.
Leigh rode 9.5 miles along the Monarch Chesterfield Levee and 4.7 miles on the Earth City Levee, which both lie in the Missouri Greenway. In St. Charles County, he was able to explore 6.5 miles from the Boschert Greenway to the KATY Trail; 8 miles along the Dardenne Greenway; 4.7 miles on the Busch Greenway and 5 miles along BaratHaven Trail, which also lies in the Dardenne Greenway. He also rode a total of 11.2 miles on the Centennial Greenway, stretching from Creve Coeur Park in St. Louis County to Heritage Museum in St. Charles County; 10 miles on Grant’s Trail, which lies in the Gravois Greenway, and 9.3 miles along the River des Peres Greenway. Leigh finished his trip on Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 7 – with a 13.2-mile trip along the Mississippi Greenway, starting from Granite City and crossing into the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge into Downtown St. Louis.
“The variety of experiences—from flowers to high trees along creeks and rivers that shaded the trails—made each trip an individual experience,” said Leigh. “And unlike many other trails, most greenways are paved, making an easy ride for any type of bike.”
For more information about Jerry Leigh’s Journey or to find a complete list of greenways in Great Rivers Greenway’s trail system,visit GreatRiversGreenway.org
About Great Rivers Greenway
Great Rivers Greenway is St. Louis’ regional parks district, created by a vote of the people in 2000 to make the St. Louis region an even better place to live. Great Rivers Greenway is connecting St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County through a network of greenways for residents to explore and enjoy. For more information, visit www.greatriversgreenway.org.
For more information, contact:
Pamela Powell
The Hauser Group
314.436.9090
OR
Emma Klues
Great Rivers Greenway
314.932.4919 office;
217.649.4695 cell