Day 6: A Nice Path Forward

Thursday, May 28th, 2015

Start/End: Syracuse/Palmyra, NY
Mileage: 65 miles
Weather: overcast & cool, with warming later in the day

Yesterday at dinner, our team was told that today we would be riding 65 miles, which was met with cheers and sighs of relief. This is funny because if you had told me a year ago that I would find riding 65 miles in a single day easy, I would have told you that we likely were not understanding each other. But nonetheless, we started the day at the usual time and we’re delighted to find that members of St. Paul’s Episcopal church had prepared a bountiful breakfast with muffins and pastries, fruit, yoghurt and a wide selection of juices, which were very appreciated. They showed us so much kindness during our stay.

Today our ride was dedicated to a rider’s friend’s step-mother who passed away peacefully in her sleep 2 nights ago. She had battled cancer and had been in remission when the disease returned. She left behind a wonderful family, who were definitely in our thoughts today as we rode.

We started our “short” ride in Syracuse, which was a little chaotic because of street construction, road closures and some traffic. It was totally manageable for our team of pros, though. After getting out of town, we realized that we had a really solid headwind (I.e. We were biking into the wind). This was challenging, but a part of our journey since our route goes east to west. It was also rather chilly, which was definitely new for us on this trip. During our first rest stop about 20 miles in, many of us grabbed jackets for the remainder of the ride. At the rest stop, we got a chance to speak with many local community members who were visiting a local shop and tell them about our organization. One cashier who I spoke to actually had a friend who was a cancer survivor who ran across the country with a relay team to fight cancer. And we thought biking was hard….

The ride was a good mix of rolling hills and countryside, with a few larger hills interspersed. There are so many farms in this region- it almost reminds me of home, except there are way more trees and hills.

We did continue near the Erie Canal Trailway, though most groups stuck to riding on the road, where it was nicely paved. The only small downfall was the occasional roadkill. This is not uncommon, but today we saw many frogs who had met their end…which really led some in my riding group to wonder if frogs were falling from the sky….

At lunchtime, we at in a town square near Clyde’s Famous Mineral Spring, or so it was labelled; however, it sadly did not work….and we filled up our water bottles the conventional way.

Unfortunately at that point, I needed to take a break due to knee trouble from a pre-existing injury and rode in the van and got to see what the role of the van driver is, especially when arriving at the stay over location. Riders who qualify will rotate through this position throughout the trip.

Tonight we are staying at Cross Creek Free Methodist Church which prepared some awesome camping showers, fluffy towels, great snacks and a delicious, warm dinner of pasta and meatballs. Additionally we do have wifi, which is always a nice perk when people can reconnect. I know some riders were using Skype and other methods to get ahold of family and friends. We continue to be so thankful to everyone who has helped us along this journey.

Tomorrow we have a very short ride but lots of events planned for Rochester, so I am very excited! But in leui of this, I must get some sleep in preparation. Good night and thanks for reading :)

-LAH

Five Days In

Thursday, May 28th, 2015

So far so good. I think everyone is starting to feel the 350+ miles we have pedaled so far. Although we are sore, we are constantly reminded of the reason for our journey between the hospitality we receive and the stories we hear. One woman we met just outside of Albany lost her nine year old son to cancer three years ago. Despite the tragedy, she created an organization dedicated to helping the community and families struggling with cancer in order to continue her son`s legacy. It was a truly inspiring story and one I though of constantly the next few days.
Not only have we meet incredible people, but the team also sees some pretty amazing views. Riding through the foothills of mountains is breathtaking and the hard treck up the hills is often rewarded with a luscious view.
Continuing to have a fun time with the team and getting to know all of the riders better. I could never do this without them, nor the support of friends and family. For example yesterday I had three flat tires and even though changing each flat was time consuming and difficult, it was fun with my riding buddies!
Hope to write soon! Pray for wifi at more stayovers!

Day 5: A Day for Historical Perspectives

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

Start/End: Little Falls/Syracuse, NY
Mileage: 80+
Weather: Partly cloudy/Isolated t-storms/Warm, kinda windy

Today we started out in Little Falls with a ride dedication to Dave Benton, a local newscaster from Champaign, IL (where are group is based). A few months ago he had come out on the air that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. Yesterday he had passed away so we thought this was a great way to remember him.

Today’s ride was relatively wonderful. The path continued along the Eerie Canal Trailway, though we didn’t necessarily follow it the entire route. It wasn’t nearly as hilly as some of the past days, though the end of the route was pretty tough in terms of hill climbing (and traffic). There was a slight concern about the weather but we only experienced a few sprinkles, while more intense rain formed behind us.

Something that I have found particularly interesting is the amount of castle-like structures here. Some of the, are even labelled as castles. Yesterday we saw some beautiful mansions, or at least their driveways… This must have been a very prosperous region in the early development of e country. Today we passed the birthplace of Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the U.S. Yesterday we passed the home of Franklin Roosevelt, so clearly some high power in this region! Additionally, we passed a battlefield from the War of 1812. There was a nice field with a memorial obelisk to those who had fought in the battle. Can you tell that I love history?

In addition to presidents, we passed through the town of Chittanango, NY, the birthplace of Frank Baum who authored the Wizard of Oz. the town had some pretty cool signs in tribute to their famous connection to such a timeless movie.

Let’s see…. We passed some beautiful fields of purple and yellow flowers and my group, who went slightly off-path, crossed over the Erie Canal Lock 21. It was smaller and had a bike path over it, so I don’t think it was a major lock, but still pretty cool!

We had a rest stop at the Erie Canal Village, which has a new owner that is working to re-do and re-establish this awesome historical park. They were super accommodating in allowing us to fill up out water coolers and use their facilities. They hope to be able to work with us in the future, either through hosting an event (potentially for portraits) or even as a place to stay. Regardless,mid you are in the area,mc heck them out! They are still looking for some funding for re-establishing the park.

Today we experienced an abundance of kindness and generosity. The YMCA in Little Falls was fantastic in hosting us. Today we received very generous food donations from Chipotle and Pastabilities which we are very excited to eat. Again, we cannot stress how much we cannot do this ride without the generosity of others. Tonight we are in Syracuse at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, which has been awesome. We were able to use a neighboring YMCA to shower and the church members treated us as we rode in! Additionally, when we arrived, there were cookies and chips and all sorts of wonderful ness. We have great dishes to eat for dinner, including salad, chicken salad sandwiches, a quinoa dish and watermelon!

We are so grateful to be eating well, and staying places comfortably. Thank you so much to everyone who has been so amazing. A few team members experienced an abundance of flat tires, but they are changing their tires, which will help prevent this in the future. Other than that, it was a smooth, fast day. I even took a nap before dinner, which was pretty nice. Some group members collected a portrait along the route, which is great to continue the purpose of the organization. We are all really starting to get the feel of how this summer will work out and *knock on wood*, things are going smoothly. So until tomorrow….may the winds be at your back!
-LAH

Day 4: Loose Gravel

Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

Start/End: Delmar, NY/Little Falls, NY
Mileage: ~75 miles
Weather: Warm, humid, light showers, slightly windier than proffered

I do greatly apologize but I forgot to speak about yesterday’s ride dedication! Yesterday’s ride was dedicated to a friend of a rider who lost his battle to stage four colon cancer this past winter. Yesterday would have been his 23rd birthday.

Today. I am not sure how to start today’s article because it was just great. We woke up and did all of our morning tasks, and then got a (much needed) yoga class at the Bethlehem YMCA that we stayed at. They provided us with so much wonderful food and excellent facilities, including laundry, that we are just so thankful for their support and generosity. Illini 4000 is just so grateful for people/organizations like this.

Today’s ride was dedicated to a rider’s friend’s mom who lost her battle with cancer many years ago when her son was in 8th grade. This was tough on the rider’s friend to go through high school and college, and probably the rest of his life, without his Mom.

After being a little bit more stretched out, we got on our bikes to start the journey. Before too long, we had a cue that instructed us to turn on a path…it was gravel…large rock gravel…but many groups powered through it deciding to do it, despite potential risks to flat tires, and remarkably, no injuries or flats! Great success. As we continued westward, we came across Albany, a rather cute town that perhaps one day would come back to visit. Grabbed our first snack break and headed off on the Erie Canal trail. This paved beautiful road was extraordinary, and we actually got to see the canal locks(where boats go through). It was a great trail until we got quite a ways away from Albany where the path is not yet paved. It had a much finer gravel which was much easier to bike across.

At lunch, we got a chance to meet Sandy, a past rider/ride leader from the first and second year of the ride respectively. She was gracious enough to bring us some amazing Popsicles to help cool us down on this hot day. After lunch, Sandy joined our group and showed us how riding was really supposed to be done in a group :) She rocked at cues and it was a lot of fun to hear stories from about the first pioneering days.

The end of the ride was modified on account of a mudslide, which as we were told blocked the bike trail significantly. We re-routed in different ways, but all ways were much hillier than the bike path but we all fought through until the end. Some riders have said that on e downhills they have reached 40 mph on their bikes. That is way too fast for me, and many other riders to feel comfortable, so don’t worry. We are making good use of our brakes, for the most part. We are now comfortably nestled in a gym of the YMCA that is here. It is a great facility that is close to our route. We got to interact with a lot of community members and tell them about our organization, which is awesome.

Illini 4000 would like to give a huge shoutout to Freeman Bridge Sports InC (www.freemanbridgesports.com and at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Freemans-Bridge-Sports/658688384178498) for repairing bikes that had needed some more intricate repairs on such short notice and for being incredibly generous with their labor. As I know I have already said before, we could not do this ride without people like you. Thank you for everything!

No new injuries today that I am aware of and everyone who was injured is healing quite nicely. Great day today. Time to get some sleep!

Blast From the Past

Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

Assistant Ride Leader’s Log. Bike Date 3.15-05-26.19:40

Today Tony, Lauraleigh, and I had the amazing opportunity to ride with one of the riders that rode both the first and second year of Illini 4000. Sandy was kind enough to drive an hour and a half to bring Popsicles for the entire team and they were a perfect way to cool down a bit in the 80 degree weather. I really enjoyed getting to hear about how she got involved with Illini 4000 and how she was connected to the cause. It’s really amazing how a brand new organization can have a post on a cycling website that happens to be seen by a girl from New York that had been looking to do something similar for a loved one who had cancer. I hope that we get a chance to meet more and more Illini 4000 alumni over the course of the summer because you get to learn about them as a person and why they decided to dedicate their time and energy to Illini 4000. That reminder that you are doing this ride for so many more people than just yourself is what makes the difference in tackling the next big hill.

First Encounter

Monday, May 25th, 2015

Assistant Ride Leader’s Log. Bike Date 2.15-05-25.22:26

Today the Enterprise got its first flat tire. It’s an everyday thing in the cycling world and was like a 20 minute fix. I’d say it marks a milestone in me actually becoming a cyclist. The fancy shoes, padded shorts, and cool bike do not make a cyclist. If getting the gear is level 1, I’d say learning to ride while clipped in is level 2, being able to cycle as a team probably brings you up to level 3. I would like to think this brought me to a level 4. While I still have hundreds of levels to go, its learning to deal with these things that counts.

Today we did our first 3 portraits of the ride. I didn’t get to help interview today, but I look forward to it in the future. There are some very amazing people out there who face cancer and I’ll be lucky to talk to even a few of them. After all, that is the mission of Illini 4000 and the bike Enterprise.

Day 3: A Different Kind of Memorial Day

Monday, May 25th, 2015

Start/Stop: Beacon/Albany, NYC
Weather: A little more bit warmer than preferred
Distance: 91+ miles

Happy Memorial Day! And thank you for those who have served our country and given the ultimate sacrifice.

Today was an ok start to the day. We ran a tiny bit behind, but not significantly, leaving our stay over at 7:20 AM after packing up the van, eating oatmeal, and putting on lots of sunscreen.

It was such a much less stressful ride today due to the difference in the road setup. We followed a state highway most of the trip which was mostly cycling friendly, and so were most of the drivers, which is always a good thing. Today came equipped with 2 major challenges: the long distance and the many hills. Some were long with a not as steep grade while others did have a steep climb. It sure tested those of us from the MidWest, not accustomed to this, but will prepare us for whatever comes.

It was kind of a lot of fun today because we rode through at own just before their parade started. Some people clapped and waved at us while some kids wondered why we had no candy :) The second town with a parade had already started the parade so we had to be re-routed.mthis is always a little confusing as we are not familiar with the area- so sometimes we have to pull over and check our smartphones for mapping purposes (thanks Mom and Dad!).

All in all, though, it was a good day. We had to stay very hydrated because of the heat, but that was ok.

Arriving at our stay over at the Bethlehem YMCA, we found amazing food prepared for us, burgers, hotdogs, pasta, fruit, cookies and truly anything else I could’ve wanted. The team was fed incredibly well, then had a chance to collect some portraits for the Portraits Project, use the pool/hottub, shower and sleep on the hockey rink (not frozen/wet).

Today we had a few mishaps, including a rider getting in a decent fight with the road; however, she is all patched up! There was also a bike that is needing some more involved repairs which will likely be done in a bike shop tomorrow. There were a few flats, a bee sting, and maybe other minor things, but again, happy to report that we are all doing well, settling down to bed now!

Oh! And something I did think of, if you have a child/friend/etc. on this trip who hasn’t reached out to you during this trip, it may be because there are not a ton of updates. My text history looks like: “Up and out for more riding”, “45 miles: tired”, “done. Eating a lot”. Soooo don’t hesitate to start the conversation! It may end up being more interesting than my text messages :)

That’s all for tonight! Off to another cozy night of sleep.

Day 2: Looking for Beacon (of hope)

Monday, May 25th, 2015

Start/Stop Location: NYC/Beacon, NY
Mileage: 70 miles
Weather: Beautiful

Today was extraordinary. And I am quite fatigued so I do so apologize for the potential short or ramble-y.

We started off very early so that we could make it to Manhattan (we were staying in Brooklyn) to pick up our bikes so that we could start out our ride….
And this is where I stopped my blog last night because I totally fell asleep…so let’s pick up from there!

We picked up our bikes at the Damon Runyon Foundation and walked them to Battery Park. Several of us took pictures near the Bull of Wall Street which was pretty cool. At the park, we pumped up our tires and did lots of pictures (which I am sure can be found on the team Facebook page, or Instagram). Then we did a ride dedication, which is done everyday. Today was dedicated to a rider’s grandmother, who lost her fight to 4 different types of cancers. She was a math and physics teacher and really had a huge impact on this rider, and likely many others. From there, we rolled out.

I found biking in NYC rather stressful, even though there was not much traffic. There were a lot of very athletic cyclists training at the time, so they zoomed right past. Once we got into New Jersey, though, we followed the Hudson River Bike Path. It was shared between cyclists and pedestrians and at some points vehicles, but this was beautiful. We did quite a few miles,mad our first rest stop to fill up water and eat a banana before heading back into New York State. By the time we had returned we were in a beautiful part of the state that was a little busy but quite bike friendly. It was like everyone was riding a bike! It was great.

After lunch and a third snack break (oh and lots of cycling) we were about 15 miles out. This did not seem like a big deal, until several members of my group got flat tires- oops! So we worked together as a team pretty well to get everyone to know how to do this and get them changed. This set us back, but we kept rolling. When we made

The Journey Starts

Monday, May 25th, 2015

We did it! Officially pedaled away from Lady Liberty in NYC and am now in Albany, NY. Although the rides can be long and challenging, my teammates keep me moving as well as all of those I know affected by cancer. When departing from Union station, I met a woman who was just diagnosed with cancer two weeks prior, and although she was still processing the news, she was deeply touched by our fundraising and ride goals. When arriving to the station, I was nervous about the trip, but after talking to her I realized how much our actions mean to people and became confident in the journey. I thought of her often while scaling the hills in New York and New Jersey the first day. Feel free to follow me on Instagram for pictures of the ride! @halko.takes.usa

Maiden Voyage

Sunday, May 24th, 2015

Assistant Ride Leaders Log. Bike Date 1.15-05-24.21:30

Today the Enterprise and I successfully navigated the bike paths of New York City, visited New Jersey, and rode up long inclines that challenge the Illinois Residents’ idea of a “hill”. Despite the rest of the fleet experiencing everything from flat tires – 3 total involving 5 different replacement tubes – to dropped chains and more, we all made it safely to our stay over. I’ve definitely learned that the most critical thing of cycling in a group is being able to adapt to each other’s needs and wants. Whether it’s changing your pace or how you spend your stops, getting everyone to the destination in a good shape is what’s important.

Tomorrow we are about to tackle 90 miles and while it’s a bit daunting, I’m excited to see more gorgeous scenery like that I saw today.

Day 1: Meeting Damon Runyon and New York City

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

It has been a busy day. We got into New York last night around 11:20 PM…By the time that we got some food, unpacked our bikes and got to where we were staying, it was certainly passed 1 AM. There was a slight change in our stay over location due to security concerns, but we are so thankful for the generosity of others in letting us stay in hotel rooms with lots of people and bikes. It was crazy, but I think we all slept pretty well in general.

The morning was a later than usual start with an 8:45 AM wake up. We got our bikes adjusted and then made our way to the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. This was just a fantastic visit. This organization that we donate to annually is just incredible. The organization has been around since the 1920’s/1930’s and has always had a similar mission, which is incredible because cancer was not a term thrown around that often. Anyways, this organization is funded through an endowment which covers the overhead costs, like office space, lights, etc. Other than that, 100% of the donations go to research. They have different fellowship options for funding researchers, including new post-doc students who have great, innovative ideas. We were fortunate to meet two of those fellows today. One specialized in the chemistry aspect of treating cancer from a drug-resistant standpoint, while the other approached cancer from a background in immunology in treating skin cancers by learning about immune system environments. Fascinating. These researchers were so excited to tell us about their work. It was clear that they were incredibly passionate about their work, not to mention, brilliant. We would like to thank the foundation so much for allowing us to keep our bikes at their office and for providing a wonderful breakfast. I greatly encourage you to check out the foundation more about their work.

After the foundation, we had free time to explore. Hearing from the team, many of us saw the 9/11 memorial, but other places visited included: the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State Building, SoHo and probably many more places. We came to our stay over and are very excited to start our ride tomorrow! Some are sleeping now, others journaling, some learning how to more tightly pack their backpacks.

Tomorrow will be a much earlier start. For anyone in the area who did not catch the memo, we will be starting from Battery Park in Manhattan, instead of Central Park, so hopefully we will see some folks bright and early as we start off on the first leg of the route. Wish us well and happy trails! And a peaceful night’s sleep.

New York City Send-Off, It’s That Time Again

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

The 2015 Team has finally made its way into New York City and they’re excited to start their journey! If you’d like to see them off, the send-off location has changed from Central Park to The The Castle Clinton National Monument, at Battery Park. They’re expected to arrive between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM.

Day One

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

The team had to come into Union Station 11 am on Thursday. We boxed the bikes to be able to put them on the train and then my family and friends hung out with me downtown until I had to board at 5:00. We have been on the train for roughly 27 hours now. So far it has been… Interesting. We have all gotten to the point of being pretty delirious and sleep deprived. I am sitting next to Khrystyna so we talked and listened to music all of Thursday. We tried to sleep, but it was super uncomfortable so we woke up every few hours. Today it is Friday and I spent a good chunk of the day reading The Mysterious Benedict Society in the dining cart. I was reading by a window as we were passing through West Virginia so it was a beautiful view. I wanted to read this book last semester, but unfortunately ran out of time. The rest of the day I just sat around and talked to my teammates. We are three hours away from New York City and we just found out that our stayover for tonight didn’t work out. Everyone is currently looking for a place for us to stay. We are most likely going to end up staying in hotel rooms. And in positive we are delirious because we find this situation funny and entertaining saying that it’s okay because “it’s the city that never sleeps” so it is appropriate for us to not sleep tonight………… So this never posted and a few hours later I am happy to say that we are safe in room 224 at Hotel Belclaire. Time to shower, get ready for bed, and wake up at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Zzzzz

Day 0: Getting to NYC

Friday, May 22nd, 2015

If there is one thing that I have learned today is that there is more than one way to get to New York City. We took the 50 Cardinal from Union Station in Chicago bound for the Big Apple via Indianapolis, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington DC (our current location), and Philadelphia. It is, without any delay, about a 27 hour ride. We are currently just over 24 hours into it, but have had some decent delays around DC.

West Virginia is beautiful. It is so mountainous and the train tracks ran right along a river for several hours. We saw people fishing and white water rafting. It all looked like a lot of fun. Virginia had some beautiful farmland among rolling hills and mountains. We are just pulling more into Washington DC. You can see the Capitol building (under construction), and a few other landmarks perhaps.

Many of us brought snacks for the trip and some have bought some additional food. There have been games of Bananagrams (kind of like scrabble), some interesting versions of I-Spy, crafts, reading and plenty of sleeping. We have figured out our schedule for tomorrow and how to get to our stay-over tonight.

The van has made it to NYC safely and is just waiting for us to arrive :)

I think that we are all ready to be off the train as much fun as it is. Soon. Kind of. It will be great when we can ride bikes!!! Less than 48 hours until our first ride.

Hurry up and Wait

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Assistant Ride Leader’s Log. Bike Date -2.15-05-21.23:30

I’m finding it increasingly ironic that Illini 4000 starts with a 20+ hour train ride. That is, what will be my greatest athletic feat to date will start with nearly 24 hours of sitting around. Despite all of the horror stories of soreness and exhaustion, I find myself wishing for it as I am finding it very difficult to sleep on the comfy, reclining train chairs. The first 4 – 5 if you count the time change – hours have been filled with an epic Uno game, lots of reading, a hilariously “photoshopped” photo, and some delicious deep dish pizza. Hopefully the next 15 hours will be great as well.

Bike Trek

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

America. The new frontier. These are the adventures of the bicycle Enterprise. It’s continuing mission: to cure cancer, to seek out new friendships and new feats, to boldly go where this bike hasn’t gone before.

Assistant Ride Leader’s Log. Bike Date -3.15-05-20.23:15

As I finish – a.k.a. start – packing for our train ride tomorrow, I can’t help but feel a whole bundle of excitement, nervousness, uncertainty, and confidence. I’m still not sure that all of the stuff I plan to bring will fit in my backpack, but I’ve become increasingly aware of how each of these things is trivial when compared to the cause for which we all ride. My personal mission for the ride, in addition to that of the Illini 4000, is to support those around me to encourage them to keep on keeping on. I have been very fortunate to have so many people supporting me throughout my life. I now want to spread that feeling, because facing the unknown and taking risks is always easier knowing you will have someone to lean on when the going gets tough.

Now to finish packing and get some sleep!

Type A Personality

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

Days Until Departure: 1

Days Until Pedaling: 4

I have no shame in saying I have a type A personality. I love lists, keeping things organized, and being on time. I can get stressed easily because I’m a perfectionist, I am efficient, and I have a plan for every possible scenario. Between my planning and list making I’ve also become a very goal oriented person. Needless to say, when I began planning and prepping for 72 days with #I4K on the road my type A personality began to show in full force. I made a list of things to do and it looks a little something like this…

THANK YOUS

An astounding 70 people helped by donating towards my fundraising, and an even larger network of individuals have given me support through words of encouragement and well wishes! THIS IS CRAZY! I cannot describe how amazing it is to know family and friends from Arkansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Texas, Iowa, Florida, Minnesota, Maryland, and California are all rooting for our cause and standing behind the 2015 Illini 4000 Trek Bike America Team. All of these people are the reason I am able to get up and go this summer to fully support a cause I’m passionate about. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! A huge thanks is also needed to all of those in my personal life that have listened to me talk about this upcoming adventure, sometimes daily, and put up with it. To my roommates (Kenzie, Katie, and Kristen) and to my family (Mom, Dad, Siblings, Callie), thank you. To the people at work who I was sad to leave but am already looking forward to seeing again (Stacey, Stephanie, Matt, and team), thank you. To the team I’m about to unite with and will keep me going all summer long, thank you in advance.

PACK

Slowly but surely I am chipping away at filling the giant backpack we were all given which will carry everything needed for the next two and half months. This is no small feat. Between clothes and shoes and toiletries I don’t have a ton of room left, but my need and love for organization is helping quite a bit.

GOALS

My best friend and her mom got me a journal to bring along with me this summer and I’ve already begun to fill the pages. I spent a decent amount of time considering what it was I was hoping to accomplish this summer, and I’ve narrowed it down to what I call the three D’s:

• Detach — When else in my life am I going to have the opportunity to do something as amazing as cycling from coast to coast in support of a cause as close to my personal life as it could be?! I don’t want to miss a single second of it by being too plugged-in. I’ll be updating this blog from time-to-time and I’ll be posting photos, but for the next two and half months I’ve given myself the goal of detaching from screens and being fully in the moment.

• Document — No matter how the day goes, I plan to write in my journal everyday. Whether it be a word, sentence, or novel that can remind me of something funny or a challenge I faced, I want to be able to look back and remember as much as I can from this experience.

• Demolish — 4,519 miles on a bike is going to no doubt suck at various moments, but I want to CRUSH IT! I’ve given myself the goal of getting through these miles and giving it my all. I want to demolish the challenge that lay ahead.

One day until the train leaves for NYC and I feel like I still have so much to do! Time to write up a new list and begin crossing things off in anticipation of the most challenging and rewarding summer I’ll have ever experienced.

The Final Countdown

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015

I can’t sleep. anyone who knows me well knows that waking up at 5ish is actually kind of normal but I specifically told my mom that I may sleep in…..guess not.

3 days ago I was graduating from the University of Illinois. In 3 days, I will be in New York City. I am not sure where the time went. Wasn’t I going to go on some more bike rides before I left? I sure hope I can go on one this evening!so you may ask, are you nervous? I am definitely excited but I am a little more nervous about not having my belongings all stowed away in an organized fashion before I leave. As I learned many of us students who recently returned home with (a) carload(s) worth of stuff have successfully taken over our parents house.

But this is all so exciting. Last night I had the opportunity to go to an Illini 4000 send-off reception hosted by the Western Suburbs Alumni Club. It was awesome to meet the alums and tell them about our upcoming journey. And I got to spend some quality time with my mom in the car as we went :)

Today my to-do list is as follows (for the most part):
1. Sew patches onto bag to make it identifiable easily
2. Lay out clothes for trip
3. Put away items from college not going on bike trip (This bullet point is actually like five bullet points)
4. Go set up a pharmacy account with a nation-wide pharmacy
5. Write some more thank you notes for donors
6. Meet with local newspaper about the trip (I am excited about this!)
7. Go on a bike ride!!!
8. Remove bike attachments
9. Clean any remaining bike apparel
10. Finish packing

Luckily my first task is a quiet one so I will not wake anyone else up, but I guess I am glad I woke up early- I have a lot to do! And I know many of the riders do….so until next time, you know what I will be up to!

T-SHIRTS

Sunday, May 10th, 2015

First off, this is my first post on the Illini 4000 website. So to those of you keeping up with it…  hi, my name is Angelica. BUT it is not my first post. Instead of taking advantage of the nifty ability to post right on this site, I decided to make a separate blog. I have been blogging anything I could since practically the first day I found out I was going to be a part of I4K. From this point on I will attempt to double post anything I post there on to here. I am not going to repost prior stuff though so if you are interested in reading about my Illini 4000 experience up to this point please visit http://illini4000experience.tumblr.com/

Also, T-SHIRTS! I have not met my fundraising goal yet unfortunately. But, I do have a lot of fundraising ideas which I am currently working on!! One of which is a booster of shirt I designed. If you are interested in purchasing one, buy one before May 24th please before the booster closes. Check them out at  https://www.booster.com/illini4000lilgel

Thank you!!

Preparing for the Ride: Test Ride

Sunday, May 3rd, 2015

As you may or may not know, each Saturday after our spring break have been devoted to getting in large mile days. We started out with 30 miles the first week and gradually worked up to today’s route…. So here we go!

Today’s Overview:
Theme: “I get by with a little help from my friends”
Start/End location: Champaign, IL/Fairmount, IL
Mileage: 92.6 +/- however many miles you went off route :)
Weather: Sunny and not very cloudy at all, winds not bad in AM, low near 50 high in the upper 80’s
Highlight: We crossed out first state line! (Indiana)

Today could not have been a more beautiful day to ride a bike in the name of fighting cancer. This would be our first full day in the life of what it is like to be on Illini 4000. We arrived at the Armory on the U of I campus and packed the van (generously provided by the Young family for our use). And then we were off.

Our first leg of the ride was to Kickapoo State Park, and about 28 miles. It warmed up pretty quickly but the ride was going great and many groups were just cruising along. Once we got to Kickapoo, we took a short break, ate some snacks and filled up our water bottles and were then back on the road.

We literally turned out of the parking lot that we were in onto our first hill of the day. And by hill, it was actually, well a hill. I never knew the park had so many hills and i am pretty sure we went each of them…and down. Climbing hills sounds like the more harder of the two, which is valid (especially when everyone climbs very differently); however, downhills present their own challenges. As we all go up hills differently, we go downhills differently. The group I was in loved flying downhills….but no big surprise to anyone who has ridden in a car with me, I road the brake (fluttering them of course to avoid them overheating). Going fast with such little tires is just not my cup of tea.

Anyhow, we did it. Thought the worst was over. But before I talk about that….we crossed a state line!!! We made it to Indiana!!!! So cool. Shortly after crossing the state line, we stopped for lunch, which was great because I was starving, and so were others. So we all got to eat 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Probably the best thing ever :)

The next part of the road in Indiana was tough: there’s hills there, steep hills. At this rate, mountain climbing on a bike seem pretty intimidating, but I know when we get there, we will all climb mountains and see beautiful sites.

Um….we came back to Illinois and are settling down now to sleep at Fairmount Evangelical Methodist church that has been so generous to let us stay with them! Ate some spaghetti and lentils which was sooooo yummy and so needed. I am not sure if I have ever had lentils but they are pretty remarkable. Definitely ok with eating that meal everyday.

After dinner and such, we had two wonderful woman who are both students at the Univeristy of Illinois come and give portraits of how Cancer has impacted their life. Grace, a 2014 rider, and Christina, who is actually in my major sat down and really opened up. I am so honored to call both of these women my friends. I got the opportunity to sit in on Christina’s portrait where she talked about her father being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer about 2 and a half years ago. It was hard to hear about how on top of being a student, she worked hard to spend time with her father and stay connected from afar before her father passed away last summer. She talked about the grief process being continuous and how even know, it is still very impactful on her life. But Christina stressed the importance of God and community in her life. Her faith has grown throughout all of this and her friendships and appreciation for those around her is incredible. One piece of advice for anyone looking to comfort a friend in this situation is that, even though asking what a person needs is great, a grieving person often doesn’t know. So sometimes it is about looking for those needs and filling them without asking.

So I am new to this blogging thing and trying to develop a style, but I would like to include some personal reflections about the ride from my standpoint. It’s been a long day. I had senior design due yesterday and this week was crazy, but I had been looking forward to the ride all week. And then it came. I was a little under the weather. My stomach hurt which is just not the best to cycle with, but I knew I could push through. I am so thankful for the group I road with today because they were great. They encouraged me to keep going and were so kind to slow the pace when I just was not feeling well. That is where the theme of today’s ride comes from because I could not have done it without them. Most of my life, I have been someone to run and bike on my own and being with a group has been a huge difference, and I can’t imagine a better group to ride with this summer.

So with that, going to bed so that I can be ready to wake up and ride again tomorrow