The day finally came. Today was the day that our ride, which we have been preparing for for over 6 months, finally began. This day had extra anticipation for myself because of the even longer amount of time I have had to wait to start (I have been involved with I4K since Fall 2008). For so long, this day has been a distant event that never actually seemed real. It is just now that the reality of the whole journey is completely setting in.Starting out in Central Park, we started our ride heading north on Manhattan island. Of course, it took me only about 30 blocks to get my first flat tire of the trip! Luckily, I was able to fix it quick and head out of town on the George Washington Bridge. From there, we rode throughout many different areas in New Jersey, from cities like Newark to towns like Hillsborough (the town we are staying in tonight). Here, we are staying with the Thakkar's, the family of one of the founding members of I4K, Anish Thakkar. The family has been so generous to us, literally opening their entire house to our team and cooking us a delicious meal (one that was much anticipated, I might add).After dinner, we all showered, did some tune ups on our bikes, wrote down our ride cues for the next day, and talked to family and friends. It was a hot and tiring day today, but if this is a typical day in the life of I4K, it is definitely something I can get used to.