From the second we crossed a beautiful bridge into Pennsylvania from New Jersey yesterday, I knew I loved PA. We rode across right into the FANTASTIC town of New Hope. It was so quaint and perfect with ice cream shops and fun little places to nose around. At least they seemed fun but we only had time for a bathroom break. But within the 8 minutes we were stopped there, about 7 different people walked up to us and asked what we were all about. Everyone was so interested and caring with words of support and advice. The residential roads were gorgeous with huge forests filled with little stone cottages as well as huge fun houses tucked away in the trees.Overall yesterday was pretty good! We all survived, just had some injuries and complications. Kicking off the chain of unfortunate events was Jeff’s tire getting caught along the side of the road flying down a hill sending him skidding on the road and his carbon fiber bike to be cracked. Then we had some knee injury issues, a few more falls, a flat, demons escaping from bike tubes (haha), and a few wrong turns. Oh somewhere in there was my wipe out in a confusing intersection. By this point my group was getting a little bummed by our bad luck, but then a super nice lady came running out of her minivan, first aid kit in hand, saying “I was on my way to pick up the kids from soccer practice and I saw you fell!” She was incredible and helped me fix up my scrapes. Out of a bad situation we got to see the good in the friendly people of PA. The end of the ride was 15 miles on a great bike path free of traffic so that was great!We stayed at a beautiful church last night and the Illini Alumni Association brought us pizzas and soft pretzels. That pizza tasted amazing after the 85 mile ride!Today in PA was even more beautiful than the last. We were out in the rolling hills and farms with some great views. Along with the “pretty rolling hills” came riding UP the “pretty rolling hills.” Today got more than a little rough for some of us. I remember one specific moment where I was in the middle of working my way up (what seemed to me at the time) as the biggest hill I had ever seen, crawling at 4.3 mph, with the blazing 92 degree heat beating down on me. At this moment in time I couldn’t help thinking to myself… “Why in the world am I doing this voluntarily?” Its times like that when we really have to remember who we are riding for and why we are struggling and pushing our selves our hardest to make it across the country. We eventually made it up all the hills (and some we didn’t need to go up at all…) and were quite proud of ourselves!We had a PREFECT lunch stop at a huge farm house with a barn, big shady tree, and a gazebo. The family there made FRESH HOME MADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM WITH STRAWERRYS FROM THEIR GARDEN and were nice enough to offer it to us! It. Was. Delicious. To say the least! They invited us in to pet their horses -- and their dog (who didn’t take to some of us so well). They were fantastic and so kind to let us use their yard for a good portion of the day. Just more great people we got to meet in Pennsylvania!The church we are staying at tonight is very nice. They have showers for us all, its air conditioned, we had a yummy full meal of real food, and there plenty of rooms for us all to spread out and get some sleep. Which I really should be doing!!! Tomorrow should be a slightly lighter day, only 65 miles. However I hear there are much more and much bigger hills to come as we make our way into Gettysburg. Hopefully The Lady Pack can make a few less direction mistakes and wrong turns tomorrow so we can get it before 8!Well I need to go zonk out now, but I do want to say one thing. I am SO lucky to be on this trip doing this amazing thing with all these amazing things. With the 12 hour riding days my group has had, the flats, the falls, the tough hills, and the craziness of it all it’s easy to get discouraged. But everyone in I4k is so supportive and positive. Even though we have rough moments, were all there for each other for a good laugh or pick-me-up to keep us going. We have done so much laughing in the last few days I can’t even tell you!! Everyone is so much fun and I can’t wait to spend the rest of the summer with them!Sorry this post was so long, I have to find a happy medium for length here. I’ll work on it!!Love you all and thank you so much for reading these! It really means a lot to me!
Playing Catch Up
Sorry I haven't updated in a while! Things have been hectic as usual and it's been hard to find time to update everyone. I first would like to thank everyone involved with making this trip a success so far including but not limited to all of my generous donors, my forever helpful parents, the hardest working board of directors, and everyone else that has helped in one way or another. This trip simply would not be possible without your support.The team has looked really good these first few days, even considering these are some of the hardest of the trip. Our route sends us strait to the mountains with little time to prepare and our first rest day isn't until Pittsburgh. It's hard to imagine that this physical challenge will get easier, but everyone has handled it so well. Seeing the team come together to cook the food for the entire group gave me a lot of hope for our upcoming weeks. Cooking for 27 people is far from easy on a limited budget but many individuals stepped up to help even though they didn't need to. That really means a lot after a hard day of riding when you just want to take a nap instead.Well that's all I have time for tonight, but as things begin to settle down in the upcoming days I plan to post updates more often.
5/26/2010- Philadelphia, PA. LOST!
I was hoping day 2 would fair a little bit better than the former. In fact, the day started out great. We averaged about 20 miles an hour out of Hillsbourogh. We tackled the first 25-30 miles like it was our job. Then, my knee decided to get mad at me. IT band syndrome is the name and it is not fun. I don't have it as bad as Lauren Mazurski, put to put it simply, my IT band is too tight, so it rubs against a bony prominence on my tibia. Because of this, hills and quick rotations are particularly painful. Unfortunately, the best way to alleviate the pain is rest. Rest doesn't come often during a ride across the country.My bike computer was not working well. No worries, I reinstalled it! Who knew I could learn so much about bikes. I never realized how much I worried about my pace until my computer stopped working. I am a terrible pacer without my bike computer. At least it worked enough in the ride to tell me that I was going 42.3 miles an hour down a hill.This was a rough day for the team in general because of detours, missed turns, injuries and incorrect directions. However, the group pulled it together and everything was left out on the road, preparing for another day.At the stayover, I had the pleasure of meeting an alumni, Robin, who brought us dinner after the ride. I had alot of fun leaning about her and telling her about my story. She definitely cheered up my day.No shower today, hope the team doesn't notice. Bedtime.
5/25/2010 New York, NY to Hillsbourogh, NJ. Rough Start.
Finally! Day one. 63 miles. I can do this. New York to New Jersey would be by far the most congested ride I had ever been on. I like to bike in the first group to feel physical pain. that might sound a little risque, but I think this ride will mean the most if I can experieince pain and suffering just as cancer patients do.Highlights of the ride: riding through Harlem and telling people that we were headed to San Fransisco. One man when asked "Sir, do you know where San Fransisco is?" took much longer than expected to respond, "California." We asked him why it took so long for him to answer and he laughed, "I thought you were thinking of San Fransisco street!" For the record I don't think there even is a San Fransisco street in New York. Crossing the George Washington Bridge was breathtaking. Racing cars in New Jersey. Water fight at a closed ice cream shop. Watching Eamon wipe out in the middle of a crowded road. Struggling in the last ten miles and pushing it till the end. I had never been this tired after 60 miles. Something tells me this trip is going to be harder than I expected.Our ride ended at Hillsbourogh, NJ at the Thakkar residence. Anish Thakkar founded the Illini 4000. His parents were extremely inviting and generous and cooked us possibly one of the best meals that we will see this trip. Mr. Thakkar gave a very moving speech in which I shed a tear. He talked about debt. He says that people get into debt for all sort of reasons whether it is monetary or to another person. The Illini 4000 does what the do for nothing in return. We give our hearts and energy to fighting this disease. Nothing can stop us. Next up is Philly. Hope the cheese steak is really as good as some say...
New York Rest Day 5/22/2010
This was our rest day in New York. I planned to take a ride around Manhattan this morning but woke up to 28 people trying to use one bathroom. (I'm taking videos of all our stayovers but the files are too big to upload! Sorry!) Instead of waiting for my turn and then biking, I ditched the bike ride and hit the town. Fruit in Central Park and a run under a sprinkler was all I could accomplish before I got to see my mom and sister who came to see the I4k send off. We visited Stawberry Fields in Central Park (a memorial for John Lennon). we ate some fancy burgers, stood in line for musical tickets and walked too much. Granted, it was very rewarding to be with my family before my ride.At night we visited some members of the New York alumni club. I was very happy to see that the founder of the Other Guys (the acapella group that I am a member of) was in attendance. That man is the epitome of Illini Pride. He really made the visit enjoyable for everyone. A team meeting, a tune up, writing cues (directions), packing up and a little videotaping later, I find myself in my bed saying goodnight. I was kind of stoic today. I think it is because I am anxious to ride tomorrow! And leave New York. It smells. Can't wait for Chicago!
Philadelphia, PA and Lancaster, PA
Sorry there was no blog last night, but unfortunately the church we were staying at did not have any Internet access.So on Wednesday we departed from Hillsboro on our way to Philadelphia, PA. This was our first 80+ mile day, and I was a little nervous. Although the ride was very tough (90+ degree weather and lots of rolling hills), we had some great scenery along the way. The Pennsylvania countryside is gorgeous, and we finished our ride on a 20 mile bike trail leading down Schuylkill river into the heart of downtown Philadelphia (ending at the bottom of the famous "Rocky" steps). The church we were staying at was located in "university-town", the portion of the city where all the different colleges are (UPenn, Drexel, St. Joseph's). The church was very interesting, and gave us a great big room to sleep in. As well, the U of I alumni club delivered us some pizzas, a much appreciated treat! But best of all, my friend Imani Green, who lives outside Philadelphia, came in town to visit. After hanging out at the church, us, Shea, and Steve went to get Cheese Steaks on the other side of town. It was great to hang out with her and see a friend from back home so early in the trip.The next day, we woke up at 6 am again and departed by 7 15 for Lancaster, PA. We rode the same bike trail out of town, and after detecting some errors in the directions, found our way to the hills again. Although they are still tough, I really do think we are all getting better at riding up the slopes of the Appalachian foothills. This day was really special because of the different generous people we met along our route. First, when stopping at a gas station for a break, a random man bought the entire team cold bottles of water. It was really refreshing! Then, we stopped on the side of the road at a fruit-stand outside an Amish/Mennonite family's home. These were the most delicious strawberries I have ever had. After four of us devoured a quart in about 2 minutes, we proceeded to buy two more. The lady then gave us another quart on the house, and brought out some sugar for us to dip into. It was an amazing snack. After that, when our van got stuck in the mud, a truck going down the road stopped and help us tow it out. Immediately following, another nice Amish/Mennonite family let us use their shady lawn and gazebo for a lunch stop, and they even let some of the later groups have some of their fresh homemade strawberry ice cream (from the same strawberry stand a few miles back coincidentally). And this doesn't even cover all the homes that let us stop and fill up our water bottles because it was another hot day just like the previous one. It was so uplifting to see all these strangers help us out in so many ways.Now we have arrived at out stayover for the night, a church in Lancaster, PA. The chruch is huge! They have a brand new kitchen that they let us cook dinner in, a basketball coutrt where we are keeping out bikes, and most importantly, FULL SHOWERS!!! It had only been two days, but after the heat, I really needed it! Tomorrow is a shorter day (only 61 miles), so hopefully it wont be too bad on the legs. As I said, the riding has been tough, but it seems to be getting a little easier with every passing day. Next stop, Gettysburg!
First very out of date blog- 5/22/2010 New York, NY
This past Thursday I checked in with my oncologist. In fact, I nearly forgot that I had my appointment but, regardless, I was still very excited to see my former caretakers and to hear the test results. My lab results all came back negative. No news is good news! I took this chance to ask my oncologist about his opinions on the new healthcare bill. His main concern was the amount of time medical tests and procedures for scheduling because he feels that doctors will be paid by salary and not by the amount of patients that they see. If this happens, doctors will not take forty patients if they will only get paid for ten. This will slow down the entire process of meeting with a doctor. Students contemplating going into medicine may reject that thought because of a decrease in pay.After meeting with my doctor, I went to visit with the nurses who cared for me. The main nurse that cared for me had the day off, so I left my phone number for her. I received her phone call the following day. She told me that she was retiring next week! She did not plan for it. She said it was more because of her personal health complications. I asked if she could tell me. She has breast cancer. My world turned upside down. She couldn't get breast cancer. She has been fighting this battle for other people her whole life. There is no mercy for the onset of cancer. I love her and she is forever in my prayers. It was kind of funny to comfort her with words that she used to comfort me. I hope she can find some faith in the Illini 4000's efforts and their ride across the country.Getting to New York took an entire day and then some. The train ride was 23 hours. Yikes. I think we were completely stopped for about six hours in total. This sounds frustrating until you realize the people that I was surrounded by. There were ways to pass the time. My favorite way was with Pi. Sleeping bag war. Think of medieval jousting but instead with sleeping bags and bike helmets on a train ride. Unfortunately, I lost. One thing I noticed about this year's team is the amazing focus that we have on our cause and our mission. I find motivation in my teammates as I hope they do in me.I am excited to see my mom and twin sister tomorrow and show them a little bit of New York. I hope they don't realize I will not be showered...
It's raining, it's pouring, I'm sorry for snoring.
Dear subscribers to the critically-acclaimed Eamon's Digest,Today was a great day. Lancaster, PA. It's a great small town with enough rain to flood Lancaster, PA! We beat the rain and enjoyed terrific food for dinner (Thakkar leftovers and some great garlic bread).The ride was quite enjoyable from Philadelphia to Lancaster! Rolling, picturesque hills of farmland that you'd see on a postcard or dairy carton consumed the latter half of the ride. Getting out of Philly was a bit difficult, but the hills were terrific. I forget what real hills are like, being born and raised in the Midwest. These are hills that will eat your legs. However, I also reached a new personal high speed of 40.5 mph today on one of the hills. I felt like Evil Knievel.We also passed through Amish towns. It was terrific! Everyone was so generous, helpful, and genuinely selfless. There was a bakery. That's all that needs to be said.Tomorrow is a short, sweet 60 mile ride (and it's supposed to be cooler temperatures as well!), and then I"ll be dining with my oldest sister, Julia, her husband, Jim, and my two nephews Keagan and Reilly, and my niece, Norah--all of whom I'm excited to introduce to the team.Goodnight, Moon! Gettysburg or bust!
80 Mile Ride- Take Two
Our second stab at an eighty mile ride showed much improvement upon the first. Everyone survived. Check. Most of the team reported an enjoyable ride full of rolling hills, some rain and Pennsylvania countryside filled with horse bugies, cute cows and a black baby sheep. This day proved to be a stepping stone towards climbing the rest of the mountains in the East. The ride was filled with genorosity from the Pennsylvanians. The team benefitted from homemade sweets, fresh strawberry ice cream and free barn animal petting from the local farmers. We never realized just how beautiful the Pennsylvania countryside was. Looking forward to a shorter 60 mile ride tomorrow to Gettysberg.
Philadelphia 05/26 - Lancaster 05/27
The past two days have been rough. A lot of "what did I get myself into" and "I think I'm going to I4DIE." As some know, I messed up my knee this spring... with all the hills and climbs, it's decided to flair up again :( I road 46 or so miles into Philly and 40 on our Lancaster day and then teamed up with Sean in the van to finish the days supplying the team with some H2O. Jeff crashed his bike yesterday morning so he's been taking my bike once my knee gives out in the afternoons. It pretty much sucks but what I have learned is that I have a great support team behind me. We've really been helping each other out and pushing each other (mentally) up the climbs and through the greater distances. While we're all struggling, we all make it everyday and have experiences along the way that make the pain worth it.Highlights of the day: Sean and I were in the van catching up to the first group to set up lunch. Sean pulls a 3 point turn. Sean gets van suck in a ditch. The team rides up and tries to push the van out of the ditch. The team is unable to push the van out of the ditch. A wonderful Pennsylvanian man pulls the van out of the ditch with his pick up truck. Sean drives away in the van. Lauren is not in the van. Lauren has no bike. Steve hails down a local very nice Amish man to drive Lauren to Sean. Sean realizes he ditched Lauren once Lauren arrives. Lauren guilts Sean, a lot. Sean makes Lauren a delicious PB&J. The owners of the farm we stopped at lunch for went into their fields and picked some strawberries. The owners then make strawberry ice cream... right then and there. Lauren eats some yummy ice cream. The church we are staying at is awesome. I showered for about 30 minutes. That is all.P.S. I'm working on videos and photos.
Central Park to Hillsborough, NJ
Sometimes it's hard to get computer access, but I still want to write about every day of the trip if I can! It seems like all of the days are going to start running together.So, on Tuesday we left from Central Park!! There was a camera man there from Fox News and he took some footage. There is a link to that on the main page of our website.We all rode out and then crossed over the George Washington Bridge. Traffic surprisingly wasn't too bad in Manhattan, but it really picked up once we entered New Jersey.For a while I was riding with Lauren, Szymon and Michell and we saw a fruit stand and decided to stop. Fruit is awesome because we usually only eat carbs like pb&j. At the stand we met a woman whose daughter had had breast cancer and her nails were decorated with pink breast cancer ribbons on them. She was very interested in our journey, and the man at the fruit stand ended up giving us a bunch of free apples and oranges that we were able to share with some of the team.After a long day we eventually arrived at the Thakkar residence for our first stayover. Anish Thakkar was one of the founders of Illini 4000 and his parents graciously hosted us for the night. They had fruit and yogurt waiting for us, and also made us a giant dinner of salad, baked ziti, samosas, and curried chickpeas with rice. There was also a nice cake after dinner. It was a great night for after our first day of riding!
Into the Appalachians
Today was rough - some flats, falls, injuries, and sickness due to the 93 degree heat. Despite this, we overcame and managed to survive. With the help and hospitality of the Pennsylvanian citizens we were able to succeed. I can see this grou of riders beginning to come togetheras a team. We are motivating each other; pushing each other to ride faster and longer as our as our bodies reach new limits. The reality of the magnitude of our cross country journey has finally set in, and everyone faces this daunting task with a somber and unyielfing attitude. We are constantly reminded of the struggles of those we ride for, and their courage and strength is our fuel.Tomorrow will be yet another 80 mile ride to Lancaster, PA, surely to bring more intense steepness as we head into the Appalachians. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for more updates.
From "a monkey's town" to Jersey!
Everyone has been putting up all these great posts! I really wanted to let everyone know how the trip is going so far but time seems to be escaping me!We made it through the first day! Spirits were high this morning as we woke up at 5:45am to get ready to embark on our first 65 miles of the ride!! We got to Central park at 7 and had some awesome words of encouragement from past riders and pumped ourselves up to get started!Riding through New York City sure was a rush! There were cars, potholes, buses, taxis, and glass pieces everywhere (huge hazard to biker's tires!). We couldn't even get out of the city without two flat tires. Jordan is definitely in the lead for most flats.It took FAR too long to get out of the stop and go of the city, but riding out over the George Washington Bridge was beautiful (and scary, I don't do bridges well). I think we actually went over about 7 bridges today. I suppose I'll get used to it!I started fading fast, it seemed like a lot of us did. We had 4 flats, a chain fall off, some spills on the pavement, and some getting lost. Things just didn't seem to be going very smoothly for the first ride of the summer! Part of why we were so tired may have been that our last training ride was 3 weeks ago and many of us were out of practice. Hard to find to time to ride between finals and getting ready for leaving for the summer!But we FINALLY made it to Hillsborough, New Jersey! The wonderful Thakkar family has taken us in, fed us well, and given us so much support and encouragement. They have been a great first impression of the summer- the rest of our stayovers have a lot to live up to!For now I fear I need to get some rest for the 83 mile journey through hills and 93 degree heat!! I promise to write something more interesting when i have time!
First Day in the Saddle
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.
65 Miles Behind Us!
Today we rode out of Central Park in NYC on a 65 mile trek into New Jersey -- to the welcoming home of the Thakkar family. It took us about 1.5 hours to get out of the city and cross the George Washington bridge, but the view from the bridge was beautiful! Along the way, we had some flats and mechanical malfunctions. The eighty-degree heat created an environment most unpleasant for our first day. However, tomorrow we are doing 83 miles in an expected temperature of 93 degrees! So, we are all prepared with gatorade, water, granola bars and of course sunscreen.We would like to extend our gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar, the parents of I4k's founder, Anish Thakkar. They have been very supportive of the organization since its inception, and today specifically they truly uplifted our spirits on this tough first day. Thank you, Thakkars!All us riders are off to bed so we're well rested for the 80+ miles that await us tomorrow.We bid you adieu.
So I Guess We're Riding Our Bikes Across the Country. Or. Netbooks Have Awkwardly Small Keyboards.
Day 1. Check. After our media coverage (Channel 5 NYC) at Central Park and some inspiring words by a former rider, we departed for the longest 10 mile trip out of New York City the 2010 Illini 4000 bike team had ever attempted. 54 miles later, we found ourselves in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Home of the founder of the Illini 4000, Anish Thakkar, a man I've never met, but if he's anything like his parents (who reside in Hillborough (the aforementioned town we stayed at (after we biked from NYC (because we're biking across the country.)))).Rewind about 40 miles and you have The Story of Eamon and His First Spill. Exposition: Just north of Newark, NJ. circa 10a. Broadway St. The temperature is rising.Characters: Eamon O'Hara (As himself.) Sarai Nadine (Eamon's stallion). Piyum Zonooz (as the fellow rider in front of him). Old Jersey (Joezee, per their accent) woman (As the culprit).A long story short: I fell. But everyone is okay, including Sarai Nadine.Upopn arriving at the Thakkar's residence, we found cookies, chips, fruit, and beverages. All of which were consumed and appreciated immensly by the riders.The Thakkars opened their house to a goupr of complete strangers. I've come back to this idea many times throughout the day, but it continues to baffle me. They gave us food and shelter, friendship and support, warmth and consideration. Mr. Thakkar said some nice words as we cut the cake that I won't soon forget. Not even one million thanks could sufficei n expressing my gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar for their hospitality. Thank you so much. Tomorrow we leave for Philadelphia. I'll try to do this updating more regularly.Now I'll return to my sleeping pad for a terrific night of sleep and pedal off in the morning. Thank you for your love and support, friends and family. Thank you so much for your friendship, Thakkars. It means the world to me.Eamon
Hillsborough, NJ 05/25
WOOO. So the first day was a success. We had a blast riding out of NYC in the I4Kaboose and over the bridge into Jersey. Today's 65 mile ride was filled with turns and hills, a challanging and exciting day all in one.One part of the day stands out to me amongst the rest: As Mary, Michell, Syzmon and I rode through some of the smaller towns in NJ late morning, we came upon a fruit stand. Mutually deciding to buy some apples we pulled over and began to chat it up. After buying .25cent apples, one of the women also buying fruit at the fruit stand was questioning us and upon telling her what we were doing, she whipped out her beautifully manicured nails. To our surprise, each nail was airbrushed with a breast cancer ribbon. She could not have given us a better blessing and it really made me realize how big of a plague cancer is. The fruit stand man ended up giving us 3 apples and an orange each, so we stuffed our back pockets and met up with the rest of the group to share our snacks and our amazing story.Miles and miles later, we arrived at the Thakkar house, home of the founder of the Illini 4000. Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar instantly greeted us with kindness, food, and beverages... all of which were greatly appreciated. The Thakkar's opened their house to us so graciously, providing us with a DELICIOUS dinner (and an I4Kake), as well as showers (yesssss), and a place to sleep. Thank you so much to the Thakkar's for your kindness... and most especially for your inspiring words!Tomorrow brings us into the beginning of our Pennsylvania stretch... it's suppose to be 93 and sunny. My favorite weather!!... for laying out in, yea we'll see how biking in it goes.In other news, Eamon and I are friends again. <3
One day down, so many more to go
I'm resolving to write more this year than I did last year on the team's website. As many of you following this may know, I rode with the Illini 4000 in 2009 and am returning to ride again this summer. Together with Conor Canaday (aka Can-daddy), I am responsible for coordinating and leading the day-to-day aspects of the ride. So far, things have been quite hectic, getting everything ready, but we're on our way!That's it for now, maybe more tomorrow.
Recent Media Appearances
The Illini 4000 has had a couple of appearances on FOX Chicago News. Rider Steve Odon was featured in March on FOX Chicago. Today, the Illini 4000 was featured once again, documenting out departure from Central Park.
Biked a day, and am still looking forward
Today we finished our first ride of the trip. We awoke early (in the pre-6 a.m. era) and after leaving the stay-over, kicked it off from Central Park. Riding through the streets of Manhattan during the morning commute was certainly a different experience from our brief interactions with mild Champaign-Urbana "traffic". There are just so many people in such a dense space, that I barely had attention to share with the view; it was all dedicated to watching for cars, checking the quality of the road, and just staying afloat in the urban rush. All of the same, we crossed out of NYC into New Jersey and continued to our stay-over where we were warmly greeted with food, drinks, and a lovely plush lawn.So, 65 miles done, and that leaves what? 4435 miles or something? All of the same, we've felt really encouraged by the responses we're getting from people we pass. A street vender gave us a bag full of fruit, cars stuck behind us cheered once they read our jerseys, and outrageously generous families who have shared their homes with a sizable group of students.I know I'm looking forward to climbing some mountains later this week, but I'm sure that those will not be very kind on my brake pads. We'll be clean when we can be, but by mile 30 today my hands and arms were covered in bike grease, dirt, sweat, and suntan lotion. Frisbee is here, and when we don't come in exhausted, we may be able to throw it around.It is now 7:45 in the evening, and I'm just about ready to fall asleep; it's already been a long day.__