In the simplest of terms, we got wet. It turns out that torrential downpours have consequences, which often take the form of widespread flooding. Many Minnesotans we spoke to warned us of deep puddles and fallen trees on the paths we were taking. Their words gave way to our direct experiences – we rode past overflowing lakes and roads blocked by errant water. This meant a lot of wading and rerouting, as well as soaked socks, squelchy cleats, and splattered backs. Ultimately, though, we ended the day dry and with the sense of another day accomplished. Our bellies are full and we have a roof over our heads, two things that we have learned not to take for granted. We look ahead to a century tomorrow and our rolling into South Dakota, the final Midwestern state of the ride. 

ride overview

Mileage: 94.8

Elevation: 2,228’

Points of Interest: Cascade Lake, Douglas State Trail, Middle Fork Zumbro River, Straight River, Cannon River, Sakatah Lake State Park, Waterville, MN, Elysian, MN, Richland Town Hall, Singing Hills Trail, Scoops Ice Cream

quote(s) of the day

“Susan B. Anthony would have wanted me to fart.” - Emma

“I fully intend to be in The Oval Office in my lifetime.” - Neal

tales of the trail

This morning, we opened a series of handwritten cards we had received from The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, one of our beneficiaries. Various families had written thanking us for our donations, showing us pictures from their lives and telling us their cancer stories. There are many moments on the ride where our organization’s mission takes the forefront of our minds, set apart from the physical challenges of biking across the country. As we read these families’ words aloud and felt the significance of our work wash over us, this was one of those moments. 

Following that, we of course proceeded with our morning activity – decided once again by me! I had the team split up into groups and choreograph original moves to a section of the song “Karma” by Jojo Siwa. I then judged which choreography creation was the best. Seeing each group interpret the song in their own endearingly offbeat way was highly entertaining for everyone, and kept spirits high in light of our early wake-up and long mileage. 

The initial stretch of the ride was much like that of the Minnesota we had loved the day before – foggy and forested hills slumped over expansive green squares of rolling farmland. Our first rest stop was at a road obstructed by flooding. The water formed somewhat of a river over the asphalt and was actually quite picturesque. We ate fresh watermelon generously donated by our stayover from the night before and took in the first sign of the terrain to come. 

The landscape then transitioned into the more mundane. We rode by some minute town halls, their modest quarters defined only by humble plaques indicating their purposes. The sun brightened its gaze above us as we made progress on these country roads. A few groups opted to ride in the steady silence we had grown accustomed to before we earned music privileges, while others passed the time with some energizing tunes. 

We eventually made a turn onto a bicycle trail, which always serves as a break from the constant looking back of car traffic. This time, however, we had to keep watch for stretches of flooding or collapsed trees. Our Slack channel, I4K’s staple form of communication, was active with groups noting certain obstacles to go around or be careful when crossing. At worst, we got our lower bodies wet with the water and dirt that our tires would throw up at us. Generally, though, we made it through safely and in lighthearted moods. After the events of previous days, getting a little bit wet and muddy feels like a minor inconvenience to us. 

At a Dairy Queen rest stop, we aired out our sopping wet cleats and socks outside and spoke with some helpful locals to plan for the upcoming road conditions. After that, we felt a little more comfortable tackling the expected fallen tree or deep puddle here and there. We followed the trails for a decent amount of time, allowing us to make quick pace of the last few miles with relative ease. 

Finally, we arrived at Hosanna Church, our generous stayover in Mankato. They greeted us warmly with an enticing array of snacks and a helping hand with unpacking the van. We were then driven to Bethany Lutheran College, who kindly opened up their showers to us. An enormous thank you to our hosts for making sure us and our belongings are clean and dry, especially after a long day like this one! We are also incredibly grateful for our donated dinner, without which we would not have the energy to tackle the mileage of tomorrow’s century. 

We ended the night with a Portrait the team did with a few church members. With that, today was quintessentially Illini 4000. We bookended our day with reminders of why we get up and bike such long distances each day, from the letters we read in the morning to the firsthand stories we heard at our stayover. Many of us have reached a point in the ride where its reality has finally set in. We’re actually doing it – we’re biking across the country, and we get to make a unique impact on so many people’s lives as we do so. We could not be more in awe of the work this team is carrying out to fulfill the mission of our organization. 

cyclist’s corner

Today’s Rider: Izzy Perpich

How are you feeling today?

I’m doing well. Yeah, I feel pretty good. We’re in Minnesota, I have a lot of family here. It’s been a great stayover in Mankato, really awesome people. We just heard some awesome stories from a few people here at the church, their cancer experiences. Today we had great weather — besides the flooding, that was pretty intense. But yeah, I’m feeling pretty good. Just getting ready to slumber!

You’ve fundraised thousands of dollars for our cause. What has been the most impactful fundraising experience you’ve had?

As a college student, time can be limited, so you really have to select where you’re gonna put your time, and obviously take a lot of time to fundraise, but it’s all very important. It feels great to be able to help so many people. I feel like some of the events that stand out as very memorable — I ran concessions at basketball games, which I know a lot of people did on the team, but those were about five to eight hours on a random Tuesday…it was kind of fun because we could see some of the basketball game… We had a couple hockey fundraisers, like with the women’s hockey team — that’s my team as well when I’m not doing I4K stuff, I’m on that club team. It was really fun to be present at the game, and just bringing together two passions, that was really a good time. We did chuck-a-puck in between periods… chuck-a-puck just always is a vibe.

What keeps you going when it gets difficult to put in all of those miles or even to get on the bike?

It’s a lot of biking. I think it was mainly just having the exposure from training rides that made it doable. So shout out to our leaders from I4K at the school! But I think on a day-to-day basis, just trying to take it one segment at a time — we do it in about 20 mile segments. And then just talking with the people in your group, checking in, laughing, cracking jokes, listening to music now that we can do that, always lifts spirits. I know rest stops are a motivator for me because we have lots of fun snacks in the van. I feel like when it gets hard, I know everyone’s really accepting if we want to pull off and take a break… Most of the time, I feel like it can be enjoyable when it’s flat and not uphill. So just talk with friends and hang out. And it’s also really pretty, so just looking around. Most of the time. Recently in Wisconsin and Minnesota, it’s been pretty.

Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform?

I have Chicago socks that my dad got me for my birthday before the trip started. I feel like they’re like, cool homesick socks. I feel like I’m bringing that Chicago pride around the country. They have the stripes and the four red stars, and I wear those a lot… I have these Machines for Freedom bibs — they don’t make this brand anymore, but I got them from the gear program, and they’re amazing quality. I have my pink helmet too. So that’s my bicycle style.

What’s your rest stop routine?

So I lay my bike out, chain up. Don’t you worry Logan, the chain is up. Usually I have to pump air in my tire, because I have a slow leak. I eat like, three different types of snacks. I probably have one sweet little snack, one salty snack, and then probably more. I check in with the other teammates that are not on my team for the day, just say hi, because you don’t get to really see people a lot unless you ride with them. And yeah, I talk with Claudia as well. Fill the water bottles, that’s a classic.

In the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most?

This whole time, I’ve just been like, “Oregon. I can see it now.” I feel like it’s in the Pacific Northwest, parts are desert, parts are forest… I’m really stoked for the whole state of Oregon that we’re going through. But I’m also really excited for all the national parks like Grand Tetons, Rainier, Crater Lake. I feel like there’s just so many pretty areas that — living in the Midwest — we don’t really explore very often. I think that’s gonna be big for a lot of us. But I would say first and foremost, Oregon. 

Is there anything else you want to talk about?

I’m just really grateful for, honestly, Logan’s family’s beef jerky. [It] has gotten me through a lot of hard times on the ride, so shout out to them. And also, thanks for reading and supporting Illini 4000. And I hope you have a great day!

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