Our ride from Indianapolis to Rockville, dedicated to Yoon Taek Lim, a family friend of our rider Je, who passed away from gastric cancer, was a little bit different from a normal ride because today we had special guests; Pastor Dave and two members of the United Methodist Church in Rockville-Ed and Steve. They joined us at mile 31 and showed us the way to Rockville. Unfortunately, some riders got stuck in the rain today. However, with Steve hosting us for dinner and a pool party, we all were ecstatic. It was refreshing to take a dip after 62 miles of riding instead of showering. After dinner, Randy, a member of the United Methodist Church, introduced us to Love Bags--goody bags filled with snacks and drinks for our trip. Special thanks to Steve's family for a fantastic dinner and to the United Methodist Church of Rockville for giving us a place to sleep tonight and plenty to eat! One more thing which made us happy today was that some of our directors-Conner, Alex, and Ashley- came over to Rockville and will stay over with us tonight! We are very excited to ride into Champaign tomorrow and get back to some more familiar scenery in Illinois!!
Back in the Midwest
As many of you know, I am not a student at Illinois. I was fortunate enough to find out about this awesome organization via social media, and even more fortunate to become a part of the organization as a rider this summer.While training, a few times, I had the pleasure of riding with SMC Philosophy professor, Kevin McDonald, my good friend and fellow cyclist, Gina Althoff, and my coach at Innovative Endurance, Lisa Mueller. I spent a good amount of time training, however, on my own. Many miles were ridden along the Saint Joe River and up into Niles, Michigan. Both working for a growing commercial real estate company and exploring routes in the area helped me to gain a new appreciation for the city in which I called home for the past 4 years.Before riding out of New York City though, I had no experience riding in a group. The first few days leading up to riding, I was so worried to ride in a group. I worried I would cause some kind of a crash or put myself or the other riders, whom I barely knew, in some kind of danger. I laugh at those notions now after spending these past 17 days on the road riding with them.I’ve been a part of teams many times before. I’ve played basketball, though my roommate would likely beg to differ. I know how a team works.One would likely make the premature assumption that cycling is an individual sport, and in many cases, it is. One bike, one rider – the notion indeed makes sense. Everyday as we ride, however, we ride as a team. We rely heavily on each other. There is an inevitable and undeniable trust in our teammates. We often ride single file and have a somewhat obstructed view of the road ahead. Because of this, we compensate with communication, calling out grates, gravel, or cars in the road. Without these call outs, we would never successfully reach our destination.We also often get bored out there on the road. Time seems to linger and scenery sometimes blends, especially through the flat plains of the Midwest. It helps to have company and camaraderie along the road to pass the time.As we rolled through Maryland, the Appalachian Mountains and parts of Pennsylvania, the hills were mid-blowing, uphill climbs I never could have fathomed coming from Illinois. If it were not for my teammates riding alongside me, slowing their own pedal strokes to compliment my own, pushing me to the top, counting down the minutes left of climbing, drawing my mind away from the fact that were riding at 4 miles an hour, I would never have made it up the hills. If it were not for the 21 other members of my team, I would not be able to travel by bike across this country. This is the most teamwork I have ever experienced, and it is an honor to be a part of this team.On a side note, it is so great to be in the Midwest. Thank you to Madeline Miles, Mackenzie Neu, and the Craney family who went out of their way to visit and give me the push I need to make it to the 1000 mile point!
In the Heart of the Midwest
Today was a welcome relief for the team. After most of us completed our first centuries yesterday (100+ miles), the 73 miles we did today were a cakewalk. After an expansive and delicious dinner, we all went to bed early and woke up in good spirits. One of our hosts, Kent, rode with us for part of the ride and told us about his experience riding across the country. The weather was great all day and we met a very interesting man named Ken Bettencourt. He is currently biking across the country for the 7th time and has even biked all the way around the world. He, like us, spreads awareness about cancer and raises money for cancer research. During this ride, he is raising funds for a pediatric cancer center in Providence, RI.Ken was also willing to participate in a Portrait for us. Ken lost his mother to brain cancer and his grandson to leukemia before he was diagnosed with cerebral brain cancer. He had brain surgery and underwent four months of intense chemotherapy. Ken explained to us, "Cycling is my passion, but human nature is really my passion. I don't want to see children, people with [cancer]. We need to do more in this world for it." When asked about his support system during treatment, he emphasized the need for a normal friend. "You have psychologists, nurses, and doctors in a hospital, but what you want is just somebody to come to talk to you about a hockey game or bring you a milkshake...don't mention cancer at all. You just need a friend." It was wonderful to meet someone with similar passion and goals. We really enjoyed speaking with Ken.Overall, the ride went very well today and our team made it into Indianapolis early in the afternoon. The Indianapolis Illini Club provided us with a delicious dinner from Fazoli’s and brought us coffee cakes and other food for breakfast in the morning. After talking with the members of the Illini Club and eating dinner, several members of the team enjoyed the outdoors some more and played soccer. The team is excited to see what tomorrow brings!
Now We're Cruisin'
The good times are here. The Appalachian Mountains are done with, the flat lands of the Midwest are here. I feel like at this point we are all biking towards Champaign, Urbana and Chicago. I am heading towards San Francisco, but I am more focused on curing this home-sickness in a few days.With all of the directors and riders telling me some of the hardest days of the trip are passed, I am excited on climbing less mountains and I'm ready to meet new people that will remind me as to why I am riding.One thing that I’ve found very moving is the generosity of our stay over hosts. Biking across the country is hard, and we are doing it for a good cause, but never had I expected to be fed, showered, and essentially pampered by so many generous souls. I have 21 team mates, but every day I feel like I have more and more in different cities. People donate time, food, and money to us, and quite often all three.
Our passion will take us far
after such our first century ride yesterday, today's 70 mile ride felt so short! the weather was great - sunny and not too hot. but one thing i still cannot get over is how flat the midwest is compared to out east, especially pennsylvania. even though i grew up in illinois, i guess i just had never really noticed it!the route itself was very similar to yesterday, spending most of the day on the same road for long periods of time. the relatively uneventful route was spiced up a bit, however, when we encountered a fellow cyclist. we were stopped for a snack and some water when we saw him rolling by. his name was ken, and, as it turned out, he was also cycling across the country for cancer research.the more we talked to him, the more blown away we were. ken's current ride began in alaska on march first of this year and will end in about a week in his home state of rhode island. this isn't his first major bike ride, however. it's actually his seventh time across america! and he is even planning a trip from maine to key west, florida next spring. in addition, ken spent 27 months riding 52,000 miles across the world, getting off his bike only to fly from continent to continent.what's even more inspiring about ken is that he himself is a survivor of cancer. at the age of 50 he was diagnosed with stage 3 brain cancer. after undergoing months of treatment, ken was cancer free and ready to spread the word about the fight against cancer. at this point, he was already an avid cyclist and had been across the country a few times before. in addition to his own fight against cancer, ken has also lost several family members to cancer, including his mother, his uncles, his cousins, and his 3 year old grandson. ken told us that his biggest passions in life are cycling and showing appreciation for what we have. he decided to turn his bike rides into fundraising opportunities, combining his love of riding with his desire to spread the word to others and save lives.i think everyone in the group can agree that meeting ken will be a highlight of this trip. he is so inspirational, and he knows exactly what it feels like to be in our shoes. but whatever difficulties we encounter, we can remind ourselves that ken, a cancer survivor, may have encountered something worse during his own fight against cancer or on his own ride to fundraise money.meeting ken today was just the inspiration we needed to push through the next few days until chicago. even though our knees and legs may be sore or it may be rainy and cold, we are making a difference, just like ken! ken has taught me to keep on fighting because our passion will take us farther than we ever imagined.on a side note, only two more days until we reach champaign, where we spent so many hours training for this amazing ride!
First Century
After our event day in Columbus, OH, the team was ready to tackle a 104 mile ride into Richmond, IN. With such a long day ahead of us, the team woke up early to get a jump on the day. Clear skies and cool weather felt great as many of us completed our first centuries. Current rider Matt Soltys dedicated this ride to his friend’s mother Kathy Kuntzi, who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. The wonderful people like Kathy are why we ride and our hearts go out to the Kuntzi family. After the ride, our amazing hosts at First English Lutheran Church made us a delicious dinner and dessert. Many teammates also treated themselves to frozen custard after dinner from an ice cream shop in Richmond. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and watching a documentary about Illini 4000 called “What People Do”. We are ready to continue our journey through Indiana this week.
I know every mile will be worth my while
Today we rode our first century as a team! We rode 105 miles from Columbus, OH to Richmond, IN. We were greeted wonderfully by First English Lutheran Church and a few of us attended their Saturday evening service. Afterwards, we had a delicious lasagna dinner! We have been seriously spoiled..Anyways, back to the whole "riding a century today" thing. We had quite a lot of time to think today. I spent a ton of my time with the song "Go the Distance" from Hercules stuck in my head. This was thanks to Jacqueline who led us in a singalong of this song a few days ago. I came to realize that the refrain of this song could not fit i4k more perfectly. So because I do this for almost any song I love, I'm going to dissect the lyrics in relation to Illini 4000!I will find my wayI would say we get lost at least once a day. Today was a bit of an exception because we were on US-40 for the entirety of the route, but this is not typical. Getting lost is a part of everyday life in an i4k summer. Yet we always find our way and get back on the route!I can go the distanceThis is a pretty self-explanatory one. Sometimes the distances we ride seem unfathomable, but at the end of the day, every group rolls into the stay over. I'm sure the whole team would agree though that the last 5-10 miles of every day somehow feels more like fifty.I don't care how far, somehow I'll be strongThroughout the day, I find myself switching between being physically strong and mentally strong. At some points, the terrain is kind and my legs just glide. Though I may be feeling mentally weak, my physical strength carries me through. However, this is not always the case. At times it feels as if my legs are about to declare independence from my body and just give up in that very moment. At that time, we must be mentally strong. We must remind ourselves of why we're riding. The battle of those battling cancer is a much more daunting mountain than the Appalachians we're struggling through.I know every mile will be worth my whileI mentioned this above, but keeping the reason we're riding in mind is very powerful. Not a minute goes by during the day where I don't think about the horror of cancer. However, I am propelled forward by the hope of something better. By the hope of a world without cancer. This makes every mile worth it.I would go most anywhere to feel like I belongEvery time we enter a new town, we are greeted with such open arms. Honestly, I would say there is no p,ace where I feel we don't belong. I could not be more grateful for the communities that have welcomed us and really brought forth a sense of belonging, day in and day out.
Our Time Out of the Saddle
After sleeping in on our event day, much of the team enjoyed a large breakfast at a local diner. The staff was just as excited about our cause as we were about their delicious food. The team took advantage of our extra free time by exploring the city, maintaining our bikes, and relaxing at the Broad Street United Methodist Church, which graciously housed the team for the these two nights. Between bike shops, sushi bars, and an art festival, the team made good use of their time off the bike. Thank you to the parents of a former 2008 rider, Andrew Erikson, who were gracious enough to donate cookies to the team and offered us rides to shops in Columbus. The day ended with a team meeting to help prepare us for the next couple weeks of riding. Despite our time off the bike, the team hasn’t lost sight of our mission and is preparing for tomorrow which will be our longest ride yet.
Rain and Bowling Lanes
This morning, the team started the day with custom made omelets graciously provided by Westwood Baptist Church in Zanesville, OH. One of the pastors, Mark Ballmer, shared with us some history of Zanesville, the church, and his own personal experiences with cycling for charity. The team has finally made it through the difficult Appalachians and excited for the familiarity of the midwest. Today’s ride was a shorter ride of 57 miles, but intermittent rains made the day more difficult than expected. While stopping to use restrooms though, some of the team members were lucky enough to be given some free coffee to warm up before continuing on with the rest of the ride. Despite the weather, the team pushed on through and made it safely to Columbus, Ohio. With an event day tomorrow, the team is looking forward to exploring the town and spending a little time off the bike. Some of the team spent their night bowling a few games at a local bowling alley. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow has to offer!
Wakeup. Eat. Cycle. Eat. Cycle. Eat. Cycle. Eat. Cycle. Eat. Sleep.
Since my last post, we have been to Maryland, Pennslyvania, and West Virginia. The Appalachians were unlike anything I have ever experienced while riding, literally. One day my maximum speed was 37mph and my minimum was 3mph. Climbing up each incline was mentally challenging. Sometimes I just wanted to hop off and walk up to the top, but those negative thoughts were quickly swept away when I remembered who we had dedicated that day's ride to.some special events of these past few days:Boonsboro, MD: We got to go to a carnival! Funnel Cakes!Everett, PA: We were provided with a thanksgiving dinner-- turkey!!Mt Pleasant, PA: I rolled in first with team Giant Marshmallow (me, Kara, Ben, and Catherine). Our team name came from hay bales wrapped in white coverings. We had our first run-in with Sheetz- a fabulous gas station with gourmet food, such as fried mac and cheese bites. Kara and I chowed down on dirt dessert cups and felt subpar on our post lunch break mountain climb.Pittsburgh, PA: I finished Jaime's challenge of riding with every team member by riding with Aash, Ben, and Greg. I helped cook for the team and my vegetable cutting skills were put to shame by David's (He's pretty much a chef). It's fun to randomly find out my teammates' hidden talents. The team was provided free burritos by Chipotle!! (Many of us girls saved our burritos and carried them in our jersey pockets the next day.Wheeling, WV: I got to shower with a real towel! (As opposed to the sham-wow type towel I have.) Later, I was able to sit in on 4 awesome portraits. Three of the four were caregivers to their relatives with cancer and the fourth was currently battling cancer. Ann has stage 4, terminal breast cancer. I would have never guessed at first glance though. I thought she was also a caregiver for a relative. She was was so happy and her smile lit up the room. Her faith and outlook on life inspired me, and I'm so glad our ride was dedicated to her today. This portrait hit home the fact that cancer can affect anyone.Zanesville, OH: This town is famous for wild animals that were released into the town by their owner a few years ago. The food was amazing (as it has been at every stayover)! One day I hope to be able to grill chicken as juicy and tender as the chicken that I ate tonight. Tonight we get to sleep on cots! This is fabulous news for me because I still haven't gotten the hang of packing my gear quickly in the morning. Hopefully tomorrow without my sleeping pad to pack, I will be able to be packed and ready comfortably by 6:15am.
The First of Many Looks At the I4K Experience
I'm climbing. Knees aching, quads burning, and mouth open. Pant, pant, pant. I'm working out. But, I've been doing so for the past seven hours. Am I twisted? Do I enjoy the prolonged burn? I do. But, I guess given the location in which this post is being made coupled with the individuals most likely reading this blog, there is little need for explanation. I'm riding across the country, and in the process trying to raise money for cancer research. I've given the same spiel to at least one individual each for the past few days. But, often it is difficult to picture the separation between concept and execution until actively engaged in the task.I like cycling. I love it, to be honest. And if it were up to me, I would be doing it for hours on end anyway. But, I never considered how difficult it would be to do it every single day. But, even then, my struggles are rather trifling. And I guess while writing this blog, all I can think about is the insignificance of my struggles. I've found myself finishing each day in about the same way. A little tired, a little darker ( I don't burn thankfully), and a whole lot hungrier. On the roughest of days, there might be a little road rash or knee pain mixed in.But, throughout my time, I've only been able to consider how lucky I am. How each day ends with me meeting some of the most amazing people ever. Being welcomed into a warm church or home, often being served some delicious food, and completing most days with a fantastic shower.What about those currently engaged in the fight against cancer? Do they have the metaphorical equivalents of a warm bed and food in their struggles? Do they get to indulge after their struggles each day? Each cancer patient is constantly in a struggle that could be considered the hardest of mountain climbs. And while I take solace in the knowledge that my climb, regardless of grade, will eventually change...each cancer patient continues his climb with no definite chance of completion. And while we expect many to metaphorically finish the climb, the sad truth is that millions do not.My first post seems to have come to an end on a rather dark note. But, it seems necessary to begin on a somber note. I'll try to talk about the awesome sights I have seen and great food I have had on this journey. But, given I'm not the kind of person that cares much for surroundings, and food is food... I'll spend most of my time talking about the amazing ride and the fantastic people I see on the way. Thanks for reading peeps.
Finally in the midwest
Our day started well with a wholesome breakfast provided by our hosts at Wheeling, W. Virginia, that set us up well for our 80 mile ride to Ohio. The ride today was less hilly compared to the past few days of biking across Pennsylvania. By this time, our legs were already used to the hills, and we were able to attack these hills with relative ease. Even then, the scorching sun took a toll on our team as the day wore on. We finally arrived at our stayover for the night, Westwood Church in Zanesville, Ohio at around 4PM. Our gracious hosts welcomed us with a wide array of snacks and even made arrangements for us to shower in a nearby fitness gym. Later, they had some church members join us for a barbequed dinner to further extend their welcome. We found out that Zanesville is famous for three things: their pottery business, Tom’s ice cream (top 10 in the whole of the US!) and when animals escaped out of a “home zoo”.They had also offered to take some of our team members to the fitness gym tomorrow morning before 6am (our regular morning wake up) to give us the option of showering in the morning. For the past 12 days of our journey, our team has been very lucky to have met such gracious hosts willing to take us into their place and take care of us with impeccable hospitality. The route from Washington, DC, to Zanesville has been a challenging ride, but the warm reception from our hosts made our days a lot better. Tomorrow, the team will be biking to Columbus, and we are looking forward to the much awaited and much deserved rest day in Columbus.
More Than What We Put In
Looking up from my computer screen writing this post, I can see that I am surrounded by my teammates hanging around after dinner. And I'm overwhelmed by the number of us flashing radiant smiles and laughing with abandon. That's the unbelievable thing about the Illini 4000- after about 12 days together, we're like friends of many years.It's not just the close quarters, goofy inside jokes, or slap-happy moments we have at the end of a tough day. We are essentially similar on the basis that we are all the type to dedicate two months to actively support a cause which most others do not. We all endured the friends back home (for me, Mike) who openly called us crazy in front of others, roommates (Charles) who teased us for going to sleep early so we could make training, and relatives (Mom) fawning over how safe the trip may be.The easiest thing to say is that I'm having the time of my life, and with a sense of humor. In the future I could go into further detail about forming the "Allegheny Biker Gang" by painting my face with clay from a waterfall in Pittsburgh, letting curious strangers in sparsely populated areas know we're riding to San Francisco with a consistent response of "Oh S***! Good Luck!", the hilarious outcomes of taking a corner too fast in West Virginia, or even my sassy Korean/German female alter ego.Through the sore legs, bug bites, lost voice, and grime that I somehow cover myself with every day, I'm accepting a realization that a much smarter man would have picked up on day one. We've heard day-to-day, "you get much more out than you put in" from our unbelievably generous hosts, and it's incredibly accurate. We've put in time during the year fundraising and preparing for the trip, we've dedicated our summer to crossing America to raise money and gather the stories of cancer survivors. But in return we've gained unparalleled friendships, developed skills, and met locals with hearts of gold.What we get the most in return, though, is an opportunity to end the uncannily familiar story which we remind ourselves of on a daily basis. "Today we ride for ____, who was a beloved friend/father/brother/aunt/cousin/etc. Crush that mountain".
Mountains for breakfast
Hello from Zanesville, Ohio! I'm writing this from a cot, which is extremely exciting. The church that we're staying at arranged for us to be able to sleep on cots from the American Red Cross! Today we entered into Ohio. It is crazy that we are finally getting to the Midwest but it is a breath of fresh air after the mountains!We've spent most of the past week climbing through the Appalachian mountains. I can honestly say that it is one of the hardest things I've ever done. Physically, my body was pushed to limits it had never been before. Mentally, it was equally as straining. You had to just keep convincing yourself that you could do it, you could keep climbing, despite the burning in your legs and your pure exhaustion. I think as a team we all got a lot closer while going through the mountains. We really had to work together to make it through because many people climb at different speeds.The mountains were one of the hardest thing but I really enjoyed it! One of my favorite mottos on during the mountain days was "I eat mountains for breakfast."
My bike, Zia, and I after conquering a mountain!
Riding in Pennsylvania!
Oh the People You'll Meet
Today was a very special day. Let us step away from the route, hills, and biking for a moment to focus on the real impact of our biking. We were able to meet a plethora of amazing people today and conduct portraits that were both emotionally charged and awe inspiring. As we said goodbye to Pittsburgh (and our wonderful hosts) and the state of Pennsylvania for the last time, we were greeted by cold front that had most of us shivering and trying to avoid the shadows of the trees to get into the sunlight. Fortunately for us, one of the steepest climbs of our journey greeted us as we traversed over 1000 feet in a matter of 2 miles. That climb got our blood pumping and warmed us up immediately. On our way out of the city, one group decided to grab a cup of coffee from a local shop where they met Debbie Swoger, the shop owner. Seeing 6 bikes already outside the shop, other groups also stopped and crammed into the quaint shop. Over a cup of coffee, 12 riders shared with Debbie and began to realize how special of a woman they had met. Five years ago, Debbie lost her 35-year-old daughter to an undiagnosed illness and chose to care for her daughter’s then 2-month-old and 9-year-old children. Her strength in her faith and resolve stirred up our enthusiasm and we were lifted for the rest of the day.Then, at the last rest stop, with just 17 easy miles to go, some riders decided to get ice cream for the third time that day. What started as a sugar-high-motivated quest for ice cream quickly turned into an opportunity for a portrait. We met Michelle, who was a survivor of both uterine and ovarian cancer. Her mother and grandmother both had breast cancer, but she never let her family’s history determine her own outcome. She went through successful treatment of her cancer, but unfortunately, the chance of the cancer returning is high. She continues regular treatment and checkups monthly.After arriving at our new stayover in Wheeling, West Virginia, our hosts not only provided showers for us, but also cooked an impressive feast. Everyone asked for seconds of dinner and especially ice cream. At the conclusion of dinner, some of the church members who had experiences with cancer were willing and incredibly open in sharing their stories.We talked to Robert B. Lee Jr., a throat cancer survivor. Robert was diagnosed with throat cancer shortly after his return from serving in the Vietnam War after he had been experienced problems with his voice. He underwent radiation treatment and has remained cancer-free for 20 years.Reverend Ed Thurmond shared his story about being a caregiver for his wife Sandy while she underwent cancer treatment. While he experienced many feelings of despair and frustration with God after his wife passed away, he emphasized how he has grown stronger in his faith throughout his experience. The Reverend now ministers to those in similar situations and helps them cope with the hardships of caring for a loved one with cancer.Another member of the church, Roseana Livingston, worked tirelessly to provide full time care for her husband with liver cancer. Throughout her husband’s battle and after his passing, Roseana was comforted by her faith and the church every step of the way.Ann Thoburn has experienced cancer from several points of view. She was a caregiver for her husband, who had been given only six months to live but ended up fighting for six years. Then, in 2006, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent treatment and defeated her illness, but the cancer returned in fall of 2012. Ann was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal breast cancer, but maintains an incredible positive attitude and gives all of the credit for her strength to God.Finally, we spoke to Kim Strauss, who was a caregiver for four of her loved ones. Her niece Nadia lost her battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when she was 18 years old. Kim’s mother passed away from colon cancer a few months before Kim’s sister lost her long battle with breast cancer. One of her dear friends passed away from lung cancer. Kim provided so much love and support over the years, but of course feels an emptiness after so much loss. She emphasized the importance of a strong family support system during a fight with cancer.We heard stories of triumph and well as unfortunate outcomes. But for all the pain we heard, we approach tomorrow even more determined to ride and more importantly, to find a cure for cancer. 
We keep on moving along
Its really interesting to consider the task we're trying to accomplish. The mental, physical, and emotional challenges pile up everyday and every morning you just have to roll out of your sleeping bag and keep on moving along. I know there have been days where you just don't know whether you'll be able to balance on your bike let alone climb against headwinds for miles at a time. But, I know we can endure. For all the uphills, sunburned skin, and aching muscles we can take it. In the middle of what might have been the most physically daunting task I've ever attempted in my 22 years, I reached an epiphany. (Bear at mind at this point, we were 60 miles through a ride in 90 degree heat where your mind grasps for any sort of mental distraction). I've spent that last 4 years of undergrad trying to take all the necessary steps to become a physician. Plus, I've been slowly piecing together my reasons for wanting to become a doctor. I realized that climbing that mountain was just like being a doctor. You're working long, selfless hours in stressful conditions, with little sleep, interacting with a a variety of people and you're just trying to endure and convince yourself that your training will help you get through the next hurdle.I think a lot of people aren't in touch with their limits or how far you can push yourself, but on that blistering hot side of the mountain, I found out a lot about myself and my teammates. We keep on moving along. I learned why my physical and mental limits were that day and knowing those are invaluable tools in the medical field. They'll allow me to push myself to the best of my ability. I know once I finish I4K I will have a wealth of extremely tangible experience to apply to all walks of life.We head to West Virginia tomorrow and if I fall asleep right this second I will have less than 7 hours of sleep, but that's okay because we keep on moving along.
Laundry Anyone?
Today started off with a hearty breakfast graciously provided by United Methodist Church. We had throwback cereal featuring Cheerios, Corn Flakes, and Corn Pops (which were especially popular). Knowing that we only had 48 miles to cover, we were all in high spirits and ready to attack the day. Luckily, the mild weather continued to hold up well as we cruised to our next stayover in Pittsburgh with relative ease. It was a strange feeling arriving at the stayover, because we were so early. The first groups got in right after noon, and the last ones got in before 3. This created plenty of free time. Most of us decided to take a well-deserved nap, but others preformed bike maintenance and other necessities. A HUGE plus was being able to do laundry at our stayover, Church of the Ascension. Most of us were beginning to smell particularly pungent, so it’ll be nice to have a fresh set of clothes tomorrow morning. Some riders ventured out to find a slice of pizza before dinner and ended up devouring a 30-inch pizza between 4 people in 30 minutes. Not to be outdone, the Church of the Ascension provided a scrumptious dinner packed with fresh baked ziti, watermelon, and ice cream. We’ve been very lucky to have such generous hosts and hope that luck continues. Later, we found out that the Chipotle on the University of Pittsburgh campus was offering free food. (Special thanks to Alex Ciliberto at Chipotle on Forbes Ave). Not wanting to give up free food, a large contingent of riders walked the 3 miles total for free Chipotle (because who wouldn’t). We’ve got about a 70-mile day tomorrow and we’re excited to see what West Virginia has to offer. Time to get some rest.
We made it to Pittsburgh!
Sitting here in Pittsburgh, it is hard for me to reflect on these past 12 days and share every detail. It has truly been a whirlwind experience. I have encountered some serious challenges, braved steep uphills and headwinds, while taking on rain and scorching heat. I’ve made my way from New City and down to our nation’s beautiful capital, and now to Pittsburgh. I am upwards to 500 miles into the trip, and I have the whole summer, and the whole country, for that matter, at my feet. If the next 9 weeks are anything like the last two, I am absolutely ecstatic to see what this summer has in store for us.I want to thank everyone who has gotten me to where I am today. Thank you to my friends, family, and even people I do not know who so believe in the cause enough to invest in my journey. A special thanks to Lisa Mueller who has devoted much of the last few months to training me. Most especially, thank you to my parents and sister, who have believed in this crazy trip from day one. I could never be where I am today (Pittsburgh, PA) without you guys. You are all the force behind my pedal strokes.In this past two weeks, time and time again, I have been simply in awe of random people’s kindness and generosity. From New York to Pittsburgh, we have encountered people with some of the biggest hearts. On our stay over in New Jersey, we were greeted, after a rainy and cold first day of riding by the family of the Illini 4000’s founder. They opened up their home, as well as their nice, warm showers. They cooked us an incredible meal and showered us with the support we needed to wake up and ride again the following day – taking us to Philadelphia, PA. Upon arrival in Philadelphia, we reached Calvary Methodist Church. An awesome meal of spaghetti and brownies awaited us. The woman who cooked us dinner thanked us so graciously for what we are doing with a meaningful speech of gratitude.This carried us onward to Delaware. The entire team was in great spirits rolling into Newark, Delaware after a quick 40-mile ride, after two days of 70 mile rides. We arrived, unpacked the van, and quickly packed into a small bus that would eventually take us to the local YMCA for showers. This was no ordinary YMCA as it came well equipped with a pool and water park. The pool attendants welcomed us and invited us to dip our dirty feet in the pool. At the YMCA, we met a woman who was brought to tears when she heard of what we are doing, more specifically, whom we are riding for. Her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia a few years back, and because of treatments, she is a year cancer-free. It is truly incredible to see, firsthand, the impact we have while riding across this country. We returned to our stay over, Salem United Methodist Church, where a fine Italian dinner awaited us.We woke up to some serious rain, packed our bags, and got on the road to make our way to Baltimore, MD. It was raining, and Maryland does not mess around when it come to some serious hill climbs, but 70 miles later, we found ourselves at our stay over.We woke up, ready to ride another hilly day. This 70-mile day led us down winding trails and of course, more hills. It was really hot outside and so tiring, but knowing we’d be rolling into one of my favorite cities, kept me pedaling. The best part about arriving in D.C. was knowing that the following day, we had an event day, which means … no riding. Knowing this, after 5 days of road, made everything a little bit better.Onward we moved, and we found ourselves at the feet of the Appalachian Mountains. Knowing this was both exhilarating and terrifying. The day presented us with winding uphill roads and steep climbs. Often, it was hard to even keep pedals, but every time, I made it to the top, feeling even more accomplished than before and being spoiled with beautiful views of the Pennsylvania countryside. I do not think it was any coincidence that the day we hit the mountains was also what the day that would have been my grandma’s 77th birthday, and the following day, the one year anniversary of her death. The mountains I hit we’re easy to climb because they paled in comparison to the mountains she climbed during her 5 year battle with lung cancer.The faces and places are slowly blending together, and I am not quite sure exactly what day it is, but I do know that it is going to be an incredible summer, and I could not be more excited to see where the road will lead me this summer.
Lighting a Candle
“It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
This quote was once said by Eleanor Roosevelt but originates from an old Chinese proverb. To me, it perfectly describes the mission of the Illini 4000. For anyone who has been affected by cancer in any way, the struggle can seem overwhelming. The grief, the frustration, and the hatred of cancer form the darkness that many of us experience. Cancer can induce feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. But instead of wallowing in our sadness, we choose to light a candle of hope, so to speak. We spread that hope across the country through our ride from NYC to San Francisco and the Portraits Project.
June 1st would have been my close friend Shea’s 19th birthday. She passed away last July after a long and courageous battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While I have many other loved ones who have been affected by cancer, Shea’s struggle was the most recent and the one I knew most about. Shea was honestly one of the greatest people I have ever met. She was crazy talented at playing instruments, writing, and art. We could talk for hours about books, movies, and Harry Potter video games. She could make anyone laugh. Above all, she was a kind and loyal friend. I miss her every day.When I arrived at U of I in the fall, I went to every activity and volunteer fair to find my place on campus. When I saw the booth for the Illini 4000, Shea’s death was still fresh in my mind. I immediately felt a strong conviction to join the organization, and I am so incredibly happy that I did. That darkness, that grief, had been weighing upon me for a long time, and this has been the perfect opportunity to do something about it. I absolutely love I4K.The Portraits Project is a fantastic example of the proverb in action. We often talk about how people usually associate stories about cancer with sadness and pain. In reality, people’s stories often hold inspiring messages, helpful advice, and a lot of hope. Our growing collection of stories from across the country definitely contains accounts of hardship and grief, but highlights the courage and hopefulness of patients. Just in the past couple of days, we have heard stories from Katie and Tammy, both cancer survivors. I’m confident that their portraits will provide guidance for other patients who are feeling lost.Sometimes we get angry at cancer. Like yelling crying screaming foot-stomping chair-throwing mad. And that is perfectly okay. But in the long run, it’s much better to channel those feelings toward something productive, like funding research for a cure and providing patient support services. We choose to hope for a future without cancer.
first week
We're now done with just over a week of biking and I've already completely lost track of what day and time it is. It has been a great first week though. So far we've biked through 6 six states and Washington DC. We've been able to see all of the sights in NYC and DC and I even got to meet Matthew Broderick on the first night! We've been crossing the Appalachians the past few days which is tougher than I could have imagined but I've gotten through it. The generosity of everyone at our stayovers and people we meet while biking really helps me while climbing up mountains. It is also a great feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day to see what we are capable of and to know I was able to bike through the mountains. Now I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer!