This past weekend, the Illini 4000 hosted its second annual alumni weekend in Champaign-Urbana. As its alumni base grows, I4K continues to receive overwhelming support from past teams and leaders. Thank you to all alumni who attended. We truly missed everyone who couldn’t make it!The weekend kicked off the morning of Saturday, April 2, where the alumni joined the 2011 team for their first official training ride. The team arrived at Allen Hall at 9am for a safety review led by Team Development Director, Piyum Zonooz. By 10am, alumni from the 2007-2010 teams had shown up, greeted the new team, and taken a series of pictures.With the skies clear, the sun shining, and the wind at their backs, groups headed east in waves toward Homer Lake. After an easy 15 miles or so, the group took a break at Homer Lake and played “Chicken on the Roof,” a favorite game from the 2010 ride. The route back to Allen hall did not fare as well. The hills, added mileage, and brutal headwinds, however, provided excellent practice for the challenges the 2011 team will encounter this summer. The mileage clocked in around 37 and everyone made it back in one piece. After the ride, new and old riders alike indulged with some Mexican food.The true highlight of the weekend was the debut of the first Portraits Project Exhibition in the Champaign-Urbana area - also the largest and most formal viewing of any Portraits in Illini 4000 history. The event took place at 7:30pm at the Independent Media Center (IMC) in Urbana. In all, 124 people attended the event. The attendees consisted of four years of I4K alumni, the 2011 Bike America Team, friends, family, and community members.The event began with a welcome from current president, Conor Canaday. Canaday introduced Zachary Herrmann, director of “What People Do,” a documentary that was made during Illini 4000’s inaugural trek across the country in 2007. After a captive audience watched the film, Herrmann engaged in Q&A with the audience. The questions ranged in subject from the production process to Herrmann’s change in perspective years after making the film.Afterward, I4K co-founder, Jonathan Schlesinger, spoke about the early days of the Illini 4000 and the impetus for the Portraits Project. Schlesinger explained that he and others saw the ride as more than just a vehicle for raising funds; the ride was a way to connect with people all across the country who had been affected by cancer, in spite of the incredible diversity of American life and America’s landscape.Before formally unveiling the Portraits gallery to the public, Gabrielle Fairbairn, current Director of the Portraits Project and curator for this exhibition, gave a heartfelt thanks to all of those who made the event possible. Fairbairn then spoke about the vision for the gallery, which was set up in the adjoining sunroom at the IMC.In the center of the gallery hung the four original I4K Portraits that were created during the 2007 ride. These Portraits are historical, as they were the first physical manifestation of the stories and the people the Illini 4000 encountered during the inaugural ride. The 2007 Portraits were framed by one new Portrait from each additional ride year (2008-2010). Each Portrait on display consisted of a set of two pieces: a large portrait-style photograph, and accompanying words from the interviewee.In addition, the gallery featured four Portraits from current or former University of Illinois students. These Portraits are particularly relevant and meaningful because they were all taken and transcribed this school year by the entire 2011 team. The efforts of this year’s team, as well as special effort by the Portraits committee, had a direct impact on the creation of these Portraits. These particular Portraits also demonstrate that cancer is a disease that affects college students in our immediate community.The event was a true celebration for all current and past members of the Illini 4000 because all, in one way or another, have influenced this event and helped make it a reality. Happy Fifth Anniversary, I4K! Thank you.-The Illini 4000 Board of Directors*Special thanks to Ana Rynecki and Diana Luo for video-recording the entire weekend, and to Sean Laude, our official alumni weekend photographer. Thank you to Matt Harlan, for providing graphic design for our posters and promotional material.Please visit our gallery in the upcoming days, where you can view photos from this event.Featured PortraitsPat Voth, Hutchinson Kansas, 2007Pastor Ken, Pueblo, Colorado, 2007Brenda Emer, Kane, Pennsylvania, 2007Marcia Amaviska, Wickenburg, Arizona, 2007Jan and Merle Mulvaney, Washington, DC, 2008Richard McKinney, Hillsboro, Oregon, 2009Marissa Huddleston, Portland, Oregon, 2010Robert Pollett, Livingston, Illinois, 2011Abby Bott, Alton, Illinois, 2011Ruthvik Basavaraj, West Chicago, Illinois, 2011Steve Odon, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 2011 (2010 Bike America Team Member)