A friend of Dan’s, Krystal, who was diagnosed with breast cancer during her sophomore year of college took the ride dedication today. She was a studying elementary education at Illinois State University when she eventually lost her battle.

With humid and hot weather and legs and bottoms still sore from yesterday’s century, today’s 71-mile ride was another hard one.  Although there were only slight headwinds, it still made riding that much more difficult. The difficult day was made better with a rest stop at DQ. Most of the team treated themselves to blizzards to cool down during this time.

As the team continues to become more comfortable with each other and riding our bikes, our ride leaders remind us that “real I4k doesn’t start until after Chicago”. Meaning that the most difficult part of our long journey is yet to come, once we hit the West. With tales of driverless roads in Idaho, and stretches where even gas stations are not to be found in South Dakota, we have been informed that most riders will find a day where they hit their own personal wall. Us new riders are reminding ourselves not to become complacent. Participating in this ride continues to prove itself to be multi faceted: fighting cancer, cycling, experiencing the country, and personal growth.  Hopefully the peaceful dynamic that we have established amongst ourselves can continue all the way to San Francisco. I am staying hopeful.

When’s the next rest day?

MB