Day 10: Cleveland ~new~ Heights

Today the team rode 59.4 miles from Ashtabula to Cleveland, Ohio. Today was another toasty day with lots of hills and climbing. The team agreed that the hills in Ohio rivaled the hills we saw in upstate New York. The day was very good, although it was hot we got to get free pancakes for our first rest stop! There was a memorial day breakfast at a fire station in a town we were riding through. They saw us and graciously invited us to eat. They were so kind and generous and provided delicious pancakes. It was definitely an unexpected and great surprise on such a tough day! We also got to meet a few alumni of The University of Illinois alumni club, they came to meet us and gave us much needed ice to keep the water in the coolers cold. It was so nice of them to make the drive to see us! The rest of the day consisted of very long and hard hills. Everyone was winded and sweaty when they arrived at the lunch stop. The lunch stop was able to revive everyone just enough to push through the last 10 miles of giant hills. The lunch stop was also at a fruit farm so some people got creative with their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Later on, a large group went to a baseball game ( White sox vs. Cleveland Indians) and explored downtown Cleveland.

I would like to thank Grace Lutheran Church for hosting the team tonight. Also a special shoutout to Matthew and Hitarth for being such great bike mechanics for the team. They are always being called to fix different things on people’s bikes at various points throughout the day. They are always quick to fix problems and are happy to help when needed.

Tomorrow is our first official rest day! This has been a long time coming for the team and we cannot wait to explore Cleveland and spend some time relaxing!

~Tailwinds~
Mandy

Flat Count: 2
Song of the day: Call me Al

Day 9

Hello world!

Top of the mornin to you all. Yesterday was a very good day. My group and I took our time on the ride, spontaneously stopping at a cider mill for cider slushies, a drive in restaurant that had “the best root beer east of the Mississippi”, stopping to take pictures by cool buildings, and stopping at the iconic Sheetz gas station.

We enjoyed the views as we passed 2 state lines, Pennsylvania and Ohio! Today we take on a 50 mile ride and then we will arrive in Cleveland, OH for our first official rest day (praise the lord).

We had just under 20 miles to go when we heard that showers closed at 5:00, so we had to book it to the stayover. Averaging a solid 18 mph on our way back, we made it with 20 minutes to spare and we’re blessed with showers woot woot!!

Cool beans.

Marge

Day 9: Always sunny in Ashtabula

Today the team rode 74.5 miles from Westfield, New York to Ashtabula, Ohio! Finally a new state, and we even got to cross through Pennsylvania. Two pictures at state lines later and we finally arrived at the stay over. Today was a very HOT and HUMID in the high 80’s. Each rest stop was in the beating sun but the van clan kept the moral high by playing some jams at rest stops where the team worked on mastering ”the floss. We also found the infamous Sheets as our lunch stop for today. Sheets is the gas station of all gas stations. Seriously it is an I4K pastime for good reason they have everything you could ever want and need. They have the best cheese curds with ”boom boom sauce”, tried and tested from our team. Riding along Lake Erie again gave some nice scenery to look at throughout the day. Some teams we’re speedy and tried to beat the heat while others took their time and made multiple food stops along the way including stops for apple slushies and root beer floats!

Tonight we are staying at the First Presbyterian Church where they provided our team with a lovely dinner. It was great to meet the people that were hosting us!
~Tailwinds~
Mandy

Flat count: 0
Song of the day: Sensations
Memorable moment: A wild bat was flying around the church at our last stay over around midnight. Several team members were woken up and attempted to smack the bat with shovels. Lots of screaming later the bat was finally wacked to it’s death. Needless to say it’s always an adventure with I4K!

Day 8

Hello world!

3 amazing things about the ride today:

1. We saw a world class rollerblader going down the highway at 28 mph and doing all kinds of tricks… he’s out here making us look bad!!
2. We got to bike along the beautiful Lake Erie (and even see Canada across the water)
3. My group and it’s awesome sing alongs to ABBA, which inspired a team movie night with Mama Mia! You bet your bottom dollar we’re seeing the second this summer

Tonight is officially our last night staying in New York and then we’re off to Ohio!

Tomorrow we take on a 70 ish mile day from Westfield, NY to Ashtabula, OH. Weather is looking promising, but keep those fingers crossed.

Lit.

Marge

Day 8: Windy Westfield

Today the team road 59.6 miles from Buffalo to Westfield, New York. It was a relatively easy day biking along side Lake Erie. A few hills later and the team made it to the lunch stop. Props to Lauren the van driver/soccer mom of the day for picking a rest stop right on the boardwalk. Nestled within a cute little pocket of shops was a bomb ice cream shop that refueled the team today after they rolled into lunch a little run down. Everyone was feeling a little exhausted today due to yesterday’s doozy but we pushed through! A few groups kept their moral high by dancing and attempting to ride with no hands on the handle bars. The groups also went to the beach to see the lighthouse along route. The guys group also saw a rollerblading man who past them going 22 mph on a downhill. They instantly found their new idol. After the ride a few soccer fans convinced the team to go watch the game (Manchester vs. Liverpool) at a sports bar. Later on the team watched Mamma Mia together!! We quickly learned who are and who are not the singers of the team haha

I would like to thank United Methodist Church for hosting our team today. We are living large tonight as almost half the team gets to sleep on a couch!! Also shoutout to our food dudette Sam for hooking us up with free food every night so far, you rock!

Tomorrow we are off to Ohio! It’s been fun New York but onward we go.
~Tailwinds~
Mandy

Daily flat count: 2
Song of the day: Mamma Mia soundtrack
Memorable moment: The team riding an extra few miles to the lighthouse beach and being unanimously underwhelmed by the lighthouse but making jokes of how great it was anyways.

Day 7: Bustling winds in Buffalo

Today the team rode 70.9 miles from Rochester to Buffalo, New York. The day started out smooth and easy but about midway through the wind started to pick up and the headwinds began to slow us down. The resistance from the headwinds left us winded and everyone was pretty exhausted when they arrived at the stayover. The beautiful sunny weather contributed to good vibes despite the head winds. Today we also got to eat meat and cheese Sammy’s as opposed to the usual PB&J. We have been eating good these last 7 days and I hope it continues in Ohio!

All of us have begun to get injuries or small aches from a weeks worth of riding without having built up the muscle yet required for all the miles. Cramping in hands, sunburns, sore butts and achy knees we all continue to push through the discomfort and know it will only be a little longer before our bodies become used to all the physical activity we are putting them through.

I would like to thank our stayover Grace Lutheran Church for hosting us and providing us with a delicious dinner! Some of us even get to sleep on air mattresses. It’s amazing how little things are appreciated so much more on the ride when everyone is living off so little. The kindness and support that all the stayovers have showed in New York has been so incredible. Every kind gesture has not gone unnoticed and the team could not be more thankful. One more day in New work and then we are off to the Midwest!
~Tailwinds~
Mandy
Flat count: 1
Song of the day: paint with all the colors of the wind
Memorable moment: Multiple people sleeping in strange places today. Sam fell asleep at the rest stop with a sandwich in hand. Eric fell asleep standing up. Kathy fell asleep outside our stayover.

Day 6 and 7

Hello world!

Sorry folks for dropping the ball on day 6. We were having too much fun on our almost day off! We only had to bike 23 miles, so we had most of the day to ourselves. The ride was followed by a team field trip to a mom n pop diner for brunch.

We went on to explore University of Rochester and this really spooky but very cool abandoned building. It was perfect for watching the sunset on the rooftop!

To give an update on my poor, pitiful sunburn… :( We have now progressed to an uncomfy rash all along my thighs!! Today I went to urgent care to get it checked out and they’re giving me a steroid so hopefully it’ll help…darn my sensitive skin!

Life’s been just dandy otherwise! We’ve got about 60 miles tomorrow to get from Buffalo to Westfield, NY. We’ll see how the ol’ rash/burn is doing tomorrow to see if I can ride.

Keep calm and TGIF

Marge

Day 6: Short and Sweet in Rochester

Today was our shortest day yet! We rode an easy 23 miles from Palmyra to Rochester, New York. A beautiful sunny day with a trail along the river made for a leisurely ride. The team remanist on a few months prior when 20 miles seemed like such a long and tiring ride. It is pretty amazing how strong the riders on our team have become, each day people get faster and more confident with their riding. Everyone is improving so rapidly and becoming more comfortable riding in unfamiliar places each day. Unfortunately, our rider event that was scheduled for today was unable to happen, however it gave the team the opportunity to walk around Rochester and rest. We all finished before 10 am which meant our “rest stop” was brunch. We managed to fit the whole team in the van for the first time and drove to a local diner. It was a great time bonding with the team. We are realizing that we are quite the spectacle everywhere we go in our matching shirts and grease stains. A group of us decided to do laundry today, another group went to go a repair bikes, and another group explored Rochester University. A restful and productive day was had by all!

We would like to thank the church of the love faith for hosting us tonight and providing us a very nice space to camp out for the night. They even provided us food! The team has yet to eat pasta and lentils because all of our stay overs have been extremely generous *cheers* Back to a 70 mile day tomorrow.
~Tailwinds~
Mandy

Flat count: 1 -me :(
Song of the day: Tied up right now -parcels
Memorable moment: The whole team jamming out in the Van to extremely loud music with more base than lyrics.

Day 5: Chillin and Grillin in Palmyra

Today the team rode 66.7 miles from Syracuse to Palmyra, New York! Today has been the easiest day by far with very little climbing and less miles. Today was HOT with temps as high as 78 and a beating sun that lasted the entirety of the ride. At the last 20 miles we experience our first head winds of the ride. We can all agree that the head winds from Champaign have not been missed. Everyone on the team is getting to know one another and now the rest stops have become less restful and more fun. Dancing with a portable speaker (tunes cred to van driver Kathy), doing cartwheels and handstands, and abs and arm workouts (gotta keep the balance). Once in Palmyra the team checked out a local ice cream shop called the grill and chill where the quantities of ice cream we’re more than generous. The kiddie size cup was the size of a pint at the grocery store!! We were all happy campers.

A portrait was conducted today at one of our rest stops. The team met a man named Wally who shared that everyone in his immediately family experienced cancer. He explained that it was a struggle for him to fight the urge to ask, ”why not me?” He chose to share his story to encourage family members to not carry guilt with them. To take life as it comes at you.

I would like to thank our hosts at the Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship. They had the greatest arrival for our team with posters in the front of the church and Illini colored decorations. The warm welcome was the icing on top of a great day! Jeni our host even took the time to memorize all our bios and surprised us by knowing all of our names and facts about ourselves before we even introduced ourselves. The food they provided was delicious and the company was even better.

Tomorrow is a very short 20 mile ride to Rochester. It’s safe to say everyone is in need of a little TLC!
~Tailwinds~
Mandy

Daily flats: 3
Song of the day: Despacito
Story of the day: Kathy drove the van today with her bike on the bike rack on the back of the van. Her wheel fell off while she was driving without her knowledge. A group of riders found a spare wheel in the road and decided it would be useful for the team. They called the van and the wheel turned out to be Kathy’s. A wheel found is a wheel saved!

Day 5

Hello world!

Day 5… another day down woot woot

Not much to say about the bike ride today other than the fact that we saw a dog on a roof and had a nice picnic in a park for lunch :)

Weather was nice except I think ya girl might have sun poisoning :( not exactly sure how that happened because I put on loads of sunscreen, but I’ll be wearing pants on the bike for a while now !

We were spoiled yet again tonight with our extremely generous hosts in the cute town of Palmyra, NY. We were warmly welcomed with I4K signs with all of our names on it which was sweet. They also cooked us a feast which was delish

When John (pastor of the church) picked us up from showering at the high school, he took us on a detour to Joseph Smith’s original house. Fun fact, Palmyra is known as “the Mecca for Mormons”… pretty interesting to see

We will be biking from Palmyra to Rochester, NY and we are feeling #blessed because it’s only a 23 mike ride!!

Until tomorrow.

Marge

Day 4

Hello world!

Day 4 is done-zo!

You’d be surprised at the things you find on the side of the road while on a bike. Today I found 2 parts to a Kirby vacuum about 5 miles away from one another… not sure the story behind that one.

Nothing really exciting happened today on the bike but my buns are hurtin… hopefully that situation improves. Also we keep getting a mix of good and rainy weather but it’d be nice to have the good weather stay a while and hang… much appreciated.

From Day 1 of biking to Day 4, we have gone from rags to riches. On day 1 I took a “shower” in the sink and ate 2 slices of cheese pizza that was donated today. Today, I had a nice hot shower, sauna and a home cooked meal by 5 cute old ladies.

Tomorrow we go from Syracuse to Palmyra, NY. About 67 miles. Hopefully won’t be too hard!

Rad.

Marge

Day 4: Can’t stop the rain in Syracuse

Today the team powered through 74 miles in straight rain from Little Falls to Syracuse, New York. All aching from yesterday’s climbs the team was very happy to have an easier day of riding today. We also began an old I4K tradition, the mosher. The idea behind the mosher is for teammates to pass around an old ski pass that belonged to an Eric Mosher (this was found from a past team on the side of a road). The ski pass is then hidden and passed around from teammate to teammate until 7 pm. One way this was done today is by hiding it in a dorito bag and then offering a dorito to another teammate.Whoever has it at 7 then must think of an activity for the team do the following morning.

I would like to thank the people at St. Paul’s church in Syracuse for being amazing hosts and providing us with a feast. We are so lucky to build the relationships with such kind people who offer to host our team each year. We could not be more thankful for their generosity, and time they spent to make us so much food. Ryan and Alex also conducted a portrait with a women named Margaret who is a volunteer at the church. Margaret has battled cancer in the past and is currently battling it once again. Margaret has a passion for teaching and volunteered to do the portrait as a way go educate others about her experience.

Whether it was hills or rain the team has powered through some challenging days and we are all hoping for some sun and smooth miles as we make our way to Palmyra!
Mandy

Flat count: 2
Song of the day: Living on a prayer
Memorable moment: A group rode past the rest stop and so they stopped at Burger King instead.Moral of the story it pays to take the path less traveled :)

Day 3

Hello world!

Day 3… boy oh boy. This ride is one for the books and will never be forgotten.

We battled some gnarly hills that you wouldn’t imagine and it truly tested our mental toughness. Because there’s no music on our rides, you have to make do by singing to yourself.

3 songs that continued to cycle through my head were Oh Happy Day, The Sound of Music (because of the daisy fields we passed), and Ain’t No Mountains High Enough.

One of the farms we passed had a horse on a leash that bolted straight towards us…. we were trained on what to do if dogs bolt, but horses is a different story… but hey we still made it.

PS – We may or may not be staying with the prisoners of Little Falls, NY tonight…. an unexpected surprise but it’s all good!

Right on.

Marge

Day 3: Brutally Beautiful Little Falls

Today the team rode 67 miles from Albany to Little Falls, New York. The day was hot with tons of hills and beautiful views. We rode through lush green valleys that made the 1 kilometer climbs well worth it. Today our elevation gain was 3,350 ft. Something that seemed so daunting, turned out to be rewarding as we stood at the top of the hills and looked down.Everyone on the team can agree that today was extremely tough but we all pushed through the grueling hills that from the bottom seemed impossible. Some of the team shed a few tears up the hills. Eric and Mike cried tears of joy thinking about the pb and J’s as motivation up the hills. We were all very relieved to learn that these hills will be the largest until Colorado!

We would like to thank the YMCA in Little Falls for hosting us tonight. We would also like to thank Sandra (I4K alum from 2007) for making us a delicious meal and driving an hour to deliver it to us, it was very appreciated!! The team can agree that the brownies and pasta were delicious :) It is so great to meet past riders and hear stories about their ride. They are truly the only people that understand how special the experience of being on Illini 4000 is.

With three days down this is starting to feel like a routine, I’m excited to see what the next 75 days have in store!
Mandy

Flat count: 3
Song of the day: Breakeven ( still alive but we are barely breathing)- how we felt after each climb
Memorable story: Sam, Aaron, Caroline and I went to a random house in the middle of nowhere to use the bathroom. The women seemed extremely hesitant but eventually took pity on us (might have had something to do with how exhausted we looked) Conclusion: we all officially conquered any fears of stranger danger!

Day 2

Hello world!

Day 2 was tough but good. We conquered some pretty incredible hills that took my breath away (literally and figuratively). Weather was super nice compared to yesterday, and I already feel the tan lines comin on strong…

We passed by many farms and winery’s on the mountain side. There were some awesome barns with horses and sheep that I wish I owned (mom you would’ve loved it).

88 more miles logged into the books. 67 for tomorrow as we head to Little Falls, NY.

Until tomorrow.

Marge

Day 2: We all made it to Albany

Today the team rode 87.9 miles from Beacon to Albany, New York. The day was long, hot and filled with more climbing! The views were absolutely incredible and made it all worth it! Lush green hills and cute little towns were passed along the way. There was one breathtaking view from the Van Wilder bridge. None of us expected to see so many mountains in upstate New York, and there are no words to express what it’s like to bike and see mountains all around you. It certainly isn’t the corn fields we are used to. I’m learning that this will be one of the best parts of the ride, the unexpected wonders in each state.

We would like to thank St. Andrews church for hosting in Beacon. We also were able to film our first portrait on the ride from a women that some teammates met at the church. We would also like to thank our hosts at the Bethlehem YMCA for being great hosts year after year and providing us with pizza! Some of the team even got to be on the news when the local news station came to the YMCA to interview us ( we are famous.. in Albany!) Also thanks to Liz (I4K alum) for being our incredible van driver the last two days and for being a joy to be around on our first few hard days, we will miss you!

We are all resting up for another day of climbing tomorrow, as we continue to push ourselves and conquer new heights!

Mandy

Flat total: 2
Song of the day: Here comes the sun
Memorable moment: Hitarth found a postcard that says bald is beautiful (Hitarth is bald)

Day 1

Hello world!

Day 1 of biking has officially come to a close in Beacon, NY.

The day started off with an el ride to Central Park (with our bikes) followed by a meeting with one of our beneficiaries, Be Positive.

Despite the disgusting , cold rain, we biked just over 63 miles from Central Park to Beacon. The ride was breathtaking to say the least. The combo of climbing hills in the forest to decending next to the Hudson was such a fun time.

I’ve been in the state for just a couple days and 10/10 recommend. Don’t forget there’s more to this state than the city so check it out sometime, it won’t disappoint.

Tomorrow we take on 88 miles and hopefully better weather.

Cool.

Marge

Day 1: High ho high ho off to Beacon we go

As many of you are aware the start to our adventure was more eventful than many of us anticipated. To fill you in our set train ride was changed to a bus ride to Toledo due to tree branches on the tracks. We needed to disassemble our bikes, all 23 of them to go into the van. From Toledo we hopped a train to New York City and after a short 18 hours we arrived. Shell-shocked by the bright lights and honking horns we knew we were not in Champaign anymore and we were within hours of the adventure that at one point seemed so far away!

I first would like to thank our host in NYC Bippin for being great and letting us crash his newly renovated house and for making us amazing food. We also were able to meet one of our beneficiaries in NYC, Damon Runyon! It was so interesting to meet the researchers and get a better idea of what Damon Runyon does and how our fundraising efforts are helping support cancer research. Also to Carly from B + who saw us depart from central park and shared an inspiring story of a family that Illini 4000 has directly helped. This was an inspiring way to start our ride and a great motivation for the day!

Fast-forward to today. We rode 63.2 miles from central park to Beacon, New York. Hills Hills and more Hills!!! The weather decided to continue to throw curve balls our way by raining the whole day. Riding today felt surreal after months of preparation we were finally able to say we are riding across the country. Riding around the city was extremely challenging as it was nothing like our prior training rides. Today Sam lost a wheel, and Helen got three flats in an hour! If every day is like today I have a feeling this summer will be full of adventure and one of the best experiences of my life!

Mandy

Daily Flat count: 5
Song of the day: Ain’t no mountain high enough
Memorable moment: Maggie thinking every part of greenery in New York was central park

https://www.damonrunyon.org/
https://bepositive.org/

Day -1

Hello world!

Got to THE NYC yesterday late at night due to many travel roadblocks. A train cancellation which led to a bus to Toledo, Ohio followed by a 3 hour delay on our train from Toledo to New York. Nothin like starting off a bike trip strong amiright ¿?

New York has been pretty dope so far. Visited Damon Runyon (the research foundation we donate to) and saw a wholeee lot (high line, chelsea market, prospect park, etc etc).

Big day tomorrow as we start day número uno of biking!!! Stay tuned as the weather is supposed to be a bit hairy…

Stay fresh,

Marge