After a relaxing day in Rochester MN, team 2013 headed out in the rain today towards Albert Lea. Fortunately, we didn't have any thunder today, which didn’t put any danger on cycling. The gusty wind and heavy rain did not stop the team from heaving a good time. We were able to stop at a local gas station. Coffee gave us more energy and we also talked with a few local residents. Now that we are leaving the dense population behind, the team looks for any chance to spread the goal of fighting cancer.The wind continued the whole day, but the heavy rain and gloomy cloud eventually moved away. The golden sunshine, giant wind mills, and rolling hills made the afternoon so much more scenic and enjoyable. The country roads in Minnesota remind us that we are leaving the busy cities and riding towards more sparsely populated areas. Unlike the traffic in the east coast, we barely need to call out for the traffic. The open landscape allows us to ride side by side and talk as we ride. We are all excited about the freedom and adventure in the west.
Relaxin' in Rochester
This morning, most of us woke up and felt so refreshed since we were able to sleep in a bit! Afterwards, a couple of the team members went to the Farmer’s Market to get supplies for breakfast and got to meet some of the people of Rochester and talk about our organization and the objectives of the Illini 4000. Some of our riders went to the Golden Harvest Bread Company and received several loaves of fresh bread and trail mix as food donations! The rest of the day was used to mostly relax and get some bike work in before the ride tomorrow, which was greatly needed. When dinnertime rolled around, we were so lucky to already have a Mexican themed dinner prepared by some of the woman of the Zumbo Lutheran Church! Before we sat down to ate, everyone shared with the rest of the group how they have been affected by cancer, which served as a reminder for what we were doing the ride for. Overall, it was a wonderful day spent in Rochester and we were so fortunate to also meet some special people. Once again, we thank the Zumbro Lutheran Church and the Golden Harvest Bread Company for the wonderful food.
Our Tour of the Mayo Clinic
This morning we were initially faced with some difficulties due to the weather. We decided the night before to have an early wake up so that we would be on time for our tour at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. However, the thunderstorms set us back a bit and we left later than we expected to. One group didn't leave until later and so Taylor was kind enough to invite them into the church for some coffee, which was very kind of him. Despite the set-backs, all of us rode hard and were persistent so that we made it to Rochester on time. Once we made it to Rochester, we went to take a tour of the Mayo Clinic, and we met the organizer for the Cancer Education Center and a hematologist, who was a former volleyball player who had been affected by Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. We also met the head nurse of the chemo suite, who explained about how they are able to manage so many patient treatments and answered our questions. We were fortunate to hear about the Mayo Clinic and what it does for so many people, and we were happy to learn more about it.
Into La Crosse
Today we woke up and left St. John Lutheran Church, after doing team announcements and making the ride dedication for Bradley Hettinger. The route today was a bit hilly, but we were lucky enough to have really nice roads to ride on. We would have liked to ride on the bike trails in Wisconsin, however the trails weren’t paved and we might have faced some bike issues as a result of that. Our route still took us through the same towns the bike trails did, and many of the riders had fun at the bike-related gift shops and landmarks. Some riders even got a discount at an ice cream stand by having a bike that matched their color of the day.Many of our riders kept a quick pace to get to the stayover early. Once we reached the First Presbyterian church, we were bussed across the Mississippi River to Dr. Chirs’ house. It was fantastic! We enjoyed a cookout, a pool, a hot tub, a campfire, and kayaking on the river after our 87 mile ride. The team returned to the stayover rested and ready for the following morning’s early wakeup.Thank you First Presbyterian church and Dr. Chris for making our stay in La Crosse, Wisconsin so memorable!
A very nice day to ride
Today we left from Madison, Wisconsin heading to Reedsburg, Wisconsin for a 66 mile ride. The weather was brisk in the morning, but turned into a beautiful and sunny day with a small tail-wind. At mile 44 the team stopped at Devil’s Lake State Park for lunch and went swimming in the clear lake water. The lake water was warm and it was awesome to have a good swim after 40 miles of cycling. At the lunch rest stop, some riders talked to the local tourists to introduce I4K and spread our idea.Tonight we got to the St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church located in Reedsburg and were welcomed by members of the parish who gave us ice cream suggestions and told us where to find the pool. After dinner, some of the riders decided to explore the town for the local music festival and some riders decided to relax for tomorrow’s 87 mile ride.Thank you St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church for hosting our team for the fifth time. We also want to thank the local Pizza Hut for the food donations.
[Journal] Day 5; Baltimore, MD - Washington DC
"Don't ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." - John F. KennedyFor each nation, its capital city symbolizes the history, culture, and people. Washington DC is not an exception, and I truly admire what true American spirit represents.The story of my mother nation, S.Korea, starts with almost 5,000 years of history. There has been so many different events and incidents, some glorious, some gruesome, some dark and full of sorrow.It was just about 68 years ago when my nation regained its independence (08.15.1945). Back then everything seemed so miserable that no one would truly believe this nation can rise up soon. Believe or not, my nation's capital city Seoul held 1988 Olympic Game, just 43 years after a long turmoil of foreign invasion had ended. G11 Conference was held in S.Korea couple of years ago, and some of the major companies well known such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and Doosan's electronic appliances, motorized vehicles and power plants play the major role in the world industrial pool.What I am so amazed about the culture in America is that people remember those who have sacrificed themselves to protect freedom of this nation. American people appreciate their troops fighting off mainland, respect veterans of previous wars, and honor past generations.In Asia, the trend has been changed so drastically that the younger generation does not appreciate the values taught for a long time in the past anymore. The conflict among older generations and younger generation is one of the major political and cultural issues within most Asian countries these days. The awareness of sacrifice that is required for the true liberty is not highly valued at all. It simply is due to the human nature; selfishness. However, the degree is becoming more serious.My great grandfather's generation fought for my nation's freedom, and my grand father's generation fought to protect the liberty of my nation. My father's generation simply brought the whole new level of prosperity to my nation, and I hope my generation can bring the future generation a wisdom for one simple lesson; Freedom, to be earned, not to be given. To do so, sometimes comes the great responsibility and sacrifice. I hope I'm not afraid of those challenges, and that is why I'm part of Illini 4000 today.Great job, all members of I4K for reaching this far, and let's continue our journey and remember what we have been doing this for!
Where I'm Going and Where I've Been
It’s been four days since I left Chicago. That’s four days since the “real adventure” started. I say the “real adventure,” because in all honesty, we’ve had it pretty good the last twenty-six days. We’ve had the opportunity to take showers at least every other day, have had the comforts of populated rest stops such as McDonald’s and gas stations, and have been blessed by our hosts’ incredible hospitality and absurd amounts of food. We’ve had it much better than past teams, and in the first twenty-two days, most of us knew we were headed to our homeland in Chicago.But that has changed. We aren’t headed towards familiarity where our family and friends are. Now we are headed away into the unknown. We are headed towards less populated areas where we won’t be able to buy lunch, where showers won’t always be available, and where we will finally have to face the reality of pasta, lentils, and oatmeal. For a portion of our trip, we’ll be the trailblazers, the test drivers, and the guinea pigs for the new route. But it’s not as bad as it sounds. Much of the stories we’ve heard from past riders take place in the last two-thirds of our trip. Wall Drug, the Badlands, Yellowstone, bagged milk, San Francisco—all of these are just highlights of what we’re going to see. We may not know all of what lies ahead, but we do know one thing: It’s going to be awesome.I mean, just look at the incredible time we’ve had in our three days in Wisconsin. We’ve seen the sunset on a lake twice (some of us even got up early to watch it rise), discovered the incredible delight that is bagged chocolate milk, sampled cheese curds, swam in at least two different lakes, played intense games of “My Cow,” and enjoyed the incredibly beautiful scenery of Wisconsin. And I’m not exaggerating about the last part; the woods, hills, farms, and fields are breathtaking! I have no doubts that this is my favorite state so far (sorry Pennsylvania!).And this is just one state! I can’t even put into words how excited I am over what is to come. I can’t wait to see the people I’m going to meet, the roads I am going to ride, and the memories I am going to make. Yeah, the unknown is going to be awesome.
Bagged Milk and Badgers
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.
In Wisconsin
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 ride was not as easy as anticipated because of the hot weather. We decided to take the ride slow to take in all the scenery along the beautiful bike trails up to Wisconsin.Tonight’s stayover was provided by the parents of Illini 4000 Alumnus Brad Topol. Mr. and Mrs. Topol welcomed the team with warm showers and delicious food. Some team members walked the short walk down to Lake Geneva to enjoy the beautiful sunset. The previous members of I4K explained to us that the ride “officially” started today after we left Illinois since we are heading away from family and toward San Francisco. We are all looking forward to the upcoming adventures, people, and experiences we will have in the post Illinois part of the trip.
Family, Friends, and a Whole Lotta Food
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 the way. In the morning, we hosted a ride-along event. Family, friends, and Illini 4000 alumni met us at the Buckingham Fountain. From there, we rode 16 miles on the Lake Front Trail to a forest preserve. It was a really fun and cool way to show some of our supporters what it feels like to be a part of the Illini 4000 Bike American Team. Once we reached the forest preserve, the team enjoyed a cookout prepared by our families. Thanks to all the people who brought dishes to share and who helped cook the food! The cookout was a great way to say goodbye to Illinois, as we make our way north towards Wisconsin. Another thanks to Trinity United Church of Christ for letting us stay at their church and for cooking dinner for us.At our stayover, we had the pleasure of talking with Wendy Hughes, an inspirational woman who has spent the last year battling duodenal cancer, a rare type of cancer that only 20 people a year are diagnosed with. Wendy experienced nausea shortly after discovering a lump in her abdomen. After a week of extensive testing, she was diagnosed with cancer of that had spread to her liver and the surrounding area. That evening she called her brother, only to find that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Wendy went through several treatments and procedures and was put on a lifelong chemo treatment. Since her family had no history with cancer, Wendy found support from Gilda’s Club. Wendy celebrated her first anniversary in April, and is still battling cancer. She talked to us about how crucial it was for her to find a support group. “My family doesn’t have cancer. There’s a lot of stuff I can tell them, but they’re not gonna really understand. So I found Gilda’s Club and I found my support group. Everybody there understands. When you say, ‘I’m tired; the chemo makes me tired,’ it’s not like, ‘I want to take a nap, I’m tired,’ it’s like an ‘I’ve been hit by a bus’ kind of tired. You don’t even understand what it’s like unless you’ve been there.” Wendy also talked to us about the importance of having a good attitude. “I just decided that from the beginning that, what am I gonna do, sit home and be sad all the time? No, I’m gonna be positive and things are gonna be fine. I’m gonna work my way through this. As weird as it seems, cancer has kinda changed my life for the good, because you just really appreciate things so much more. Everyone says, ‘Stop and smell the flowers.’ Well, I actually do that now. Because you don’t know how much time you’re gonna have. I’ve just become a totally different person.”
Chicago
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 riders resting at home. Tomorrow the team will travel to Deerfield.
Chicago Arrival and Ride Along Events!
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 see you there!(REVISIONS - See below)Join the Illini 4000 for their annual Ride Along and Cookout this Sunday, June 16th. The team is inviting any and all supporters to be part of the ride as the team departs Chicago and heads north. Meet at Buckingham Fountain by 9:30 am for a planned 10:00 departure. The ride will will head north on the Lakefront Path to the Wilson Ave parking lot (7 miles). From there the team will meet up with other participants at the Wilson Ave parking lot along the Lakefront Trail (10:30am). We will continue onto the North Channel Trail and end at Caldwell Woods, Grove 3 (16 miles) where we will have a large cookout and enjoy the hopefully beautiful summer day. We encourage anyone to do the whole route. We are asking for a $10 donation to ride and a $10 donation if you plan on eating lunch with the team.We hope to see you there!If you are able to bring any food/supplies for the barbecue, please let us know here!
Almost to Chicago
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 visit physical therapist, and he has several cancer patients as clients. When he was eighteen, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and later died of bone cancer and his brother died of liver cancer. He explained how his mother’s passing affected his family and how he supported his younger sister, who was only eight at the time. Robert found that his faith played a large part in his coping methods. As someone who has seen several people become diagnosed with the illness, he had several pieces of advice for us. “If you got cancer, deal with it, and if you’re a family member, support them in any way you can. They’ll be days that they’ll be so miserable that they’re gonna want to die. You just gotta be there to support them. Do whatever it takes. Put them before you. And live everyday like it’s your last, and do the best you can. Treat people right, and hopefully you’ll get it back.”The ride was just 54 miles, but a headwind gave our riders some trouble. To refuel, we enjoyed an awesome BBQ at the home of a former rider, Lindsey Rock. Her family was all too generous in making us burgers and potato salad accompanied by tons of homegrown veggies and fruits. As most of the riders were tired from struggling during the first half against the winds, we also took short naps in their sunny backyard. After such a great rest stop, we were all more than ready to tackle the rest of the ride.While enjoying the delicious lunch, are team met Lindsey’s friend, Kellie Alexa. Kellie’s mother was diagnosed with leukemia while Kellie was in 7th grade. Her cancer was treated and given a slim chance of returning. Two days before the start of Kellie’s freshman year, her mother’s cancer returned and she died a few months later. Kellie explained that she didn’t take it seriously at first, and then when it came back, she didn’t know what to think. “I ignored it. I completely ignored it. I said, ‘I’m fine, nothing happened.’ I probably ignored it for the first month or so, and then I would come home after a while and realize that it was real, and that was really hard. But I still played volleyball. I just wanted to be with my friends because the more people you are around, the less real it is.” Kellie explained how important her friends were as her support. “I told my friends, and they knew about it. They would go with me to the hospital to see my mom. They were all really supportive. They didn’t really know how to talk to me about it, but I could tell that they would struggle and I would tell them, ‘Guys it doesn’t affect me.’ But you have to talk about it to get through it. It’s not something you can keep hidden inside of you because it will never go away if you hide it from yourself. I had so many friend’s moms always there. Even when Lindsey was in college, I would go to her house and say, ‘Mrs. Rock, listen to me whine. Mrs. Rock, listen to me cry. Mrs. Rock, feed me.’ There was always someone’s mom there to help you, because that’s what moms do. You don’t have to just be a mom to your own kid. If you’re a mom, you’re a mom. You help everyone. It’s what all of my friend’s mom have done.”As a final thought, Kellie gave us some great advice. “If something bad happens to you, you can’t just dwell on it forever. You can’t be sad; you can’t say, ‘This happened to me, now I’m gonna be sad for the rest of my life. I’m not going to try hard to be good,’ because it’s not going to do anything. You should try to be the most positive and outgoing person you can be for the rest of your life and make people happy, even when you’re not. It’s a sort of gift, because you can see what other people cannot. If someone else is upset, you need to make them happy. I remember people on my basketball team being all, ‘Oh no, I didn’t make a shot. I’m going to go to the locker room and cry.’ So I would try to go in there and be loud and obnoxious and poke them and be all, ‘Hey, hey, why are you so upset?’ and make them smile just because I knew that not making a shot is not the worst thing that can happen to you.”Once we got to the stay over, some of us took showers at the local pool, thanks to the generosity of the our hosts who were willing to drive us there. By the time each group had completed the ride and taken their showers, dinner was ready. Today's meal was… tacos! We have been so fortunate that our stay overs cook us such great food each night. After dinner, the team had a meeting to discuss the logistics of our arrival into Chicago. We are very excited to reach another major city, as well as to see our friends and family members who may live around the area. For those of you reading, please feel free to come great us tomorrow at The Bean at noon. Thanks for reading, and we appreciate all your support!A special thanks to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Rock family for their generosity.
A way overdue blog post!
OH MY GOODNESS. So it has only been 20 days since we first started our trip but we are already going to be in Chicago tomorrow! Before I continue on with this post, I just have to talk about my experiences in the Appalachian Mountains. When we were told that the mountains would be tough, I initially thought, "Alright, I can deal with this. After all, I've survived marathons." However, once I got on those climbs, my perspective changed completely. When I was climbing up the mountains, all I could think about was how I could ski down these if there was snow on the ground! The mountains were steep, never-ending, winding roads. I honestly thought numerous times that I was going to do an unintentional wheelie and fall back down from where I climbed up. In addition to the climbs of the mountains, I cannot forget about the descent. After I went down my first descent, I was so much more motivated to climb up to the top of the mountains because the downhills were SO fun! I remember this one downhill was a 12% grade for 3/4 mile and I got up to 42 mph! It was so much fun and it reminded me of skiing, but I can't deny that there were some turns that made me nervous. Overall, it was awesome and I just kept in mind what I was working for while doing the uphill climbs.When I think about the tough moments that I have encountered during I4K, I keep reminding myself that I can do it and most importantly, I remind myself what I am doing this trip for and who I am biking for. With this mentality, it makes each day even more meaningful and it makes me stronger when I am facing uphill climbs, head-winds and rain during long rides. There is no doubt that I got stronger each day and that the mountains were very hard but luckily, each day I had wonderful teammates and we helped talk each other throughout the difficult moments and we made it! Here I am, back in the sweet, sweet, flat Midwest.It's funny how we are all in our own little I4K world and we forget what day it is and all we know is that each day we'll be together riding on our bikes all day. I love it since I am constantly surrounded by wonderful people that I love. Speaking about wonderful people, I cannot get over how kind and loving strangers have been to us. Their generosity is so heart-warming and it truly restores my faith in humanity. I just can't get over it, and it just makes me so happy. That being said, I am definitely looking forward to continuing this ride while fighting cancer and to also find out the West has in store for us.
Dipping my back wheel in the Atlantic.
Hot and Humid
Today was really hot and humid. After we said good bye to our campus, we rode 64 miles from Champaign to Clifton. We had a bike along event today and were very fortunate to have received bagels, fruit snacks, nuts and fruit juice for breakfast. A big THANK YOU to all for joining us at our event today! Before our ride began, Je entertained us with his rendition of Gangnam Style, and our ride was dedicated to Robert Orr, Jordan's grandpa who is battling prostate cancer. Yesterday, some of us took advantage of being on our home ground and visited Champaign Cycle, our local bike store, to get new bike gears in order to accelerate the rest of our journey. One of our riders, Peter, got a unique basket attached to his handle bar; while the other member, Yang, got two panniers attached to his rear wheel.We are staying at the Zion Lutheran Church for the night, and they cooked up a great dinner for us. They had also offered to take us to the nearby pool for shower facilities. On top of that, one of our members, Jordan, had her family come down and visit us at our stay over and gave us a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our tean would like to extend our gratitude to both our host for the night and Jordan's family.Right now we are waiting for a thunder storm to pass - we were initially very worried that we would get rained upon on our ride here from Champaign but we were lucky we managed to avoid the downpour. Our team got really excited about the impending storm and started to dance the rain dance under the night sky. We hope it will pass soon and get sunny tomorrow!
[Journal] Day 4; Newark, DE - Baltimore, MD
"Because the Mountain is there." - George MallorySome people ask why we live in such a rough place.I have an answer for that question simply as the quote above.The mountain has been there even before I was born. Who am I to blame or complain for?If I don't want that mountain to be in front of me, blocking my path, then I climb up!Sometimes I feel so embarrassed to look at myself complaining each and every day. I forget so many times how much blessed I am. Some people don't even get to complain about things simply because they never had those before.One of the famous German cyclist, Jens Voigt, was once interviewed while he was on the cycling competition. The reporter asked what he does when he feels tired and wants to quit. Here is his answer."Shut up, legs!"Since my fellow I4K member showed me that video of the Jens Voigt's interview, I do pretty much the same thing everyday whenever I face the obstacles that seem so big to overcome or get through."Shut up! Show me some appreciation! You are healthy enough to be on your bike, to climb the mountain, to do what you believe in!"Day 4 was definitely one of those days that I was challenged.And I truly appreciate that I can face those challenges......
[Journal] Day 3; Philadelphia, PA - Newark, DE
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King Jr.My wife's name is Haeley.Her original Korean name is Haedeun, meaning the hill where the sun shines. I always thought it is such a pretty name. She is also the most beautiful person I have ever met in my life.Haeley's aunt was the victim of the brain cancer, who passed away several years ago. I never had a pleasure to meet her when she was alive. Based on what Haeley has been telling me about aunt Kim, she sure is an amazing woman.Each day I4K members gather up and dedicate the ride of the day to one of those who passed away due to cancer. On our Day 3, I suggested the dedication to aunt Kim, who would be watching I4K's journey from heaven.As we approach closer and closer to Appalachian Mountains area, hills become higher and longer. Some might think it is crazy thing to do, but it is just the part of the training for I4Ks. Higher the hill, Stronger we become!So far we are blessed so much with great hosts. I would like to say thanks to Calvary Methodist Church and Salem United Methodist Church for their kindness and prayers for us. With all your support, we ride each day with gratefulness and enthusiasm. I4K's mission is simple; To serve the people in need like those who have served us.Thanks everyone for reading this message, and may God bless you all!
[Journal] Day 2; North Brunswick, NJ - Philadelpia, PA
"If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." - Corinthians 13:3What a great weather for riding today! Sunny and warm with summer breeze.Before I start this journal, I want to give this long overdue tribute to Sangakar Family.This family is such a blessing for all I4K members. We were hosted in this family's lovely home with a great hospitality we cannot explain enough of it. The world truly shines because of people like Sangakars. You truly are the best and God may bless your family for your generosity to your neighbors and fellows.I would like to also express the appreciation for Pastor Young Woo Suh, his family and his church's followers. The pastor invited my dear team members Shun, Jaqueline, and me over to his house and cooked delicious Korean cuisines. Thanks once again for your kindness and I simply pray for all of your church people.Today's Riding Mileage totals 69.15 according to the cue provided to I4K members during the morning announcement. Unlike Day 1, we had a gorgeous weather. All I4K members started facing fair amount of hills on their way, but there exists no hills big enough to block from pedaling!Except Jacqueline, all my group members were males, and we were flying over the hills for a whole day. I would like to say 'Great Job!' for Jacqueline for keeping up strong with almost-all-male group. That is what I4K spirit is capable of.On our way to the stay-over place, Calvary Methodist Church, we had a great chance to take a look at University of Pennsylvania's campus in downtown Philadelphia. This is my second time in Philadelphia, but I never had a chance to look around the downtown area before. Other than my teammate Aash getting stuck on the Trolly track and fall, my group didn't encounter any dangerous moments for the day.Thanks for all your supports once again, and great job today, all 2013 I4Ks!
Champaign Arrival and Ride Along Info
Hello I4K Supporters!For any of you living in the Champaign-Urbana area, come help us welcome the 2013 Bike America team to Champaign at our welcoming event, hosted by the Alice Campbell Alumni Center! The team will be riding into Champaign at 2 PM, and will meet at the Alumni Center (located at 601 S. Lincoln Ave, Urbana) to greet the supporters and enjoy some great food!Additionally, on Wednesday, June 12th, you can meet the team at 9:00 am at the Alumni Center to join them for part of their ride. We will have two designated ride options of 39 or 53 miles that will loop back and end at Champaign Cycle where participants will be welcomed with cold treats! Recommended donation is $10:We hope you can join us!The Illini 4000
Home Sweet Home!
Today's ride was from Rockville to Champaign, 73 miles. We had a few interesting things today. One thing was that we had awesome BBQ lunch at Tori's house in stead of PB&J! Also, some of us enjoyed pony riding and riding an unicycle at Tory's farm. Another thing is that some former I4K riders biked along with us from Homer Lake! We finally got back to our home at UIUC. Many of our, friends, family and supporters kindly welcomed us at the Alice Campbel Alumni Center; even the news media were there! We were so excited about the reunion and sharing our adventures with those great people! We were fully recharged to continue our journey (especially because we gained an hour coming back from Indiana).