The MR340 is a lot.
At 340 miles, it’s the world’s longest nonstop river race (and maybe the hottest), meaning it can humble even the most hardcore paddler.
So when competitors finish this voyage from Kansas City, Kansas, to St. Charles, Missouri, they typically opt for a few days of rest and recovery. Ideally, in a place with ice-cold air conditioning.
But this was far from the case for Andy Besselman and Tod Wilson, two Jefferson City friends who call themselves Team 680.
For them, this summer’s MR340 was only half the mission. That’s because they bookended their aquatic journey with a pair of half-state bike rides across Missouri.
The kicker? They did so while pulling their canoe and supplies behind them. All in all, they achieved a completely car-free MR340, from the time they left their homes in Jeff City to the time they returned.
“It was a really fun time,” says Besselman, the younger member of Team 680. “Outside of a couple of hiccups, the trip basically went according to plan.”
Here’s how it went down: On the morning of July 4, Besselman and Wilson hitched their canoe behind their bikes and headed west, towing the vessel and their gear toward Kansas City.
They made the roughly 200-mile trek from mid-Missouri in three days, utilizing the Katy Trail, the Rock Island Trail, and a few other roads and bike paths.
Then, on the morning of July 8, they disassembled their bikes and trailers, loaded them in their canoe, and shoved off from Kaw Point with the other MR340 competitors.
After three grueling days of paddling along the Missouri River, they landed in St. Charles on July 11 (just in time for the finish-line party).
After reassembling their bikes and trailers and pedaling for two more days on the Katy Trail, they returned home on July 13.
In total, the duo racked up 679 miles in 10 days without the use of a motor vehicle or a ground crew, proving their team name was indeed apt.
Along the way, they raised nearly $3,000 for Missouri River Relief, Katy Trail State Park, and Rock Island Trail State Park through a GoFundMe campaign.
According to Besselman, the journey was both incredibly challenging and deeply rewarding.
He says he’s open to doing it again, although next time he’ll probably ship the bikes and rent a boat to lighten the load.
“The hardest part was just the weight,” says Besselman. “When we were biking and pulling the canoe, if we hit any kind of grade, we felt it immediately. There were some tough miles.”
Which leads to his advice for anyone hoping to pull off their own 680 in the future: “Pack light.”