Today was a relatively uneventful day for the team — which for us is a good thing! Our route was essentially a straight line from Richmond to Indianapolis, the heart of Indiana. Vast oceans of crops, mighty farm vehicles, and other classic symbols of small town American life flew past as we biked. Windy and cloudy weather conditions also meant it was noticeably colder, but we braved the conditions as always and completed another day on the road successfully :)

Ride overview

Mileage: 73.9

Elevation:1,352’

Points of Interest: USPS of Straughn, IN, Riley Memorial Park, The Burch Tree Cafe, Domino’s Pizza of Greenfield, IN, Pennsy Trail

quote of the day

tales of the trail

Today’s morning activity was a partner yoga contest judged by Olivia, which you would think would be relaxing, but was surprisingly stressful given the complex series of formations she had us perform in mere minutes. To no-one’s surprise, Tommy and Kavin won — we are convinced they’re basically the same person at this point.

After interacting with an adorable cat randomly hanging around the church premises, we rolled out onto the flatness of Indiana. The cold immediately met us with unexpected force and only increased as the winds blew harder into the day. Those who prematurely shed their layers during the first rest stop ended up regretting it by the second one — but, with any challenge we face also comes the opportunity to adapt. Anthony, our van driver for the day, lifted spirits by obtaining a lunch donation from a local Domino’s, who generously gave us a few pizzas and garlic knots. Other ways of suppressing the cold included playing with the local geese, biking around in circles, and taking shelter in the warmth of the van.

The final stretch of the ride took us onto the Pennsy Trail, which was a change of topographical pace that we always appreciate. We were fueled by the reward of getting to our toasty and beautiful stayover, Tabernacle Presbyterian Church, and showering at the YMCA that Michael was proactive enough to call for permission. The team had the pleasure of meeting with Jack’s family, who donated a greatly appreciated dinner for us tonight. Plus, Sam Michalak, 2023 rider and upcoming Vice President of Illini 4000, visited us! Hearing his stories from last year’s ride was a fun preview of the upcoming reunion event taking place in Chicago — we’re excited to discover more anecdotes from rides past :)

Some teammates are playing a game of Just Dance as I write this, while others are setting up for yet another I4K movie night — it looks like the Phineas and Ferb movie is tonight’s winner. We’ll see you tomorrow, as we get one day closer to reaching our beloved Champaign.

cyclist’s corner

Today’s Rider: Neal Linden

How are you feeling today?

Today I felt very unmotivated, because it was cloudy, and we’re in Indiana — but it was an easy ride, and the Domino’s was fire, and me and Olaf shared a half gallon of chocolate milk. The chocolate milk carried. 

What make and model of bicycle are you riding?

I ride a Trek Domane AL 2… a.k.a Megan. I love Megan. Megan is awesome. I love her red tape.

Before joining Illini 4000, how much bike training had you done, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?

I think the last time I rode a bike, I was probably like 14, and it was my old mountain bike. I played football a lot, and some baseball.

What has been your favorite part of the ride so far?

I learned how to do a front flip, which was a goal for the summer. Well — kind of. I hit a pole, and I did a front flip over my handlebars. I think the best part was probably the Great Falls day, going through Great Falls park on that bike trail. There were just a lot of little random side things that happened on that day. We took a lot of pictures too. Great Falls day was good. 

Is there anyone you’re doing this ride for, or any specific person you think of when you’re on the ride?

My best friend’s mom passed away, I think of lung cancer… we were like eight, we’ve been best friends since that. Shortly after that happened, he stayed at my house a lot. That’s kind of the big one… just seeing how much it affected [him]. 

Is there anything you want to say to the people who are cheering you on during this ride?

Thank you for donating. Don’t worry about me when I crash. I’m chillin’. I’m bouncy. Don’t worry about the scrapes you see in pictures. I’m bouncy, I’m fine. I go down well, I don’t get hurt. 

Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?

The food from [our stayover hosts] has been fire. The food has been so good. We’ve barely had to cook pasta and lentils, which means we get to donate more. I see how much we spend on PB & Js, we would spend so much more on pasta and lentils. We are saving so much money by getting food donated… This trip has reminded me how many good, generous people there are. There have been so many people just giving us stuff,  helping us. This trip is kind of restoring my faith in humanity. People are good. The world is good.

(A reminder that any unfamiliar terms can be found in our handy I4K dictionary.)