Day 43: Newcastle, WY to Gillette, WY

Today’s ride was dedicated to John Nelson. We met a woman at Mount Rushmore who saw our jerseys and asked what we were riding for, and then shared the story of John who passed away after a battle with cancer. We had several meaningful interactions with people yesterday at Mount Rushmore alone. Cancer is truly a universal experience and we are thankful that we can raise money and awareness to this cause.

Today was an absolute breeze compared to yesterday! We had a forecasted high of 90 degrees which was not ideal, but we were met with some surprising cloud cover and an air temperature that was almost chilly when not on the bike. The elevation wasn’t quite as flat as Illinois, but compared to yesterday was no challenge for this team. We had an awesome day and made it to the stayover so early! It’s always nice to have some time to hang out and just relax.

Our stayover tonight is amazing!!! We are at the First United Methodist Church in Gillette. We were greeted with a snack bar, ice cold water, and ice cream as soon as we arrived! Then we were spoiled with grilled burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, salads, and other desserts. We ate until we were full and will have food for tomorrow too! The wonderful people of the church also drove us to showers at an awesome rec center AND did our laundry tonight. They are saints because after these long hot days, our clothes don’t smell the best. They also took a group of us to see the local coal mining facility and tell us about the history of mining and the town. It’s amazing to see the unique aspects of all of these cities/towns that we go through. Every person and place has a story that we would not otherwise get to year if it wasn’t for being a part of the Illini 4000. I am very thankful to be a part of this team and to be staying as such a wonderful place.

Today’s rider shout-out goes to Jonathan. Jon always makes me laugh a lot throughout the day with his humor and sometimes outrageous antics. Today he needed a little boost and filled up a water bottle with iced coffee (he had already chugged a bottle of straight up water and chugged another right after – so fear not he was plenty hydrated!) and also stopped at a Wendy’s along the route. Jon reminds me to take time for small but fun things along the ride, and we all appreciate him for his spirit!

Day 42: Rapid City, SD to Newcastle WY

Today’s ride was dedicated to Cheryl Merkel. Cheryl was Sisi’s first roommate at the University of Illinois, and Sisi has always felt that Cheryl was a grandmother figure that adopted her into her extended family. Unfortunately Cheryl lost her battle with cancer. We biked today with her and Sisi in mind.

Today was TOUGH and I’m so proud to be on a team that accomplished what we did today! Our maximum elevation thus far in the trip has been around 4,000 feet, but today we did 7,200 feet!!!! That is well over an entire mile of climbing mountains, a crazy and awesome fear for any cyclists, but especially novice cyclists like ourselves. In the morning we got to see Mount Rushmore, which was a lot cooler than I expected it to be personally. There is a lot of history behind it being carved and it was fun to read about it and see it in real life! I think for a lot of us, this adventure of a trip has given us the opportunity to see things in America that we would not otherwise get to see. The day was hot once again, but we toughed it out and stayed very hydrated and in high spirits.

Tonight we are at Newcastle High School and thankfully have in-house showers to clean off all of the sweat from this hot day! We also got pizza donated to us from Pizza Barn, and we all got more than enough to be full and very happy. For the next couple of weeks, our roll out time will be 6am instead of 7am. That’s alright because our bodies are kind of used to that due to the recent change into the Mountain Time Zone. We are leaving earlier to hopefully get many more miles in before the heat gets to us.

Sisi definitely gets a shout-out today for her grit and resilience. Sisi was having a pretty tough day (as was everyone!) but she stuck it out, went up every single hill, and finished the day strong, all while being so kind and supporting her teammates. She truly embodied what it is to struggle but keep the end in sight and overcome.

Day 41: Wall, SD to Rapid City, SD

Today we dedicated our ride to JG Keown, the stepdad of a woman named Liz who we had the honor of conducting a Portrait with. She came to interview us for the local paper, but we thought her story was so powerful and we are thankful that she shared. We also dedicated today to Nathan and Jim. We happened to run in to Nathan and Jim in the Badlands National Park and they shared with us their story of their melanoma diagnosis – which both of them beat!

We had a lot of reasons to ride today, which was good because today was pretty tough! It’s really getting hot out here lately which makes it a little bit harder on us to be out on the blacktop in the middle of the day. We are making sure to drink a ton of water and eat a lot of fruit. Today was only 62 miles but took it out of us quite a bit, however we still got to our stayover pretty early and got to chillax.

Our stayover today is a campground! Our first time camping together. It’s not quite as furnished as the churches we are accustomed to sleeping at, but it’s really fun to be all together at this beautiful campsite. To make things really better, it has nice bathrooms including showers. We also got a BUNCH of food donations tonight: 5 Blaze pizzas, 5 Pizza Ranch pizzas, enough Olive Garden to feed 20 people, 17 sandwiches from Great Harvest, and gift cards to Taco John’s. We might be camping but we are feasting big time!!!

A HUGE rider shout-out to Brad for making most of the calls to get food donations. It makes a huge difference after a long day to eat delicious food and not have to cook. Brad also was incredibly helpful today and lifted everyone up even through all of the heat.

It’s our last night in South Dakota already!?!? Tomorrow we will bike up to Mount Rushmore and into Wyoming.

Day 40: Kadoka, SD to Wall, SD

Today’s ride was dedicated to a patient at the Avera Cancer Center. When we went to go tour the center, we passed by the radiation center and saw that it was occupied with a patient. We do not know the struggle of cancer treatment firsthand, but biked today with that patient and their courage in mind.

Today was a really exciting day – our first National Park! We had a 57 mile day that took us about 12 hours because we were exploring the Badlands. The Badlands were truly a sight to see, one that most of the team had never seen before, and many did not know what to expect at all. It was a really hot day but that did not stop us from climbing out on some ledges and seeing some of the most incredibly views in the country. We also got to feed some prairie dogs and see horned sheep, bison, and antelope in the distance. There are no words to describe the view, and the million photos that we took will never truly capture it either.

After a long and hot day, we are so blessed to be staying at the First Lutheran Church in Wall. The pastor arranged for us to have warm showers at the neighboring gym, and also put together a hot meal of different pastas, bread, and cookies! It felt amazing to wash the dirt and layer of sunscreen off and then eat a homemade meal. We also had the chance to explore Wall Drug, seemingly one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of South Dakota. We have been seeing signs for this Wall Drug since entering the state. Apparently, back in the Great Depression era, Wall Drug needed a way to produce income for their store to stay open. They started offering free ice water to those passing by, which brought quite a crowd to their store. Eventually, they grew and grew and now are not only a drug store, but a shoe store, cafe, bakery, and entertainment center. It was cool to see that attraction for a little bit this evening!

Mike gets a huge rider shout-out today. We had a lot going on today and at times it felt a little stressful. Mike always had a smile on his face and was there to remind everyone to enjoy the day and make the most out of anything. We all really appreciate his attitude each and every day – he is a great ride leader and is helping us create the best memories to look back on our I4K experience.

Day 38 & 39: Pierre, SD to Kadoka, SD

Yesterday was our rest day in Pierre, and we had a really lovely time! Pierre is the capital of South Dakota, and has a small town feel that was really welcoming and familiar. We spread out and did a bunch of different things: some went to brunch or to get coffee, others got more ice cream from Zesto, and some went exploring around town. In the meantime, we were able to shower and do laundry thanks once again to our stayover! Our host Jay also organized an event for us where we were able to go into the Avera Cancer Center to see the beautiful facility that they have been able to fundraise for and build. We have seen a couple of cancer facilities, and this one was special because of its rural location. Before this new cancer center, patients needing treatment would have to travel hours away, which for some is impossible. This hospital allows patients to access high-quality healthcare in their own town, which is amazing and was so special to see up close. Jay also hosted a bonfire for us in the evening and showed us around Pierre! We are thankful for him and his hospitality.

Today’s ride was dedicated to a good friend of Steven’s aunt. She has very recently been diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment. It is a pretty devastating diagnosis and we are keeping her and her loved ones in our thoughts.

We had a pretty long ride today, not quite a century, but 96 miles. We officially crossed into mountain time zone and went through lots of areas where it was only grass and a few head of cattle – no humans or buildings in sight. It was the first day that actually got hot for a majority of the day. We definitely need to get used to it as we head further west into the badlands and national parks! Along that line, myself and the team want to give everyone a sufficient heads up that over the next couple of weeks, we will be heading into areas that might not have any cell phone service. Any place on our route that says NP for National Park, or SP for State Park, or honestly anywhere from here to about Oregon might be patchy with service. I will be updating the blog as often and as soon as I can – but don’t worry if it is a day or two late at times!

Today’s rider shout-out goes to Kirby! Kirby does an amazing job running our social media accounts, which give photo updates about each day and are really fun to see. Kirby has also been incredibly helpful lately in the morning because he packs so quickly, and then helps others with their chores to make the day go faster.

Today was day 39 which means our ride is officially halfway over. We had some cake to celebrate even though it is a halfway sad event! We have come so far in the last 39 days and are excited for the next 39 we have ahead of us.

Day 37: Miller, SD to Pierre, SD

Today’s ride was dedicated to Reno Veskrna. Yesterday when we stopped by the farm with all of the adorable animals and kind family, we conducted a portrait and learned about Reno. He passed away from lung cancer due to the radiation treatment he had received during previous battle with cancer. Hearing about Reno was very moving because he was about our age, and it hits very close to home when that is the case. Hearing about his life through his sister Renae was so inspiring!

Today’s day was average in length, about 72 miles. We had some headwinds in the beginning of the day which slowed us down a little bit, but then the wind died down and made for an awesome day! At one of our rest stops, we ran into ANOTHER wonderful family farm that had an alpaca, camel, mini horses, kittens, puppies!!!!, sheep, and cattle. Most of the team is from Chicago or the suburbs, so it was extra cool to experience a unique and diverse farm like that.

We got to the stayover in good time, and got to shower and do laundry before the dinner that was provided for us by the church we are staying at, the First United Methodist Church. We had some amazing homemade food and dessert, and then got to go out on a pontoon boat on the Missouri river!!!! We spend a couple solid hours laughing and enjoying the sunset, it was so beautiful and so much fun! Big thanks to Guy & Jay for organizing that adventure for the team.

The rider shout-out goes to Jonathan! Every morning, Jon packs up the van, which is no easy task because the van contains everything we own – and that is a lot of stuff. Then, as soon as we get to the stayover, we have to unpack everything. Jonathan is always the first one to help unpack the van even though it was his job all morning to pack it up. It is such a huge help each and every day and makes the days so much better!

Day 36: Redfield, SD to Miller, SD

Today’s ride was dedicated to my awesome cousin Mia who lives in Denmark. She is currently kicking breast cancer’s butt, and inspires me to be a strong and forward thinking person as she always has. I know that she has awesome support, because it is the same family that also supports me, and it was really amazing to be able to dedicate the day to her.

We started off our day so positively with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, sausage, and bagels and also a new morning ritual of pointing out the great things that we see one another do. I know that we all notice little things that people do throughout the day, but it is nice to get into a routine of saying those nice things out loud. We had a very short day today, only 46.6 miles through the gorgeous South Dakota plains. 3 out of the 4 groups arrived at the stayover before noon, the other group arrived four hours later after a “brief detour.”

This detour was very worthwhile however!!! While biking to the stayover (a little bit off route), a group of us stumbled upon a farm with cats (and baby kittens!), turkeys, horses, a dog, and some very interesting free range hens. It was so fun to hang out with the owners of the farm, and we also got to conduct a Portrait and hear their story. It is ALWAYS worth a detour to listen to others. That is the whole reason why we ride, and will be what we remember come August 3rd when this is all said and done.

Tonight we are staying at the Miller United Methodist Church, where we were fed delicious South Dakotan pasta salads and had a cookout! We ate until we could not possibly eat any more, and also were provided showers at the local high school. Talking to the church members during dinner was really fun – everyone we have met in South Dakota has been so outrageously kind and it has been great.

We also had a safety meeting tonight to go over some differences in what biking out west will be like. We are about to see some plants and animals that we have never really ran into before, and get into elevations that are simply nonexistent in Illinois. We are prepared and have safety at the forefront of our minds at all times!

Today’s rider shout-out goes to Brad! This morning we had a HUGE breakfast to make (huge especially compared to our usual plain oatmeal) and Brad got his bag packed quickly and offered right away to help cook and clean up breakfast. We all have our own assigned chores and breakfast is not his, but he helped out as if it was and it made the morning go very smoothly.

PS – we love when friends, family, and people we meet along the way comment on the blog and/or on social media! We read the comments and they mean a lot to us, so if you ever want to pass along any words of encouragement or updates about how your journey is going, feel free to reach out :)

Day 35: Watertown, SD to Redfield, SD

Today we had the honor to dedicate the ride to Mike’s Grandma Rotter, who was also affectionately known as Mike. Mike told us that no matter how much pain his grandmother was in from her treatment, or how tired she was, she would always make his favorite meals when he came to visit. She also always held a positive mindset no matter how tough things got. She lost her battle with esophageal cancer, but inspires Mike every day, especially on the difficult days.

Today was a 72 mile day. After eating a delicious breakfast provided by our stayover, we started the morning with 90% chance of thunderstorms all day in both Watertown (where we left from this morning) and in Redfield (our destination). Thankfully, it only rained on us for a couple of hours and it never did lightning or thunder! We did have extremely strong winds, but luckily for us they were tailwinds. The wind is a HUGE factor for us when we are riding and can determine our pace significantly. The 20 or so MPH tailwind allowed us to finish fairly early today despite the rain, which meant more time hanging out at the stayover.

Our stayover tonight is at the First Congregational UCC. They are treating us so well and are so incredibly friendly!!!! We arrived to a full refrigerator and freezer of food to make for dinner, so many great places to sleep, a place arranged for showers, and suggestions for fun things to do in the area. Huge shout-out to Becky for being so wonderful and friendly and making us feel right at home. After eating so much food, the team spent some time either hanging out, napping, or going to the local bowling alley for some friendly competition. It was really awesome that we got to get in so early and spend so much time together.

Today’s rider shoutout goes to Sisi. Sisi is a great teammate to have – she always knows what to say to cheer you up and always can make you laugh even in the middle of a rain storm like today! I personally love when she gives me a fist bump every time she sees me. It never fails to make the day better!

Day 34: Montevideo, MN to Watertown, SD

Today’s ride was dedicated to Jeff Miller. Yesterday while eating at a diner during our lunch rest stop, a few teammates ran into an amazing woman named Missy. Jeff Miller was her brother who recently passed away from colon cancer. We are thankful we were able to hear her story, and thankful for her random act of kindness she showed by paying for our lunch.

Today we rode 75 miles into Watertown, South Dakota!!!!!!! It is unreal that we are already to another state! We really enjoyed the nice roads of Minnesota and all of the kindness we were shown. So far, South Dakota has very wide shoulders which is amazing because it means we are able to ride side by side and have more conversations on the bike! Today was a pretty long day with lots of flats, wind, and intermittent rain. However, everyone was able to finish and made it safely to the stayover.

Tonight we are staying at the Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, a beautiful church with such friendly people!!! The church provided us with a taco bar and gave us entrance to their local fitness center where we were able to take some excellent showers. After such a long day it was so uplifting to be treated so well, we are so thankful for Philip and his congregation for feeding us!

Today Zihao gets a huge rider shout out! Zihao is always so fun to ride with, and today especially he was so helpful at lunch time getting food out and helping others make lunch. It was raining and we did not really have any shelter, so it was really great to have help (or else we would have had soggy PBJ sandwiches!). I also personally had a challenging day and Zihao was nothing but supportive and helped bring lots of smiles to my face and everyone else on the team!

Day 33: Hutchinson, MN to Montevideo, MN

Today’s ride was dedicated to the late Penny Stamps. Penny Stamps and her Husband Roe founded the Stamps Charitable Foundation Scholarship, a scholarship that I was extremely fortunate to receive. Penny recently passed away after battling Leukemia. She left behind a legacy that changed my life and the lives of many, and we kept her in mind today as we journeyed to Montevideo MN.

Our ride today was a nice 68 miles, 65 of which were on highway 7. 65 miles on the same road in a car is a breeze, just over an hour of driving before the scenery changes. However, 65 miles on a bike means approximately 6 hours of the same sight! That means it is important to keep ourselves entertained. We have several games that we play while on the bike – some new and many that have been passed down from team to team each year. We also enjoy the chance to tell stories and get to know each other in order to have some fun and pass the time. It was a good day complete with a lunch stop at a dinner that had a pizza buffet! Some riders regretted their decision to partake in said buffet, but everyone made it to the stayover nonetheless.

Tonight we are staying at Montevideo Middle School. We are reliving our perhaps not-so glorious junior high days by sleeping in the gym and the hallways – there is so much space to spread out and it is awesome! Not to mention that we have showers in the gym as well, which is always so nice. We had pasta and lentils for dinner tonight, which is our go-to meal on days where the stayover or local restaurants are unable to provide a meal. This is only the second time on the whole ride that we have cooked pasta and lentils – and they are pretty tasty when you don’t have to eat them every night that is for sure.

Today’s rider shout-out goes to Marie. Marie is an awesome teammate who helps out a lot because she is always really on top of herself and her chores, and always finishes early. She really goes above and beyond with helping others even when she doesn’t have to. Without her, we would not have as smooth of days, that is for sure.

This is our last night in Minnesota! We are pretty sad about that because the roads and trails have been really nice here, but we are also super excited to be in South Dakota starting tomorrow. We are really about to enter the wild west – many of us have never been to the state before and are excited to explore.