Columbus!
After days of mountainous climb through the Appalachians, the entire team looked forward to an easy 55 mile bike ride to Columbus, Ohio. Though not as strenuous as the last few days, everyone was still pretty sore, and most groups decided to bike at a slower pace. This gave most of us time to reflect upon how the last few days of biking, portraits, and people we met and all our memories as we bike cross the country. The mountains definitely challenged us and the year-long training definitely helped!Just outside of Columbus, one of the teams met Wyatt Gold, a survivor of renal cancer, who spoke openly with us about the financial burden that his cancer placed on his life. We can’t express enough how much appreciation we have for him taking the time out of his day to talk to us on the side of the road.Once in Columbus, we participated in a community event at Broad St. United Methodist Church, which was gracious enough to provide us with dinner. We also met Emily Schornstein, who gave an incredibly inspiring portrait that touched all the team members that were present. The teams glad that it’s an I4K Friday!With love,Illini 4000