Day 35: Flat Tires and Then Some

Friday, June 26th, 2015

Start/End: Grand Island/Holdrege, NE
Mileage: 70.7+
Weather: Cloudy with sprinkles in the morning, warm and sunny in the afternoon

Today we started our day at the Salvation Army Community Church which had generously allowed us to stay at their facility and use cots to sleep on. It was amazing to sleep on them. We were also provided a great breakfast consisting of oatmeal, toast, some donuts and juice/milk. It was a bigger than usual breakfast, but it was a great replenishment from yesterday.

We rolled out a little later than usual, but we knew that would be ok since we “only” had about 70 miles. It is so strange to think that yesterday we did 40 miles more than what we did today, and that is just mind blowing. Our morning was definitely more eventful than we would have wanted in terms of riders getting flat tires. Strangely, the team total for flat tires was 9 flats. This is ridiculously high and was just a lot of bad luck. The shoulder/road that we were on was not too bad but had some occasional holes and rocks which likely caused some of the issues. The morning also brought some on and off drizzled rain and was cool, but it was refreshing.

It has been amazing the last few days to see all of the freight train traffic through Nebraska. The train conductors are often very friendly and wave at us! But watching all of the coal and other materials that are shipped via freight train is just incredible. Also, trains are loud….

This morning our first rest stop in Shelton was a very nice stop. We met several amazing people who were very supportive our our cause. We met some survivors and even learned that there was a program in Shelton that helps provide gas cards to anyone who needs to travel long distances to receive chemotherapy treatment or surgery. Additionally, we met a local reporter who took a picture of the group and spoke to some riders. They were very excited that we were passing through their town, so that was super cool.

The rest of the day was very nice. When we stopped for lunch, the clouds parted and it warmed up and the sun came out. We met a few more folks who were enthusiastic about the cause. Many riders also discovered a local pizza place in Kearney that reportedly had some of the best pizza. Leaving the town, we just had about 30 miles left and we caught a tailwind a lot of the way, which meant we just had a very quick rest of the day. We had an optional rest stop midway through that way to refill water and take a break. It was fun getting to see the tall grasses that had grown between the road and the fields that was just rolling like waves on the ocean in the wind. It was beautiful to watch how the light caught the grass at different angles.

Arriving at our stayover was great. We have a nice, cool area to sleep and spread out. Additionally, the church partnered with a church in the neighboring town of Funk to provide an amazing selection of casseroles and pasta dishes, in addition to watermelon. It felt nice eating dinner on real plates…. Sometimes this summer it is nice to appreciate the small things! Oh. Also because we got in so early, most people took some really long naps, still recovering a little from yesterday. I didn’t realize that I was so tired! We also had access to showers at the local pool arranged by our awesome stayover, so thank you!

Apart from the flat tires, it was a good day and we are all in pretty good spirits. Looking forward to our next rest day which is still a while away, but we are sticking together. I am sure it will be an early night to go to bed for most of us as we will get up and do this all again tomorrow!
-LAH

Day 34: Easy Breeze

Thursday, June 25th, 2015

Start/End: Norfolk/Grand Island, NE
Mileage: 110.7
Weather: Cool and cloudy morning, hot afternoon (84 F)

If you have followed our journey throughout this summer, you will see that we have not had the best luck with weather, including yesterday. However, today could not have been more perfect because on this, our longest day of the ride for the summer, we had a tailwind for nearly the entire ride. It was amazing and the day, and our bikes, just flew by.

This morning we started our day an hour early, as agreed upon by the team for our longer days in order to allow us to finish the day a little bit sooner. We had an amazing breakfast consisting of breakfast Danishes, donuts, and watermelon. It was so delicious and we are thankful for the McCarty family for generously donating all of this food. We are also so thankful to the First Christian Church of Norfolk, NE for allowing us to start at their facility. We all slept well and were very comfortable and are just very grateful for their kindness.

As we prepared to leave the stayover, we went outside and noted the morning fog. It had already begun clearing, but it was pretty cool looking. As usual during our morning meeting, we dedicated today’s ride to a rider’s aunt who passed away about a year ago from cancer. It is just so astonishing how close cancer has impacted the lives of this group of 28 riders.

After that, we had our riding groups and set off for the day. Leaving Norfolk was a little interesting, because at 6 AM, it was actually quite busy, likely because third shift at many of the factories had recently gotten off shift. We got to ride on Johnny Carson Way- I am wondering if this was his hometown, but there were signs for a Johnny Carson Museum that would be pretty interesting to visit on another trip.

Within the first 5 miles, we encountered what would be our last stoplight for about 80 miles. This never occurred to us at the time, but I know when our group came across e stoplight at mile 85ish, we really couldn’t recall if we had seen a stoplight during the day or not and proceeded to debate this.

As I mentioned, we had the longest ride day in miles today, but we were just so fortunate to have a strong tailwind that helped us along our route. My group, which was taking it a little more “easy”, averaged about 16.7 mph, while others pushed more throughout the ride, averaging much more. This is just a relatively fast pace to maintain for an extended period, especially for a century plus some day. We mostly stayed on US or state highways for the day, meaning that we had pretty good road conditions, and often a very large shoulder with rumble strips separating us from traffic.

It was a very refreshing day, as we also got to terrain that is what we anticipated from Nebraska. It was mostly flat with a few very gradual hills. It was beautiful. We planned our rest stops throughout the day so that we could stop at a gas station, but between these, there was not much, except an expanse of crops and sometimes some cattle. We saw some mature wheat fields that were just so golden and flowing in the wind. Additionally we saw some our first Sandhills, which are apparently a distinguishable feature from space, but likely further southwest in the state.

When we arrived at the stayover tonight, we found out that we would be provided dinner and had the opportunity to use the showers at the local YMCA. The showers were phenomenal! The walk to them also probably helped stretch us out… Dinner was also really great. We had a tuna casserole, peas and carrots, bread, yoghurt, pineapple/orange mix, and a generous brownie. I know that several of us really appreciated having this home style cooked meal with fruit and veggies. The facility also gave us some great snacks of chips, popcorn and candy, which were awesome treats. Thank you so much! We are also thankful to Fazolis, Red Lobster and Papa Johns for donating food for the team for future days, or a late night snack, as I know that pizza is being heated up as I blog. You honestly would be surprised at the amount of food we consume on this journey….

Anyhow. Tonight we are thankful to have cots to sleep on, so we are all set up for a very good night’s rest. I still cannot believe all of the generosity we experience from strangers and are just so thankful because this trip could not be what it is without the amazing folks who have provided us food and a place to stay. Thank you so much for anyone who has supported us in any way!
-LAH

Day 33: The Good Life in Nebraska

Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

Start/End: Sioux City, IA/ Norfolk, NE
Mileage: 81+
Weather: Well, we’ll get to that.

Today we were woken up with some cool music- it has been a great new trend to our morning routine. We have rotating chores, one being wake up. For several days and certain chore partners, they have embraced the idea of playing good music to wake us up. I am pretty sure this is much more preferred than just turning on the lights….

Today, our ride was dedicated to a rider’s grandpa, who battled three different types of cancer throughout his life, beating two of them. Our rider was motivated to do this ride to honor her grandpa’s fight against cancer.

We left Iowa this morning, but not without some groups getting a little turned around, while others stopped at a farmers market. Either way, we all made it safely across the Missouri River to Nebraska, home of one of the latest additions to the Big 12 conference. Before long, we had turned onto NE-35W, the road we would be on for at least 70 miles for the day. The team is definitively split on whether more or less cues to turn are better. Before our first rest stop, we travelled on a very flat flood plain, but then approached some winding roads that took us up and around some hills most comfortably.

As we continued on our route, we became aware of some approaching adverse weather conditions. There was a lot of communication about potential locations along the route and were advised to take shelter in the event of lightning or any situations which riders felt unsafe. Fortunately, we all found shelter which we were able to hang out for the long while that the storm took to pass. There was lightning, plenty of rain, and one group even saw some hail! We are so thankful to the businesses that allowed us to use their facilities to take shelter.

Once that was over, we resumed a rather lovely day that resembled yesterday much more than expected. Hill after hill with more beautiful scenery. The winds died down as the afternoon pressed on, making our final ride into our stayover location a little easier.

Once we arrived at our stayover, we had an amazing pasta dinner provided by Napoli’s Italian Restaurant in Norfolk. Additionally we had some great discount opportunities from HyVee East and West in Norfolk for our team to be able to restock, as well as cases of water. Additionally we had the opportunity to use the showers at the YMCA in Norfolk and Grand Island. We thankfully smell much better :) We are very thankful for all of the support that this amazing town has shown us. It really continues to blow my mind the kindness we encounter along this route.

Also, it is amazing to see friends and family of the riders who stop by to say hello. Today we got to meet some great family members who were generous in providing amazing food, but also just the opportunity to hang out and learning about how cancer has impacted their life. Oh- and we can’t forget the visiting time with puppies.

I think we will all sleep well tonight after today, which was just a little longer than we anticipated. This is good because tomorrow will be a longer day, starting an hour early so than we can conquer 112 miles! So with that, I will close….but I will recommend that you check out some of our social media, because yesterday Sioux City’s local news station did a segment on Illini 4000 which features some of our awesome riders! This can be found off of our Facebook page. Additionally, we do have lots of pictures on our Instagram which we hope you enjoy!
-LAH

Day 32: Hill After Hill

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015

Start/End: Storm Lake/Sioux City, IA
Mileage: 65.6+
Weather: Remarkably calm and cool for a change

Storm Lake was a great place to stay. We are so thankful to those at the church who made our visit more enjoyable, including the pastor and his family. Not only did they take our laundry last night and return it this morning, but they also arrived at the church very early to prepare an amazing breakfast with the fluffy eat pancakes that I have ever had. They were amazing and seemingly never ending. Thank you so much for making our stay in Storm Lake at the United Methodist Church a great, memorable experience.

I had a few things that I left out accidentally yesterday from the blog. The wonderful woman who allowed us to eat lunch on her yard was Mavis Loving. Thank you so much! She also brought up that last weekend was the annual marathon to Marathon (Iowa), which was another small town we passed through. So if you are looking to recreate some of our route, this route starts in Storm Lake!

After eating an amazing breakfast, we were off again onto the route, but not before doing a ride dedication. Today’s ride was dedicated to Jim Noffsinger, who is a retired teacher and coach who has greatly impacted one of our riders. He is currently battling stage 4 metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. This is just a difficult fight to fight and we wish the best for him during treatment and beyond.

As I mentioned above, there was relatively no wind and it was, at times, a little chilly outside. As the day continued on, neither of these really changed! It never felt too hot, thanks to the abundance of clouds, despite that the sun was quite bright, and the winds never really slowed us down. For a westward journey, this was a fun day. In additional to the lack of wind, we just had these rolling hills, which I have talked about a lot, but for most of the day today, we had pretty big hills that were steep and longer and just seemingly never ending. As soon as we got over one, another would be hiding ride behind it, or they would be stacked. We learned a lot about our own methods to climbing hills as well as group climbing.

Today was also one of the first days that we have experienced that we did not encounter a new city every 10-20 miles. We only passed a few towns, many of itch did not even have a gas station or convenient store. Fun fact,me did pass through the coldest spot in Iowa today, which in 1912 recorded a temperature of -47 F. Washta, IA had that claim to fame on their town sign- I am glad I was not there in 1912! Brrrr…

Today we made it to Sioux City, IA, our last stop in Iowa. We are grateful for the amazing food donation that we received from Chipotle today for dinner. It is definitely a great meal to prepare us for another ride tomorrow. Additionally, many of us got to do a portrait of a rider’s mom, which was a little tough to hear how closely cancer impacted a family of a friend so near and dear to us. It just another reason to keep going, keep fighting against cancer on all fronts.

I am a little sad to leave Iowa tomorrow, because we have just experienced such kindness and generosity from people we have met, and gotten to experience such a beautiful countryside. Here’s hoping to smooth roads and calm winds in Nebraska as we continue tomorrow!
-LAH

Day 31: Weather Delays and Hot Sunshine

Monday, June 22nd, 2015

Start/End: Emmetsburg/Storm Lake, IA
Mileage: 59.5+
Weather: during the ride,warm and quite windy

Today we were awakened by the sounds of thunder and rain. We woke up and got our bags packed, but we knew that we would have delay due to the storms, so many of us went back to bed until the storms passed. This was a nice sleep in, but sometimes getting out of sync with the schedule is tough. When the rain and thunderstorms finally subsided, we got rolling around 9:30 AM. We are so thankful to Bethany Lutheran Church for not only letting us stay the night, but also hang out in the morning and wait for the weather to pass.

Today, our ride was dedicated to one of the wonderful women that participated in our portraits project the previous evening. She fought esophageal cancer and 3 years ago today, she was deemed to be cancer free. This is very exciting and we are happy for her victory over cancer, and hope that we see other success stories like this. Cases like this are why we do what we do.

Getting back on the road was nice, knowing that it would be a shorter day, even if we left late. Before long, we began to notice the strong winds on the road, which slowed us down, but we fought through it. We went through the rolling hills of Iowa, passing through small towns, like Mallard, IA, a town which claim to be a town of “friendly ducks”. As the day pressed on, the sun continued to get stronger and hotter, and the winds did not let up. We were delighted to stop for lunch, though, at a house along the route that generously allowed us to have our typical lunch on their front yard, even brining out picnic blankets. It was great to sit in the shade and enjoy the company of new friends.

When we finally rolled into Storm Lake, we were greeted by the pastor who showed us where we would be staying. He generously brought many of us to a local water park which was just so much fun. There were diving boards and slides, and it was refreshing to be in the cool water. Afterwards, we returned to the church where we were generously provided pizza and ice cream for dinner and dessert. It was a great way to wrap up the day. We have played ping pong, fooseball and pool, just having an overall great time. Before we know it, it will be time to hit the hay and be back to it in the morning! Tomorrow will be our last full day in Iowa….the mountains are getting closer!

-LAH

Day 30: The Joy of a Short Ride Day

Sunday, June 21st, 2015

Start/End: Lake Mills/Emetsburg, IA
Mileage: 75.5+2+
Weather: Sunny, warm, slight wind

Today. What a morning. We are so grateful to the Winnebago Lutheran Church in Lake Mills, IA. We woke up and were served an amazing breakfast consisting of homemade French toast, sausage links, fruit, juice/milk/coffee. It was a wonderfully prepared breakfast and was just such a great change from our typically oatmeal. As we prepared to get ready, we said goodbye to Cooper the dog and some wonderful kittens we met during our visit. They even joined us for the team picture!

Today we dedicated the ride to the Robinson family, friends of a rider. Several years back, the father was diagnosed with a type of stomach cancer which he is still battling. Shortly after his diagnosis, their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Sadly she lost her battle with leukemia and now he brother is fighting a similar battle with leukemia. I cannot even try to imagine the pain this family has experienced, but today’s rides became one for a story of a family impacted by cancer that I will not forget.

Our ride today was set out to be about 75 miles, mostly along U.S. Route 18. We rolled out of the church through hills still softened by the mist settled in the valleys. There were dear, turkeys and pheasants out enjoying their morning stroll not bothering anyone. As the day grew on, we began to experience more and more traffic. We were told that a popular weekend getaway location was along that route, but we persisted as we normally do being sure to be courteous in sharing the roadway with vehicles. The day was going by pretty quickly due to a lack of winds, but some groups were moving around 17-18 mph on average. At lunch time, we stopped at a gas station where we had several opportunities to talk to people who were traveling about the organization and what we stood for. We are so thankful to those who took the time to get to learn about our organization and share a little about how cancer has impacted them.

Once we got back on the road, we took a break from route 18, taking some less populated back roads with less traffic, and a rather nice hill to climb. I guess I always thought that Iowa was as flat as Illinois. So far, that is absolutely not the case. Iowa has quite a lot of beautiful rolling hills, but they are fun!

We arrived at our stayover location, for almost all groups by 3 PM, which is a lot earlier than many of the previous days. It is amazing what you can do with extra time before our lights out! Many of us walked down the street to visit Five Island Lake and swim a little bit. Afterwards, riders were shuttled to a local wellness center (workout facility), which the church had coordinated with to allow us to shower at. This was very much so appreciated. Some of us were able to wash some of our clothes and leave them to dry in the sunshine (they smell so good!). We finally finished watching the movie, The Incredibles, played some games and just whatever. Some teammates are doing planks and other core exercises right now.

The church we are staying at tonight was so great in providing us a dinner of meat lasagna, cheese ravioli, garlic bread, fruit, and some different types of dessert. It was fantastic and well liked all around. After dinner, some members of the congregation we also wanting to give a portrait about their experience with how cancer has impacted their life. Several riders got to participate in the portraits to hear their story. We are so glad that they wanted to share their experiences.

It has been a very satisfying day and I am glad that we have access to wifi, because my phone is still having trouble getting service, especially a data connection. Some riders are struggling to get any service. So if you have unanswered text messages, hang tight. Many of us just do not have coverage! In fact, it seems to be something known by other cell phone companies who have strategically placed billboards about how their company has service in the “middle of anywhere”. Anyhow, enough of that. Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there and I hope everyone enjoyed the longest day of sunlight! I know the team sure did.
-LAH

Day 29: Through Strong Winds, We Press On

Sunday, June 21st, 2015

Start/End: Rochester, MN/Lake Mills, IA
Mileage: 95.8+
Weather: Cloudy, windy, and afternoon clearing with a hot sun

We made it to another state line crossing, despite some of today’s weather related challenges. Last night after reviewing the weather, it seemed as if we left an hour early, we could in fact avoid some strong weather headed in our direction,but as we woke up, it became apparent that would not be the case. As the van was being loaded, lightning was spotted and so we post-phoned our departure time. So with that, we ate breakfast and then just hung out. Most of us returned back to sleeping on couches and chairs- really whatever we found comfortable until we rolled out an hour after we typically depart. Tough morning, but we did avoid some strong weather and did not even go through rain!

We are so thankful to the Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN that has allowed us to use their space for the last 2 days. It was a great space for us to spread out and be comfortable. Additionally there were some pretty awesome showers, which are always appreciated, not only by the riders, but also the folks we visit on the rest day (yesterday at the Mayo Clinic).

As we prepared to roll out, we dedicated today’s ride to a rider’s Uncle Chuck, who as a child had fought a type of bone cancer. While we are happy to call him a survivor, he did in fact lose his leg while facing cancer, which was probably difficult growing up.

Heading out of Rochester was pretty uneventful despite the late departure. We did get a chance to ride on the Laura Ingalls Highway for a brief time, which, for me was pretty exciting as I grew up reading her books. But before long, we turned into the wind. For most of the morning we either had a headwind or a crosswinds, which are much better than a headwind, but still challenging. I am very proud of how well all of the groups faired in these winds which were steady around 20 mph. After our first snack break,the sky got very dark and cloudy and I thought we might encounter more weather, but it did not evolve into anything. Later in the afternoon, the winds did calm and the sun came out and it was just a whole lot brighter, and hotter. Luckily we were already halfway done with the ride, though. As we reached the end of our visit to Minnesota, one of the riders mentioned that for being the state with more than 10,000 lakes, we did not expect to see me all, but we had only seen about 4….. We did see a few more before crossing into Iowa, but that was a pretty interesting, valid statement.

We arrived a little later than usual at our stay over and were warmly welcomed by the pastor and his family who had generously prepared a delicious meal of sloppy joe sandwiches, cut up vegetables and fruit and had cold water and soda ready for us. This was not expected at all, but I know the team was very excited about a warm, delicious meal. Thank you so much!

Some riders, after arriving, decided that 95.8 miles was just too close to doing a century (100 miles), so before dinner while waiting on other groups to ride, went out and captured a few more miles. I guess it really does take a certain kind of “crazy” to do Illini 4000, but it is so exciting to watch members of the team who are so new to road cycling, get so excited and not shy away from doing more.

Well, with all of the excitement of today and the longness of it, I am happily going to go to sleep so that I, as well as the rest of the team, are well rested for another great day tomorrow!
-LAH

Day 29: Hello Iowa!

Saturday, June 20th, 2015

Incident free and almost half way there. Due to WiFi related issues, the usual blog post will be a day or so late. But, everyone is happy to report that they arrived safely in Lake Mills, IA. And, to those keeping up with the blog posts, a quick thank you. Support from people like you is what makes a ride like this possible.

Eye of the Storm

Saturday, June 20th, 2015

Assistant Ride Leader’s Log. Bike Date 28.15-06-20.6:49

After an early wake up in an attempt to beat the storms coming to Rochester, MN, we have found ourselves in the eye of the storm. We are still waiting at our stay over until it is safe for us to embark on another day of adventure. It’s really fascinating how quickly weather can change and develop. It definitely makes me appreciate that we have some atmospheric science people on the team.

Being in Rochester again is really bittersweet. I’m sure I will always remember it as the last place I saw my grandfather before he passed away. However, I now also some new happy memories here with a group of people on a mission to do something he would support 110%.

Yesterday we had the chance to visit the Mayo Clinic here in Rochester and it was really interesting to hear what was going on there. The first part of our tour was very focused on the ways that Mayo is trying to improve the experience of patients. They had some cool ideas, but, as an engineer, I was hoping to learn a bit more about the scientific innovations. The tour ended in a cancer learning center which I quickly saw as a valuable resource. The focus was on serving anyone who walked in by trying to help them understand and learn more about cancer so they could deal with it, or help a loved one deal with it. They also focused a lot on stress management, relaxation, and empowering the patient and family to face this all head on.

Hopefully the storm passes before I fall back asleep.

Day 28: A Day in Rochester, MN

Friday, June 19th, 2015

Rest days never seem long enough, but at the same time, too long. Many of the riders just miss being on the bike…but other than that we did in fact enjoy our time in Rochester for our third official rest day.

We started off the day spending some time at the Mayo Clinic, visiting their Center For Innovation and their Cancer Center. The Center for Innovation was fascinating to see how the clinic was using Human Centered Design to improve the way that healthcare is delivered to the patient. This can be done many different ways, but all of them involve talking to a lot of patients to evaluate their experience through the medical system. This is the only Center for Innovation that is actually located within a clinic, so that was super unique. Next we got to see the Cancer Center, which was a great resource for cancer patients, their friends and families, and anyone seeking to learn about cancer. There is literature about different diagnosis, treatment options, as well as ways to talk to children/family about cancer, as well as methods to get through treatments. In addition to that, there is a nurse on staff who can help answer questions. Also in the center is an American Cancer Society navigator who is available to connect patients to the proper resources through ACS, such as Hope Lodges, like the one we visited in Rochester, NY. Even moreso, the center offers many classes that address the emotional part of cancer by providing meditation, yoga and stress management classes. It was truly a great resource. We are so thankful for the staff at Mayo Clinic who took the time to show us their awesome facilities.

After this, we pretty much had the day to ourselves to do whatever we needed or wanted to do. Many of us went to see a movie, while some hung out at a coffee shop, got some great food throughout the day, visited bike shops to pick up any needed items and really whatever else.

It was a nice day, but tomorrow we have another long day with an early wake up again, but we do cross a state line, so we are pretty excited! So goodnight from Rochester, MN!
-LAH

Day 27: Venturing Into The Real West

Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Start/End: La Crosse, WI/Rochester, MN
Mileage: 83+
Weather: Windy and Hot

Today we got to “sleep in” after yesterday’s long day so that we could leave at our usual time of 7 AM. We are so thankful for the amazing hospitality that the First Presbyterian Church of La Crosse showed us during our short stay. We were very excited to have the pastor of the church join us at the beginning of the ride. He has competed in numerous Ironman competitions, so certainly knew his way around road cycling. He also knew his way around the town and the group riding with him actually got to see and learn more about La Crosse, which was pretty awesome.

Before we get too far into that, though, today’s ride was dedicated to a rider’s relative who passed away from breast cancer. She was an awesome lady who is very dearly missed.

Despite the fact that we were near the Mississippi River last night, we actually travelled north through Wisconsin before crossing over the river. Many groups, as usual,moot some fun state line crossing pictures. It is always great to cross a state line because you feel accomplished, like you are actually going somewhere. So that was fun. Additionally, many groups have made it a point to stop at local farm stands, getting honey, fresh fruit, or of course some ice cream. Today we passed quite a few, and I know that some of these great local items were bought- something you may not be able to do if traveling by interstate!

Looking at the altitude map of today’s ride proved to look scarier than it actually was, which is a great realization as we go into the west and face longer climbs. But we had 2 very good climbs with about 6% grade. It doesn’t sound like much, but a grade like that over a long distance can be challenging. I am glad to report, thought,Mehta the group admirably attacked the hills working our way up onto the plateau which are the high plains.

The group I was in got to see quite an amazing sight with a beautiful bald eagle flying with it’s baby quite close to roadway, though high. It was a beautiful, especially after crossing the Mississippi River. It just seemed so American. The baby eagle seemed to being doing pretty well with flying, probably a lot better than some of us when we were first riding our bikes…. I heard another group got to see a baby deer and a doe as well. Such great timing on seeing these young animals!

The group was pretty excited to arrive in Rochester, MN today because we get another rest day tomorrow. After all of the hills I have been telling you about, I know my muscles could use a little bit of a break. A lot of the group had the opportunity tonight to visit a street festival, where there was food, live music and some craft sales. It seemed like fun, but was slowing down when many of us arrived after dinner and a team meeting, but should you find yourself in Rochester, may want to check it out! Getting some much needed rest now…tomorrow we get to sleep in until 7:45! Woohoo!
-LAH

Day 26: An Early Morning, Pleasant Evening on the River

Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Start/End: Wisconsin Dells/La Crosse, WI
Mileage: 93+
Weather: Beautiful!

It gives me so much joy to report that today that we had great weather! If you have been keeping up with our adventures, you will know that has just not always been the case. Anyhow, I will get started by saying a huge thank you to St. Cecilia’s Church in Wisconsin Dells for allowing us to use their space. We were able to spread out in different rooms, allowing some slightly different “lights out” times. We cannot express how important it is to this trip that we just have so many kind people who are gracious enough to let us use their facilities.

Today’s ride, a long one, was dedicated to a family friend of a rider who has been battling a rare form of brain cancer. While experimental treatments have seemed to be working OK, it is still very hard even for basic motor functions at time, which have required speech and physical therapy. This can be very difficult for a family, but especially the patient.

Unlike most days, today we started our ride at 6 AM, instead of the regular 7 AM start because of the high mileage and potential forecast of some thunderstorms. This is not totally a-typical for the team, but in the end, a lot of folks really enjoyed the early start (definitely not something you would expect to hear from college students), but ending before it gets very hot and windier is nice.

All in all, we just had a beautiful day for biking, and I think I may have said that about yesterday too, but it just was. Along the route, we got a nice taste of a little bit of climbing, like we may experience in Colorado on a much smaller scale. Additionally we had some more practice on downhills, which seem easier, but they can actually prove to be challenging, in making sure we can safely slow down and be aware of any road hazards. We also got to see a lot of baby animals along the way which were all pretty cute diversions from the riding. We saw baby cows, horses, goats and sheep. It is always interesting to learn which teammates dislike certain animals and to learn why. Gives us something to talk about on the route!

We had the chance to go through Amish country, like what we had passed through further roast. It was interesting to see the difference in the muscle build of the animals that were used to help work the land instead of farm equipment that many of us are more used to. The one challenge going through Amish country is being very alert for manure on the road, as the horses and carts/buggies do use he roads and that is just not something you would like to have on your bike!

Arriving into La Crosse, we were welcomed by some pretty amazing friends of Illini 4000. When a few of us visited a local bike shop, there were fellow Illini (and Blackhawks fans) among the staff. At the church, we were warmly received and not only given access to showers at a local YMCA, but we were also shuttled to a church member’s private home for a cookout/pool party/kayak adventure. When we arrived, the food had already been prepared and there was just so much food available, that we all we quite full by the end of it. Many of us used the pool and even tried out kayaking on the Mississippi River’s main channel! Fortunately, there was not a lot of boat traffic at that time. We are so thankful to this family and their friends for making our stay in La Crosse amazing.

Hopefully from all of this, you will understand why I was so tired last night and wasn’t able to post this sooner. Had a great day, though.

-LAH

Day 26: Preparing to Cross the Mississippi

Wednesday, June 17th, 2015

There is a pivitol moment in most westward journies across the United States which has been captured by so many authors: crossing the Mississippi River. We do this tomorrow, but for now, get some much needed rest.

Today we had over 90 miles and left our stayover an hour early, so around 6 AM. It has been a long, wonderful day. I took some notes and will fill you all in on our super fun day tomorrow, so hang tight and know that we all had a pretty fantastic day.
–
LAH

Day 25: Hitting Some Of the Major Wisconsin Points

Tuesday, June 16th, 2015

Start/End: Marshall/Wisconsin Dells, WI
Mileage: 60+8+
Weather: A little bit warmer, but the morning was cooler

Today was just a beautiful day to ride a bike. There were so few clouds in the sky, and after the rainy days that we have had, this was just such a refreshing sight to see when we woke up.

Today’s ride was dedicated to a rider’s second cousin who lived in Madison and battled leukemia. This is a very tough disease to battle, especially as a young man.

The ride started with a short trip into Waterloo which was just down the road, but we went there to visit one of the few locations Trek has! Trek is a huge sponsor of Illini 4000, and I know that without some of their assistance through the Trek Local a Great Athletes program, many of the riders would not be able go on this trip. We stopped by their facility which houses designers and manufacturing of amazing Trek bicycles. We had the opportunity to learn about the company and even see parts of their manufacturing process. Seeing all of the fine detail that is put into these bikes was not expected, but very cool. We are so thankful for the time they spent with us today, showing us the facilities and teaching us more about this company that is so pivotal to this organization’s success.

After visiting Trek, we continued on our route, back through Marshall and up to the
northwest. It was a pretty uneventful day,Mohicans can just be a lot of fun. Many groups stopped at a local dairy/creamer store which sold delicious ice cream,Maggie milk, cheese and some other produce. This was definitely a highlight of the day. During our second rest stop, we stopped by a nice park and got to sit by a river and play on a swing set. We have totally grown up, we promise.

At the end of the day, we arrived in Wisconsin Dells, an area well known to some of the team members who had previously visited on family vacations. We arrived early enough to spend some time exploring the downtown, which was very close to our stayover for the night. There are so many places to buy fudge and ice cream, and plenty of other very touristy attractions. Some of the team went mini golfing, while others went in search of cheese curds to finish out our true Wisconsin experience.

We still have one more day in Wisconsin tomorrow, but then we are all looking forward to our stop in Rochester, MN, where we will be staying for 2 nights. We do have a mail drop at this location so if you have anything to send, get it in the mail ASAP and send it to: Rider Name, Illini 4000, 324 Third Avenue Southwest, Rochester, MN, 55902. If it arrives late, we cannot guarantee it will arrive, but hopefully this helps.

Tomorrow will be another long day like yesterday, but we will get out rest and get at it again in the morning!
-LAH

Day 24: Through the Rain, Again

Monday, June 15th, 2015

Start/End: McHenry, IL/Marshall, WI
Mileage: 91.6+
Weather: Very rainy morning, with late afternoon clearing

This morning we woke up at the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Church at our normal wake up time, 5:55 AM, and members of the congregation already had a breakfast spread prepared and arranged for us to get our breakfasts. This was a motivator to get packed up quickly so that we could eat, but on the other hand, it was raining outside, which is not always a fun way to start the day. We got all packed up and enjoyed the delicious breakfast with cereal, bagels, egg casseroles, yoghurt and fruit. It was amazing and we were so delighted to start our day off with this meal, knowing that leaving Illinois would mean the return of hills.

This morning, our ride dedication went to ‘Uncle Al’, who battled lung cancer, beating it, but then was diagnosed and passed away from a type of throat cancer. This was a very difficult loss for his family and friends.

Following this and some announcements, we rolled out onto start our route. It was pouring rain, but at least it wasn’t too cold. For anyone familiar with McHenry, we travelled up route 31 north through town around 7:30 AM, you will know that we encountered quite a bit of traffic, fortunately most of it was going south. Getting out of McHenry, we continued our route through Richmond and Hebron before leaving Illinois (can you tell that I am from this area? We actually passed by the road my house is on a few miles from the route). The rain had let up before we reached Hebron, home of the 1952 state basketball champions as their basketball water tower reads. This meant that once we reached the state line, we were able to take nice pictures at the state line. Because there was not a state sign coming into Illinois on our route, many of us got a picture with the sign going the other way, too.

Wisconsin proved quite quickly to quite different from Illinois as there are hills. What a revelation! There were also quite a few more cow farms that we passed that were sometimes quite large in size. Welcome to the cheese state! There were a few more episodes of heavy rain throughout the ride, unfortunately, but the last 20 miles of the ride were clearer. Behind us, we left some very dark clouds, but we had sunshine and at times, some very beautiful new pavement with minimal traffic. It was almost eerie how beautiful the unoccupied road was that we almost questioned if we were allowed to be on it. Today, the rain brought out some pretty remarkable water birds, egrets and herons. We saw one take flight earlier in the day and a huge heron hanging out in some standing water later in the afternoon.

Tonight we are spending the night in Marshall, WI where we were greeted by some wonderful members of the congregation, but also wonderful aromas of our dinner which was being prepared. After all of the groups arrived, we got to eat a family style dinner consisting of turkey, bread, baked potatoes, green beans and apple sauce, then an amazing desserts later. After any day, regardless of the miles, this was a well received meal by the team.

So as we settle in tonight, we are watching some cool clouds roll into the area, while other members of the team have found a place to watch tonight’s Blackhawks/Lightning game…in hopes that tonight will be the night that the Blackhawks take home the Stanley Cup.

I would love to reflect upon my trial blog on our 90 mile practice ride and stayover….I remember being exhausted and feeling just so tired. I will not say that I am not tired, but I will say that it is great to see how much everyone’s physical and mental strength has changed in such a short time period.

Again, though, we must reflect on why we are doing this ride. We hope that we are providing hope and inspiration for others, whether it is to get through a chemo treatment, to hold the hand of a loved one, or even to eliminate risk factors for cancer. One day it is our vision that cancer will not be the disease that we know it as today. Stay positive, don’t let cancer take away your joy, hope, laughter or smiles. <3
-LAH

Day 23: A Warm Welcome of Friends and Family

Sunday, June 14th, 2015

Start/End: Chicago/McHenry, IL
Mileage: 69+/-
Weather: very wet and rainy at the beginning, then hot and humid later

Today was kind of a challenging day for many riders. We spent time visiting friends, family and loved ones alike, many of whom we would not see in person until after the journey. But it was exciting. Many of us were so surprised about how much we missed our fellow riders. We reunited at UIC, where some of the riders had stayed in Chicago, and then made our way towards Buckingham Fountain. At the fountain we met up with alumni riders as well as guest who would join us for the first part of the ride.

Today’s ride was dedicated to a gentleman that we had done a portrait of while we were on the trip. He seemed to do a lot for his community, and it was great because in his time of need, his community was really very supportive of his fight against cancer.

We got on our bikes to start riding and that is about when the rain started. We took the Lake Shore Path north for several miles and light sprinkles turned into heavy downpour. The sidewalks had some especially large puddles to dodge. I really give the guest and alumni riders serious kudos for staying so upbeat throughout the ride despite the adverse weather. We biked on the Greenway Trail and perhaps another, but I can’t remember, but before we got to mile 27 where lunch was at, the sun was shining and we had dried off just enough to hug some of our awesome supporters who welcomed us into the picnic area.

The picnic. You have just no idea. I have seen how much food 28 cyclists can demolish at dinner time, but goodness. We had so much amazing food brought in by past riders, parents and supporters that we hardly made a dent in it. There were grilled burgers, brats, hotdogs and veggie burgers, pasta salads, potato salad, fruits, vegetable trays, deviled eggs, dessert of all different kinds…..it was incredible! Our riders must have looked hungry. It am pretty sure that I had not eaten more at any other meal than this one (and I would still need to bike 40+ miles). We met alumni who had done the ride in the past and even enjoyed done time with one of the founders of Illini 4000.

After lunch, we still had quite a trek to make and it had warmed up rather substantially. We navigated through the northwest suburbs on bike trails and roads making our way to McHenry. After a snack, filled water bottles, sunscreen and a few flat tires,new made it!

Tonight has just been amazing. We have had amazing hosts at the Tree of Life, who not only generously hosted us in their facilities, but also provided a very filling, delicious dinner which had pulled pork sandwiches, vegetarian lasagna, different types of salad and then amazing dessert of homemade ice cream and cake. We could not be more thrilled. After dinner, because some of our riders actually have bottomless pits for stomachs, many went to a bonfire at a rider’s friend’s house where there was some serious s’more making activities.

It truly has been an amazing day filled with old and new friends alike. Illinois has been a great place to visit and we are thrilled to have been able to meet so many amazing folks. Tomorrow we head to Wisconsin, where one of our riders, Lizzie, attends UW-Madison. We are excited to see more of her home turf and excited to cross yet another state line on this trip (and hopefully there is a sign).

The Real I4K Begins

Sunday, June 14th, 2015

This past week has been incredible. Visiting family and friends was the perfect way to celebrate riding over 1,000 miles. As I pedaled away from my parents, family, and friends, I remember why we are all biking. It is so the next time we all see each other, we as a community will be one step closer to finding a cure for cancer. With a cure, more people will be fortunate enough to see family and friends fearless of diseases. Although it is hard to say goodbye, I know it is just a see you later. And with the love and support from my parents, family, and friends I know I can pedal my way to San Francisco.

Familiar Territory

Saturday, June 13th, 2015

Assistant Ride Leader’s Log. Bike Date 22.15-06-13.13:25

Three days ago we rolled into Champaign and it was a little strange. I had already said my good byes to U of I at graduation, but it didn’t seem like I had transitioned into being an alum just yet. Regardless, it was really cool getting to ride into familiar territory. It was also amazing to realize how the same roads that we struggled on with our training rides were now smooth sailing. The tailwinds didn’t hurt either.

The next morning, the team had an opportunity to ride with some of our supporters in Champaign. I had the chance to ride in a group with some of them and got to learn a lot about various cycling events in Indiana as well as some closer to Champaign. Despite some adventures with a teammate popping a spoke, it was a fairly quick ride.

Yesterday, I woke up really excited to have a fun day of cycling and to see family and friends. That excitement was a bit dampened by the rainy weather. After a very wet and increasingly cold ride with two flat tires and brake problems, we finally made it to the Bean in Millenium Park. It was great seeing family and friends – definitely loved the surprise of seeing my cousins Clare and Maureen at the Bean – and great to be home. I was especially excited to shower at home and sleep in my own bed. I’ll have one more night at home then I’ll be back on the road, which will be a little bittersweet but I’m excited for what’s to come.

We’ve reached just past the quarter point and I’m already starting to understand what makes Illini 4000 such a unique organization and experience. I can’t quite put it into words yet but I’m sure I’ll figure out how to say it soon enough.

While home, I’ve been trying to get some little errands and such done so I can roll out of Chicago tomorrow morning with confidence. The Enterprise was brought into a local bike shop for a 1,500 mile tune up and is looking as shiny and clean as the day I got it. We are now ready for the next 3,000 miles of adventure.

Day 21/22: Back in Chi-Town

Saturday, June 13th, 2015

Thanks for bearing with the delay in the post! I will not be doing a long post today as we made it to Chicago yesterday and many of us are either spending time with family or exploring the city! We all made it safely into the city from Bradley, IL despite the rain and chillier weather that we encountered as we turned along the lakefront to head north. But most of the day went pretty quickly with a warmer tailwind. Happy to be back in, what for many of us, is home and a great place for us to hang out and explore! I will try to put a more detailed ride recap later tonight.

Thank you so much for reading– enjoy the weekend! Also, if you would like to meet up with us in Chicagoland, check out the blog titled, “Hello Indianapolis” for some details on events.

Day 20: Speeding Towards Home

Thursday, June 11th, 2015

Start/End: Champaign/Bradley, IL
Mileage: 79+
Weather: Another hot, humid day!

Looking at a map, it is so remarkable that we have already come so far on our journey, and a little intimidating to see how far we still have to go, but it is truly exciting, especially after all of the experiences that we have had so far. Today’s morning was a little funky, since we were all spread out around campus to meet up at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. But we all made it there and got ready for a great ride today with some community members who support our cause, including faculty.

Today we started out with a ride dedication which today went to a history professor from the University of Illinois who passed away this past February from cancer.

We rolled out of campus with some awesome guests pretty immediately catching a tailwind. The ride was so flat, especially after doing all of the climbing out east. I just can’t get over how quickly the miles went by today! We mostly stuck along US route 45, so it pretty uneventful and we did not need to make many turns. It was pretty warm along the route and the sun was blazing, but we all stayed well hydrated and made sure to use plenty of sunscreen.

Last year, Illini 4000 stayed at the Zion Lutheran Church in Clifton, IL, and so because this was along the way, we decided to stop in and say hello! They were so gracious and had lunch prepared for us! We got to make some cold cut sandwiches with chips, which was just the right food that many of us were wanting. We got to meet the pastor and speak with him about the trip.

After lunch, we had less than 20 miles to ride so we just cruised along through more corn fields until we reached our final destination in Bradley, IL at the Adventure Church that was generous enough to let us stay in their space. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interact with some of the church members. It was also great because for dinner tonight, we were generously donated pizzas from Little Caesars, Pizza Hut, and Luconis Pizza. As college students, most of us can eat pizza quite often, so after a very fast-paced day. Thank you so much for the generosity from everyone that we have received today! It has just been fantastic.

Tomorrow we will roll into Chicago! We are so excited to see friends and family and will be at the Bean in Millennium Park at 2 PM, so if you are around, come meet us!