I apologize for not updating sooner but it has been more difficult than I expected to have internet, have a computer to use, and stay awake. To all my supporters and donors, thank you so much. I was able to reach my fundraising goal of $2500 and have had more donations coming in. I am constantly amazed at the number of people that come up to us and give us donations or words of encouragement; our cause is a powerful one that touches people from all walks of life across the nation.

Although we are only 10 or so days into the ride, it already feels like months or weeks have  passed. Constantly changing scenery, never sleeping in the same place twice, being constantly exhausted all contribute to a sort of time warp that the team is traveling through. Before we know it we'll be back on campus and shortly after at home for a brief visit with our families.

Starting in Central Park in NYC we headed out of the city into New  Jersey, for the first time witnessing the speedy transition from congested and at times intimidating urban traffic to the wide open spaces of the country side that we have all come to know well. Travelling from city to city along the east coast we have gotten used to all sorts of riding  conditions. In Jersey we witnessed the famous pot holes but also some gorgeous country riding. In Deleware we rode in highways with Petroleum plants on both sides with rough roads and wheel eating storm drains but ended up staying in a quiet little town in the hills. In Maryland we started to get a real taste for the hills we would get used to over the following days.
One of the highlights of the trip so far for me came during an especially frustrating day. As we rode through parkland in maryland, and into D.C. I was beginning to enter into a sort of end of day exhaustive haze, having spent a good portion of the day getting lost. Crashes, wet pavement, and flats had driven moral down, but as we began to roll into the city it all became worth it. Riding past the incredible architecture, through Dupont Circle and right past the Lincoln and Washington monuments was awe inspiring, even though we hit downtown right at rush hour.
To top it off, the following day the team headed to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center where we recieved a tour of their breast cancer center and heard a powerful story from an Illinois alum and patient. Some sight seeing and a bit of rest helped a bit in preparing us for the monster climbs we were about to head up in Pennsylvania.
Most of the days following D.C. were half beautiful scenery and 40-50 mph decents and half seeming endless climbs through the mountains. As we climbed up the mountains, our legs burning, hearts pounding, and will slowly breaking, I thought over and over that what we were going through was nothing compared to what cancer patients had to endure day to day. If they could withstand the pain and discomfort of treatment day to day, then I owe it to them to do the same.
Today we left Pittsburgh and have been seing less of the soul crushing mountains and more rolling hills. What a welcome relief that is.
 In the next few days we will pass through Ohio, into Indiana for a rest day, then onto Illinois and the beautiful west. I hope to update more often in the coming days and fill in some details of the past few days.