Illini 4000 sure has been doing a great job keeping me busy in my last semester here at the lovely U of I. The past two Saturdays we have been out enjoying the spring weather and our bicycles while on team training rides. This past Saturday we rode 50 miles, out to Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, and back. The weekend before we braved the wind along with some alumni riders who joined us on our 36 mile ride eastbound to Homer Lake. 50 miles is the most that I have ever ridden on a bicycle, and it keeps baffling me that this summer on several occasions we will be doing twice that distance in just one “century” day. I am really enjoying our long rides and have found them very entertaining, despite the rather flat scenery of cornfields and the occasional bird or squirrel that cross your path here in Central Illinois. While it takes several hours to complete our lengthy training rides, they have been flying by.What never fails to amaze me is the positive energy that my fellow teammates bring with to each of our training rides, meetings, and events. Despite the physical challenges we are facing including nerves, sore bottoms, and backs, what seems to be most memorable about our rides thus far are the songs, stories, and laughs we have shared along the way. We have a great group of riders, and I’m excited to be spending the summer with such a diverse group.Unfortunately on the past two training rides one essential that has slipped my mind is applying sunscreen! My forgetfulness has resulted in a rather uncomfortable and strange patchy sunburn on my arms, right above my knees where my bike shorts begin, and on my cheeks. I have finally purchased some super strength sun block and aloe that I will undoubtedly be applying before each ride from now on.Another great event that I have not written about yet was the opening night of our Portraits Project Exhibition at the Independent Media Center in downtown Urbana. This was a very inspiring night that began with the showing of the documentary What People Do, about the inaugural I4K team. The producer of the documentary was there and shared his insight and thoughts on creating the documentary. One of the founders of the Illini 4000 also spoke at the event, and hearing him express his excitement about the ride really got me fired up for this summer. The main focus of the night was on the opening of the first ever Portraits Exhibition, in the form of an art gallery open to the public. I worked as a member of the Portraits committee throughout the year, transcribing stories from cancer survivors, several from the ride the previous year. I also helped capture a portrait with a group of 2011 riders on campus in which we interviewed, Steve, a 2010 rider, U of I student, and cancer survivor. His story was unbelievably inspirational to me and seeing it displayed so regally in our Portraits Gallery was a real sense of accomplishment. I would also like to thank Gabrielle Fairbrian, the director of the Portraits Project for the 2010-2011 school year, a 2010 rider, AND a 2011 repeat rider, for all of the hard work that she did in preparation for the Portraits Project Exhibition. The night would not have been a success without her. She is an inspiration to me, and I’m so excited to get the chance to ride my bike across the country with her this summer! The turnout for the opening night of the gallery was phenomenal and brought tears to my eyes as I begin to better understand the impact that the Portraits Project and the Illini 4000 for Cancer has on our community alone.It is with my sincerest gratitude that I would like to thank all of those in support of the Illini 4000. The donations that I have received from family, friends, and strangers all the way from New York, to Florida and everywhere in between mean so much to me. This trip wouldn’t be possible without you, and I would like to let everyone of my supporters know, that whenever I am going through a tough time, during training, or this summer, what is sure to get me through will undoubtedly be your support.