For nearly eight months, Bike Stop Café owner Jodi Devonshire had been trying to get me on her Wheels & Wine Tour.
We first talked about it in the fall of 2025. The leaves would have been changing, the vineyards glowing in autumn colors, and it would have made for the perfect day. Unfortunately, it never happened. I'm sure I had a very legitimate reason at the time. A meeting. A deadline. A scheduling conflict. A sudden and pressing need to reorganize my sock drawer. Who can say?
Then winter arrived.
And I hibernated.
To be fair, it was cold. Very cold. The kind of cold that makes sweatpants seem like formal attire and convinces you that moving unnecessarily is a poor life choice. Exercise became something I thought fondly about while sitting under a blanket.
So, when Jodi and I started planning again in the spring and finally landed on May 26, I was a little nervous.
Actually, that's not true. I was terrified.
A few days before the ride, Jodi sent me a text: "We have a date Tuesday."
My response was immediate: "I have it on the calendar! But I'm fat, tired, and out of shape! I'm breathing heavy already!"
Jodi's response came back almost instantly: "We are taking E-bikes. This is a leisurely ride. It's going to be amazing. Bring your camera."
That reminded me of something David Chancellor from Climb So iLL once told me: "If you can climb a ladder, you can climb a wall."
I didn't entirely believe him then, and I'm not entirely convinced now. Climbers deserve more credit than that.
Still, Jodi seemed equally confident that an out-of-shape tourism professional could somehow bike 25 miles on the KATY Trail to enjoy Historic Missouri Wine Country.
As it turns out, she was right.
The morning of the tour could not have been more perfect. The sun was shining, the temperature was ideal, and the sky was filled with those fluffy Bob Ross clouds that look like they were painted there specifically for a tourism brochure.
I met Jodi and Main Street resident April Hobbs at Bike Stop Café, where Bike Stop team member Gerard introduced us to our chariots for the day: sleek electric bikes that looked significantly more athletic than this particular rider.
After a few seat adjustments, a quick lesson on operating the bikes, and filling up our souvenir Bike Stop Café water bottles, we were ready to roll.
The Wheels & Wine Tour follows some of the most scenic stretches of the Katy Trail through Historic Missouri Wine Country. Our route carried us through the river bottoms and bluffs of St. Charles County, stopping at the Greens Bottom, Weldon Spring, and Matson trailheads. Along the way, the Missouri River Valley unfolded around us, lush farmland, towering limestone bluffs, dense forests, and stretches of trail that felt wonderfully removed from the noise of everyday life.
What immediately struck me was how accessible the experience was.
The electric bikes didn't do all the work, but they made every hill feel negotiable and every mile feel manageable. Instead of worrying about surviving the ride, I found myself actually enjoying it. Imagine that.
Our first official stop came at Thies Farm & Greenhouses, where we paused for a sweet treat and a chance to refuel. By this point, I had started to believe I might actually make it through the day without requiring emergency transportation.
From there we headed toward Defiance Ridge Vineyards, our first winery stop and a reward that felt entirely earned. The tour includes a complimentary wine tasting, and after sampling several selections, we settled in for a wonderful lunch on the patio overlooking the rolling countryside.
This is where the Wheels & Wine Tour really shines. It isn't about biking. It isn't about wine. It's about the combination of the two, blended with beautiful scenery, great conversation, and the freedom to explore at your own pace.
After lunch, we pedaled through the charming town of Defiance and continued to Sunflower Hill Farm. We wandered the grounds, visited the chickens, and browsed the gift shop before heading to the iconic Sunflower Silos for a few obligatory photo opportunities.
Because if a tourism marketer visits an Instagram-worthy location and doesn't take a photo, did it even happen?
Our final destination was Sugar Creek Winery, where we settled into chairs overlooking the vineyard with ice-cold beverages from their on-site distillery, Judgment Tree Spirits. Surrounded by vines, sunshine, and spectacular views of the Missouri River Valley, it felt like the perfect ending to an already remarkable day.
After an hour of relaxing and soaking it all in, Gerard arrived with the shuttle for the comfortable ride back to St. Charles.
As we loaded up, I realized something surprising. Not once during the day had I thought about being out of shape. I wasn't focused on the miles. I wasn't counting calories. I wasn't wondering how much farther we had to go. I was simply having fun.
The Wheels & Wine Tour delivered exactly what it promised: an effortless exploration of part of the KATY Trail and Historic Missouri Wine Country, incredible scenery, great food and wine, and a memorable adventure that felt accessible.
And perhaps most importantly, it proved that sometimes the things we spend months avoiding turn out to be the things we enjoy most. Who knows? Maybe David was right about climbing walls, too.
Looking back, I'm glad Jodi didn't let me off the hook.
The lesson here? Sometimes the adventure you've been putting off is the one you should have taken all along.