Chebanse, IL

Today we rode into Chebanse from our homebase in Urbana-Champaign. When we rode into Urbana yesterday, we were greeted with a warm welcome reception at the Alumni center with food, drinks, and guest speakers. It was very comforting to know that our own university recognizes our effort and appreciates our work. I got to meet couple of my friends on campus and went to Papadel's for dinner. After having weeks of peanut butter sandwich and pasta, having deep dish pizza again made me feel home. This morning, we got our fancy jerseys at Nick's house and we finally feel like a team for the first time. We all rode across the quad and took pictures in front of the Alma Mater. As much as I wanted to stay in Champaign, the journey must continue. Even though it was an 80 miles ride, we had a tail wind the whole way through, which made the ride rather easy. We will be in Chicago in two days and I'm really excited to see my family again.