Day 25 was our first full day out of our home state, and we were greeted with rolling hills, a clear blue sky, and a lake view path into Madison, WI. The Topol family graciously provided us with a nourishing breakfast to begin the long day ahead. We started with a tense morning, as we had to navigate a narrow road due to construction. The full Illini 4000 team rolled down Highway 51 two across to stay safe for a two mile stretch to prevent cars from passing too close.

As the day went on, the brisk Wisconsin morning gave way to weather and road conditions perfect for a day of road cycling. Along with a few brief coffee stops and “detours”, teams paused for rest stops first by a country farm and then in Edgarton, a small main-street type of town.

Many of our riders have already been acquainted with the charms of Wisconsin, such as the deliciousness of bagged chocolate milk, but all of us got to appreciate the beauty of a summer day here. Riding past Lake Kegonsa, rolling through picturesque small farms, and finally coming up to the scenic capitol square in Madison, the day’s 75 miles passed by quickly.

Thank you to the Madison Alumni Club for hosting us for dinner. The potluck provided to us was much needed and appreciated after being in the sun all day. Furthermore, many thanks to the Bethel Lutheran Church for putting us up for the night in the heart of this great city. Your generosity not only enables our journey, but gives us motivation to continue strong.

Today we left Deerfield, Illinois and headed to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin for a relatively short ride of 65 miles. After lots of rest in Chicago, the team finally got back on the normal routine. Today’s Read more…

After spending the day in Chicago, the team was well rested and excited to continue on our journey! Today’s ride was from Chicago to Deerfield, but we had a few pit stops to make along Read more…

Yesterday we arrived in Chicago where we were meet by alumni, family, and friends. The ride was very easy and the team loved seeing Chicago from their bikes. The team took today off with most Read more…

Come welcome the riders of the 2013 Bike America Team as they ride into Millenium Park this Friday, June 14th! The team will be arriving to the bean at 12:00 pm, and we’d love to Read more…

Today, we made our way to Homewood, Illinois. We met Robert Bertram at our first rest stop in Arouma Park, Il. He is a family member of two cancer victims. Robert works as a home Read more…