We’re just around a week away from the end of this mammoth of a journey, and it still finds ways to surprise us. If you read Maaike’s interview from the last journal entry, her words on the changing state of our planet now seem almost prophetic with regards to the past few days. Ongoing wildfires in this part of the country raised the AQI to unsafe levels for biking, which meant the team had to shuttle through Oregon for the better part of three consecutive days. A few of us have commented on the feeling of being directly impacted by what is usually just a headline for us to read back home. Reckoning with this feeling hasn’t been straightforward. For one, our lives as passers-through are affected in a comparatively marginal way. To us, a wildfire means we cannot bike for some time. To others, it can mean the devastating loss of their way of life. In light of this, acknowledging the uncertain future of our planet has also been a strangely non-linear experience. The world has an interesting way of continuing on, even as it actively burns — people are still going to work at the cafes, gift shops, and gas stations we frequent, team spirits are still high, and, although we don’t do it on our bikes, we continue to find ourselves en route and in new places each successive day. 

Ride Overview, Days 66 & 67

Mileage: ~18

Elevation: ~500’

Ride Dedication: Mark Mooney, a lifelong neighbor of Olaf’s, who passed away from cancer.

Points of Interest: Lane Community College, Dexter Reservoir, Mohawk Restaurant, KJ’s Cafe, Mountain Market, Chemist Branch Library, Annie Creek Restaurant, Mazama Village Store, Annie Creek, Upper Annie Falls, Annie Creek Canyon 

Quote(s) of the Day

“Biking is my job, everything else is my hobby.” - Neal

“What was life like before I4K?” - Logan

“We all have senioritis — we want it to be done but we also don’t want it to be done.” - Kev

“You’re sitting in a parking lot in Oregon, Izzy. It doesn’t get better than this!” - Olivia

Tales of the Trail, Days 66 & 67

We began the day in typical fashion — a griddy competition held by Neal. Picture this dignified sight: pairs of college students enthusiastically swinging their hands back and forth while shuffling their feet across the echoey hallway of Lane Community College at five in the morning. Anthony, Emma, and Lucas emerged as the finalists, and they valiantly griddied to the best of their abilities in a close last round. Lucas prevailed until the end (literally, as he did not stop even after the music ended) and now holds the revered title of Best Griddier on the team, one that we do not take lightly here at I4K.

Another staple part of our mornings that we haven’t yet spotlighted in the journals is our team chant. Typically, we build up to the phrase: “I believe that we will bike.” Today, though, and unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Tommy enlisted the help of Olaf, Jack, Neal, Anthony, and Lucas to ask Logan to I4Prom. 

Energized by the dancing and I4Prom festivities of the morning, we rolled out late but in good spirits. Just a few miles into the first stretch, groups began noticing a concerning amount of smoke as they rode. Some of our eyes began to burn and it became harder to breathe. The surrounding mountains that we had initially thought were shrouded by fog were in reality enveloped by fumes from the wildfires, and increasingly so as their peaks grew more invisible by the minute. We quickly realized we were riding into unsafe conditions and that we had to shuttle.  

Although not being able to bike through the gorgeous morning scenery was regrettable, we’re also glad we didn’t risk it. At certain points in our drive, we couldn’t even see out of the windows because of how thick the smoke was. 

So, we piled into SAV and got up close and personal with our bikes. We arrived at our stayover in Crescent, a town of just under 300. The smoke persisted here as well, but this time we had the comfort of indoor shelter. This naturally meant watching episodes of the latest season of “Love Island,” exploring the nearby Dollar General, and taking naps. Our generous hosts also donated a delicious dinner, for which we are incredibly grateful after a long day of being cramped in the van. 

We awoke the next day to similar news of a dangerously high AQI and shuttled the entirety of the day to Crater Lake National Park. Just like at Mt. Rainier, it felt strange to drive to major destinations on our route instead of saying the usual, “we biked here!” Nevertheless, seeing the massive, clear waters of Crater Lake was memorable. The smoke followed us here too, heavily resting on and around the body of the lake.  

We were glad to still be able to camp in the outdoors, which allowed us to go for a swim, play frisbee, and walk the trails in the surrounding nature. After a hearty dinner of beans and sausages, we went to bed uncertain of whether we’d be able to get on our bikes the next day. 

Ride Overview, Day 68

Mileage: ~44

Elevation: ~1,200’

Points of Interest: Rogue River, The Fishing Hole Fly Shop, Guide Service, Raft Rentals, Deli & Gifts

Quote of the Day

Tales of the Trail, Day 68

We awoke to smoke cloaking our campsite, and the team grimly knew that we would have to shuttle at least some of the day. So, SAV took us the first 50 miles to Shady Cove, where we tried our best not to look suspicious hanging out in a local gas station’s parking lot as we waited for everyone to recoup and start biking.

Eventually, we hopped back on our bikes for the last 40 or so miles. Pushing down on those pedals felt a bit foreign for the first mile, but our muscle memory got us back into the groove of things in no time. 

As excited as we were to return to regularity, though, the day had other plans for us. Temperatures hit a high of 100 degrees and enveloped us in a suffocating heat, and some groups faced multiple mechanical issues in the first stretch. It got so hot that even our brake levers and bike frames were hot to the touch. A major shoutout to the Pinnacle 365 that provided us refreshing shade and the uniquely American joy of 99-cent sodas bigger than our faces. Putting together the ultimate combination of cold sugary drinks makes for a great distraction when you’re sweating your butt off. 

After what felt like an eternity of dusty industrial zones (cue Maaike yelling “gravel right!” every 10 seconds) and heavy car traffic, we arrived at stayover drenched in sweat and grime, but also in a simultaneous sense of relief and accomplishment at having completed yet another tough day on the ride. 

Our amazing hosts at Solid Rock Church made us feel extremely welcome with the dinner they donated not one, but two days in a row — fried chicken made a reappearance for the first time since Hagerstown, MD, much to many of our teammates’ delight. Dinner donations are an unexpectedly common part of this ride, but we cannot stress enough how much they do to boost team morale after long days like these ones. 

The team spent the rest of the day unwinding. Olivia and Izzy braided Neal, Joey, and Kev’s hair, some of us gathered in the church parking lot and reminisced as the sun set, and we’ve of course already made plans to visit the original Dutch Bros right here in town on the rest day. 

Tomorrow will be our final rest day — a frankly surreal statement to make. After that, we embark on the last week of the ride and roll into our destination state of California. We can’t wait to see what these concluding days bring.

Cyclist’s Corner 

Today’s Rider: Claudia Madsen

How are you feeling today?

I’m pretty good — sweaty, and dusty, but I’m good! I feel like we got through a tough day. 

Which chore have you been doing for the team during the ride? Can you share your process doing this chore?

So my official chore is the social media accounts, the Instagram and Facebook. At the end of every day, or sometimes I’ve done them the next morning, I go in the Google Photos — the G Pho, if you will — and I pick ten of my most favorite pictures from the day, that I feel capture our adventures, our misadventures. I write a caption that tells the masses what we did, but doesn’t tell them too much, because everyone should go read the journal! I try to keep it light and funny, and I try to get as many photos of as many teammates as I can, so that everyone’s parents get to see their beautiful smile. I have passed the baton a couple times, the few times I went home, so I haven’t been doing it all summer, but that is my official chore. I kind of have the unofficial chore of van driver, because I have been unable to ride my bike, so that’s a chore in and of itself. You find the rest stops, you field phone calls from panicked teammates, I talked about it a little bit in my last interview what that’s like. But my official chore is the Gram, and I love it. I love seeing the comments from all our fans, on the Gram and on the Facebook. The comments are really sweet and nice, and that’s probably my favorite part of the chore.

What’s the best food you’ve eaten on the ride so far?

There was a stayover in Wyoming that made vegan lasagna, and it was so good. I showed up there, and I wasn’t hungry, and I had multiple pieces. It was really good. I went home and I told my mom about it. That was a standout for me. But my favorite everyday I4K classic has to be the Nature Valley oats and honey bars. They are so crumbly, I feel like I’ve mastered how to eat them, I do not get a crumb anywhere. It feels like a talent, I don’t know. 

Do you have a favorite team memory?

I find myself having the best times when we’re just laughing about something stupid, or being proud of our little victories. But I think a memory that has stuck with me and will stick with me, because it was something I wasn’t expecting — the first time I went home, when my injury was pretty fresh, when the team got to Chicago, there was the alumni barbecue at Logan’s house. I showed up to it and everyone saw me coming down the sidewalk and ran to me and was so excited to see me, and was so happy to hear that I was gonna rejoin the team in the van…I didn’t realize how close we are, and I didn’t know if I would still be part of the team if I wasn’t able to ride, and that was just a really nice thing.

Is there anything you’ve learned during the ride that you didn’t expect?

I just feel like I’ve learned a lot about, you know, keeping on keeping on. Before we started this summer, I said a lot about how I knew this was going to be a summer of getting comfortable being uncomfortable. I wasn’t expecting [my injury] to be the kind of discomfort I was putting up with, but it is, and I’ve gotten really comfortable with it in a lot of ways. I just feel like I’ve grown a lot. I had a lot of successful moments, remaining positive and looking for the best part of every day, and looking for ways to uplift my teammates even when I’m feeling down. I mean, I don’t know who would be able to walk away from this without learning something…I’ve learned a lot about not quitting, and also on the flip side of that, knowing when to take a break. I’ve gone home several times, and feeling okay with that and feeling like that wasn’t quitting, feeling like I’m still a part of this, I’m still doing it and deserving of it, that has been a huge lesson for me…[The injury] is still impacting me on the daily, and that’s a huge learning experience. The disappointment of not getting to do something I spent a lot of time preparing for and was really excited about and ready for, I was ready for the challenge of it, it’s just been a very different challenge. There’s a lot to learn from it. 

What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you get home?

Hopefully shower…I have tickets to go to Comic Con! Should be fun. 

Anything else you want to talk about?

I guess I just want to say thank you. Thank you to my team…just thank you to everyone who’s been supporting us this whole time. Thank you to all of our stayovers, and all of the people that give me a thumbs-up when I’m driving SAV, it’s always really nice. Thank you to my family, and everyone’s families for always commenting nice things, and saying nice things, and sending nice things. It’s really huge. Thank you to all the cancer survivors and patients, and caretakers, and everyone who’s shared their story with us, I feel like that’s been very impactful to a lot of us and I hope it can be impactful to other people. I’m really grateful to have made an impact at all on anyone. I think a really meaningful moment for me…I dedicated a day [of the ride] to my friend’s sister, who is actively fighting cancer right now — she just graduated from grad school and has put her career on hold to fight cancer. That day was super impactful to me, because I told her that we dedicated a day to her, and she was so moved by it…Sometimes it feels monotonous, and we get really focused on the biking and less focused on why we’re biking. I’m just really grateful that it does impact people in that way, and it impacts someone who’s actually going through it. So yeah, just a big thank you that I got to do this, that I get to impact people, and that I get to be so supported.

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