Hello friends, family members, and all supporters of the Illini 4000! My name is Kaitlin Block and I am a member of the 2019 Bike America team. I will be updating the team journal every single day this summer to give you all a glimpse into the adventure we are about to take part in: biking 4,700 miles from New York City, New York to San Francisco, California.

At 9:30 yesterday evening, 16 riders left Chicago Union Station in pursuit of New York City, and I am happy to announce that all 16 riders have arrived safely to our first destination!!!

I was a part of the group of 4 riders who drove the support van overnight. Our support van is a crucial part of the Illini 4000 team – it will carry our sleeping bags, food, water, tents, and backpacks all summer so that we do not have to carry our supplies on our backs or bikes. Some riders will take turns driving the van each day, and if a rider gets sick or has a bike malfunction, the van can get the situation taken care of! We are a well-prepared group of riders who intend to stay happy, healthy, and safe all summer long.

The other 12 riders took a nearly 24-hour train ride and arrived at our stayover in New York City a little bit later than the van did. A ‘stayover’ is just the Illini 4000 word for a place to rest our heads at night. We have worked hard for the past several months to secure a stayover each night along our route. Thanks to the generosity of many kind strangers along the way, we are hoping to rarely have to pitch tents and camp outside.

We are all a mixture of a little bit tired, a little bit nervous, and a whole lot of excited to start our ride on Saturday morning! We want to thank each and every one of you for your support along this journey. I speak for the whole team when I say that we could not do this if it wasn’t for you.

Stayover Shoutout: Thank you to Bippin for being an AMAZING host for the next two nights. He and his family are letting us stay in his home in Brooklyn, and he is making us breakfast and dinner

Rider Shoutout: I’d like to personally thank Steven for driving a very long shift in the van this morning and letting the rest of us sleep!