After an incredibly exciting and eventful first day, we were somewhat relieved to hear that Day 2 would be a slightly shorter ride — but not at all less interesting. Venturing to our third state in three days, there was no shortage of beautiful scenery that abruptly turned into the city sights of Philadelphia. Getting thrown into city riding has been no easy task, sometimes feeling like a very chaotic round of Mario Kart (banana peels and everything!) but top tier communication with each other on the road has served us well.

Ride overview

Mileage: 49.6

Elevation: 735’

Points of Interest: Princeton University, Rutgers University, the George Washington Bridge, the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail, the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Quote of the day

Tales of the trail

The team got to rise at the somewhat more humane hour of 5:40 a.m. in Princeton. Every morning, we start our day with a bowl of oatmeal, and some riders have already started experimenting with different seasoning combinations to add some flavor to their morning. Today included several options, mostly derived from Chipotle leftovers from the previous night: chicken, corn, and bean oatmeal were some of the variations. Everybody’s so creative!

We rolled out at our usual 7:00 a.m., equipped with our Zoleo devices, which allow us to communicate with one another over text on remote sections of the trip when we do not have cell service. The first stretch of the trip was where this was most needed, as we rode again along the beautiful and somewhat remote Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park Trail. This 20ish-mile stretch was accompanied by sightings of turtles, beavers, blue herons, and plenty of geese that took the liberty of hissing and honking at the team (cycling across the country truly isn’t for the faint of heart). This portion of the journey was also where we crossed the Delaware river into Pennsylvania, which held a truly spectacular view enjoyed by everyone — except possibly Joey and his fear of heights.

We met up for our first rest stop at a park just after entering the Pennsylvania section of today’s ride. The more artistically inclined members of the team have officially begun to decorate SAV for this year’s ride using washable markers on the van’s windows. SAV now showcases the day of the ride we’re currently on, who we are dedicating our ride to that day, our mission statement, and links for passersby to learn more about I4K and the Portraits Project.

We continued into Pennsylvania, rolling through a chain of towns using winding main roads. Those of us who are Illinois natives truly never realized how flat the Midwest was until we started cycling in a completely different place. These aren’t the biggest hills we’ll encounter on our ride by a long shot, but it’s certainly been a wake-up call to be riding a bit more vertically than usual. However, the immense satisfaction you feel reaching the top of a climb is something you really can’t find anywhere else. 

Before we knew it, a “welcome to Philadelphia” sign was up ahead and we were rolling through the suburbs of the state’s largest city. One unexpected part of this ride has been seeing the complete range of the United States. Being outside of the Midwest hasn’t just been different in terms of biking terrain, but the socioeconomic terrain as well. Biking through the country completely unfiltered is a unique way of experiencing it raw, without any outside influences.

Our second and final rest stop for the shorter day took place just inside of Philadelphia, where we refilled on snacks and compared chocolate milk brands from the nearby gas station (Cream-O-Land won, according to Olaf and Riddhima). Anthony, our van driver for the day, completed a map of the United States by hand for the side of the van, including fun doodles to accompany some of the states we’ll be visiting this summer. 

The final stretch of the ride took plenty of time as we rode through city traffic. Philadelphia — or at least the portion we cruised through — blessed us with many bike lanes to keep us out of the busy streets. Navigating these was still a challenge, as there was an abundance of road obstacles to avoid which required top-tier communication between riders. The chemistry of our team has undoubtedly contributed to our weirdly quick ability to cooperate with each other so well (see today’s Cyclist’s Corner for Claudia’s thoughts on this as well!).

We are now resting at our lovely stayover for the night, Calvary United Methodist Church. Our hosts have generously supplied us with plenty of space to relax, store our gear, and even a kitchen to prepare our elaborate meals (such as the PB & Js we devoured upon arrival). Our dinner was donated tonight by Anthony, his older sister, and her boyfriend, who spent the evening cooking for us out of kindness. A big thank you as usual to every single person who is helping us on our way this summer, our journey truly would not be possible without you. Having a safe space to stay and delicious food to eat is a huge motivating factor throughout the day, we can’t lie.

cyclist’s corner

Today’s rider: Claudia Madsen
How are you feeling today?

I’ve been better. Most of my day was really, really great. I was with a really awesome group. We got a lot of time on bike trails today, so a lot of time away from traffic which was really nice. And then I got in a little bit of a scuffle — a little bit of a crash. It was not my fault, but my teammates have been very supportive. So right now I am feeling grateful, I would say. 

What was your favorite part of today’s ride?

I’m really liking how quickly the team is meshing. That’s something I was nervous about — not that we wouldn’t mesh, but just how long it would take to really click. I feel like everyone is all in, which is awesome. It’s really cool to see all the things we’re seeing. The George Washington Bridge was so cool yesterday, and we’ve seen a lot of animals that we don’t already see at home. 

What model of bike are you riding?

A Giant Contend 4, I think? It might be a 3. She’s ruby red and I love it so far. And I have tubeless tires, and so far so good — no flats. 

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?

Ze-ro. I’m not a cyclist. I knew how to ride a bike, I used to ride to school sometimes which was a mile from my house (whenever I missed the bus). One of the questions I asked at an information meeting I went to before I applied to this is, “how much experience do you need,” and they said that they had someone recently who did not know how to ride a bike before joining I4K. So after hearing that I was like, “okay, they can do it. I can too.” 

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

I’m not really riding for anyone — my mom has two really close friends who have had cancer recently who I am thinking about a lot during this time. I don’t know if either of them would necessarily want me to dedicate the ride to them, but they are in my mind. Mostly, I’m riding for me in a lot of ways too.

Where on today’s route (generally or specific mile marker) was the most memorable for you? What happened?

Probably the intersection where I crashed was the most memorable. I was clipped by another biker who was not part of I4K. It was an accident, but the part I hoped to walk away with is when my team stopped to take pictures of turtles — so, trying to hold those sort of in equal regard. 

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

I love you! You rule! A lot of people have been sending me really nice notes the last few days and it’s really keeping a smile on my face. So, thank you. 

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