This is my first post. I finally got my computer and am able to update everyone on my adventures on the road.Today we randomly picked groups to ride with. I rode with Stephen, Greg, Szymon, and Jordan today...four great guys that I never thought I could keep up with. But we all kept a 17 mile per hour average pace the entire 60 miles...I couldn't believe it! We had a great time and rode even faster to get to Coldstone to get an Got to Have it Oreo Overload. After our ice cream break we had a great lunch followed by our team meeting were we voiced our concerns, ideas, and voted for new ride leaders. Stephen and Jordan were picked as our new ride leaders!
The Short Mosher Song
Mosher is the game we play every day on this trip. Basically we try to secretly give the Mosher card to another rider. If the other person holds the card for more than five seconds then he has to either give the card to someone else before breakfast or say something inspiring before we ride out.In the morning of the day entering Champaign-Urbana, I was kind of homesick because everyone else was going to see their families and friends and I didn’t even have a place to stay. However, it was actually one of the best days so far. I ended up staying in Ana’s apartment (Thanks to Ana and his brother Johnny), had my first Mexican food and watched a movie.I told this short story in the beginning of my Mosher, but I never had the chance to say that the past two weeks with I4Kers are the best time I had since I came to America. You are my family and best friends and I love you all.I wrote a short song for I4K and sang it in my Mosher. I hope everyone enjoys it.And I need to say that Stephe and Eamon are the music genius in our team. The last two lines are their creation. Thank you so much for your inspiration.The Short Mosher SongNate is the tallestDiana is the youngestIf you ask Eric who is the hottestHe will say "Mary and Michell"It won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longMegan loves to textJaime loves to chatJordan is the king of the flatDisha has a wheel on her bagEamon has these big round eyesReminds me of the cat in ShrekIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longAna is nice, she helps me with my bikeTracy is fast, but she never leads the rideAs to Shea, my favorite Irish in the worldYou are the only Irish I knowStephe and Lauren are always togetherPriscilla weights as loght as a featherGreg is an energetic riderConor is an magnificant leaderIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longBridget yelled "Demon"When Jeff's bike chain fell offPi won the FarckleGabrielle's ear rings sparklesKevin got the Mosher andTaught us all crumps OIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longJill loves to laughSzymon likes to smileI can not describe this guyI can only say his name is KyleI can't fill Max in the lineBecause no word can complete to rhymeIf you give lovely Shao some timeYou will find her sweet and kindIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longIt won't last long, it won't last long, this short song won't last longTwenty-eight peopleSeventy-two daysCentral park New York to San FranciscoSing-along and go and goI-4-KWe gonna make it all the wayI-4-KWe gonna make it all the way
Potluck Cancelled
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the potluck planned for Friday evening has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We still look forward to seeing you as we arrive into Millennium Park tomorrow at noon, and at our Ride Along on Sunday at 10am.
Champaign, Clifton, Homewood 06/08-06/10
After a crazy night of karaoke and a wonderful breakfast, the team woke up early for the ride into Champaign. Scheduled to ride in at 3pm, we lollygaged our way into Illinois; some slept for hours at rest stops, some saved a kitten, and others rocked out to the sweet sounds of Nate's playlists. We grouped up about 2 blocks away from the Alumni Center with the attempt to ride in together... Conor, Steve, and I tailed in the back and found out how easy a group of 28 can get split up by a few cars and a red light. 25 riders showed up to a warm greeting at 3pm and us 3 showed up fashionably late at 3:02.Since I forgot the keys to my apartment, whoops, a lovely group of females took in Steve and I. Jacquelin, Ali, Angie, Colleen and Whitney (shout out!) opened their apartment for food, baths, laundry, sleeping locations, and a movie night. My only request was Mac'n'Cheese for dinner and Jacq made it happen. She followed the main course meal with a tasty desert: brownies with chocolate frosting and butterfingers and deliciousness. While the rest of the team was out and about mingling in Champaign, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep around 8:30 until Jacq moved me into her absurdly comfortable bed.The next morning we had a late start. Diana had the mosher and I must say, no one will ever top it. She wrote a song including a shout out to everyone on the team... I loved seeing "the other side of Diana." Personally, my favorite part was how she nailed each individual person so perfectly. 10 months ago, we were all perfect strangers, and now we spend every waking moment together, getting to know each other probably too well.The ride into Clifton was long and boring. I'm pretty sure there was a point in the day where I just thought "UGH I hate this bike." No worries though, I still love Hilary. The day was just hot and tedious, cornfield after cornfield. Resisting from falling asleep on the bike seemed to be a common goal and it didn't help that our cues forgot to mention that 68 miles really means 74.The one thing that did motivate me to get there was knowing that upon arrival my mother would be waiting to bring me home for a doctor's appointment the next day. I've been riding through the pain, popping pain killers and just making it work. Most of my teammates can tell you that about every 25-30 miles I start to hurt, pull over, take another one and just go. It has helped to be in Illinois, land of no hills... I even wrote a song riding into Champaign about how much I love Illinois, but that was 2 days ago so of course I forgot it.Moving on... my mother picked me up and obliged to my request of cold grapes waiting for me in the car. We stopped at R.E.I. and Dick's to pick up some necessities and drove into Chicago where my bed anxiously awaited my arrival. Who would have thought that sleeping alone in a room in a bed would have been so weird. It took me about, oh I dunno, 45 seconds to get used to it again before I was knocked out sleeping. This morning was different... I took a hot bubble bath and blew my hair dry... I look so gorgeous I belong modeling in New York fashion week. Instead, I blog from my basement, waiting for my appointment at 10:45am, praying for a miracle, and missing my team. I go back to them this afternoon, and tomorrow we ride into Chicago :)... and while I'm super pumped about the Hawks winning the cup, the parade is downtown tomorrow at noon... the exact time for our arrival into Millennium Park... this ought to be interesting.
Where are we going again?
After a long needed rest in Champaign-Urbana, the Illini 4000 set out for Clifton, IL, or is it Chebanse? We had some confusion where we were headed due to a typo on the website. But yes indeed it was Clifton and one thrilling ride through monotonous flat land and challenging head winds. Fun!Todays ride was special because three previous riders - Kristen Tully, Adam Boczar, and Matt Harlan - were with us. Kristen graciously drove the van and provided close support for the riders, while Matt and Adam joined for the ride. Another reason today was special was because Diana Luo showed us "a whole other side of Diana" by performing a song she wrote about all the riders. Look for a post update for the lyrics soon! The song was delightfully shocking and brightened up the day.The weather was hot and humid and the ride turned out to be quite a few miles longer than expected but hearing an encore performance of Diana's song at our lunchbreak kept our spirits lifted! Eventually we arrived in Clifton and were welcomed with a great meal Tracey Shafer's thoughtful parents as well as the church. We can't thank them enough! The team is looking forward to the next few easier days heading into home sweet home Chicago!
Back in the CU
Well the team all survived the hills and heat of Appalachia and enjoyed some cooler days on more level ground. I'm currently sitting in Sara Petranek's apartment drinking some morning coffee (!!) getting ready to head out for our ride to Chebanse. We got to sleep in a little since we're not leaving till 9 today!We arrived in Champaign yesterday around 3 and were greeted by family, friends and some members of the Uof I Alumni Association who provided us a lovely welcoming reception. I was greeted by friends Sara, Hughie, Ashley, Holly and Jason. Sara made a fabulous dinner and it was great to be back some place familiar and sleep in a bed.Next stop, Chicago! I'm excited to see more family and friends. Throughout this trip I have been blown away by the kindness and generosity of strangers who we have met on the road along the way and who have taken us in every night.After I left for this trip, I learned that a close family member was diagnosed with cancer. This news really solidified in my mind why I am doing the ride and reoriented my perspective about the summer. I will think of her energy and smile every day.
Champaign-Urbana, IL 6/8/2010
Home sweet home! Well.... kind of. Riding in to Champaign was surreal. Couldn't believe that my training miles were spent on these roads. We enjoyed a hot breakfast of pancakes and eggs in Rockville and quickly set out to Champaign. We were prepared for massive amount of rain on a strict time schedule. We were set to arrive in Champaign at 3pm.I totally forgot that we gained an hour when we entered Illinois. It really doesn't matter too much to me because time isn't really felt on this trip. I remember one day and three different instances where the group I was riding with had a conversation about what day it was. Each day feels like four. Is that a bad thing? Probably not.Today was a very easy 78 miles. I didn't push hard. Illinois helped with being extremely flat. It was interesting to see my perspective change on the beauty of Illinois. Before, I thought that Illinois being flat was very boring. Today, as I looked over miles and miles of flat land, it took my breath. Sometimes, less is more. Good job Illinois.Our first break was spent in front of a house on a country road. We were there for about two hours. Most of the time was spent napping. It must have been a weird sight for the owners of the house to see 28 bikers asleep on their front lawn. Don't worry- we didn't give up there. Pedal... pedal... pedal...Helpless kitty! Jill jumps to the rescue to save the kitty. Although I don't like cats, I appreciated her care and love for the kitten in distress.We stopped at Homer Lake for lunch before we rode into Urbana. Homer Lake is pretty significant to the team because it was the destination of our first training ride in April. The ride was 30 miles- difficult at the time. This time we arrived with 62 miles under our belt with another 15 for the return to Urbana. It is amazing how much this team has grown in the past year- I hope it will never stop growing.Our reception into the University of Illinois was decorated with rain and alumni. The alumni's hospitality was inviting and conversational. It was nice to be able to talk about my experience with the Other Guys to the alumni. I spend a lot of time with the group at school; however, outside of school, the group is kind of insignificant to someone unfamiliar with Illinois.Tonight I am staying at a friend's apartment. A nice taste of home- warm showers, clean clothes, brownies and air conditioning. Movie night and then lights out.
To Mas Amigos we go.
Although I won't actually be heading to Mas Amigos today in Champaign, I had to show some love for my preferred Mexican restaurant on campus while we're around. It's awesome that we have arrived to a place where we have our own restaurant preferences, being in a place we have been before is novel to most of the riders this year.We've only been here for a few hours, but it already feels like a rest day to me. Thanks to my sister's generous hospitality I've already had my fill of sweets, taken a shower drying off with a full sized towel, and next is dinner at a sushi restaurant! So awesome! Although our stayovers have been incredible so far this year, there's nothing like being back on campus. It's weird to think about, but tonight will be the longest I will have been away from the entire team since NYC. Of course with my free time here I hope to meet up with some of my teammates from last year while we're around. I kind of wish we had a rest day here tomorrow, but it helps to know that Chicago is only a couple of days away. More details soon!
On your marks... Rockville, IN 6/7/2010
I woke up this morning to the glorious smell of McDonald's sausage mcmuffins, freshly cut apples and oranges and chocolate milk. I quickly hammered out 5 mcmuffins, an apple and a glass of chocolate milk. Don't forget the cookies!Anticipation was high today for a flat 68 miles. What was even more exciting was the chance to ride with an alumni rider, Dan Bartholomew. I was excited to ride with him because he races bikes. He had a race yesterday and won. His bike is a sick Cannondale Super Six with some custom components. The front group was in for a fun day. Mind you Dan hadn't put 1000 miles on his bike two weeks prior as we have.We started out fast. Dan hung out near the back of the pack. The pace was set somewhere around 21 miles an hour. We roared through Indiana. The leads began to filter to the back as they became tired. About five miles in, Dan took the lead. Conor and I encouraged him to challenge us. Here came a hill... and... we take it at 27 miles an hour! Half the group drops. We keep a crazy pace for about another mile and a half until he goes to the back of the much smaller pack. We try to hold a pace around 23 and succeed. Later in the ride, Conor talks some smack to Dan just before Dan was about to take the lead. Dan takes off and holds pace at 31 miles an hour. I was in my highest gear pedaling as fast as I could. It just wasn't happening. We finished the first 40 miles in 2 hours. We beat the van to the rest stops. Nuts. And fun. Dan left at mile 30, so when Conor, Greg and I left our rest stop at 40, we dogged the remainder of the ride.The church we stayed at was extremely accommodating. They were really excited to hear about our ride and our motivations behind it. One woman told me about a young lady who passed away from breast cancer in March who was a member of their church. It is remarkable how open people are once they find that the person that they are talking to is a cancer survivor. Only then do the stories pour out. Everyone knows someone, everyone has a story. Biking across the country can easily fool someone into thinking that every cancer case is just like the other. Wrong. Every case is unique and special to the whole community surrounding the diagnosis. This community included us today, even if the person diagnosed had passed away.The church cooked us an awesome spaghetti dinner. During conversation, a man mentioned that they hold karaoke nights at the church. With a little more conversation, he convinced himself to set up the karaoke for just us! I4Khoir? I4Karaoke? Yup. The night was a blast. I heard some people sing that I never have heard before! We sounded wonderful and successfully kept the others up with a shouty rendition of "Lean on Me."My favorite part of the night was when I found a piano to play. I haven't touched a piano since the beginning of the trip! Eamn sat right next to me and showed that he knew how to play a little piano himself. Together, we combined our talents to create an I4k blues. Awesome.Tonight, I sleep on a couch. Call me princess.
To Dos Reales we go.
Hello hello. I haven't blogged in a while because I forgot my password. I have also lost all track of time, days, and locations. I think that I am probably one of the worse people on the team with that kind of stuff because I am always asking where we are and where we are going. Since my last post, a lot has happened.Riding through the mountains was both mentally and physically challenging. I hit 49.9 MPH going down a mountain and it was such an adrenaline rush. Nothing feels better after spending hours climbing a mountain and then just flying down it in a few minutes. Tracey and Kevin are really good at climbing mountains/hills. I officially associate Tracey with the words "On your left" during any climb. I am envious of their mad climbing skills. But you just have to take each climb at your own pace and you can make it.Our stayovers on the east coast have been so wonderful. It really hit me the other day that our ride and organization can not run without the kindness of random strangers, family members, friends, and alumni. I really have no idea where we would be without the generosity of all of the people we have encountered. For example, one day me and a few other riders got lost--about 12 miles out of our way. We pulled over and asked a few construction workers for directions and they were so helpful. They even gave us a map which we relied on very much. Later that day we stopped at a convenience store and the two women working there did everything they could to give us great directions. They even used their connections in the next town over so that we could cross an interstate bridge with a police escort. Yes, a police escort. Myself, Ana, Jill, Bridget, Tracey, Diana, Kevin, and Jeff rode on a bridge and the interstate for a few miles with a police officer following behind us so that we could safely cross the Ohio border. It was one of the best experiences of the trip so far. Kevin and I felt like superheroes and never will I ever be able to ride my bike on the interstate again legally, but still illegally. Jillian recorded the entire thing and I can't wait to watch it. After the escort, we stopped at a Chinese restaurant for lunch and Diana got us the hook up so that we could keep our bikes inside the restaurant. I also found $5 on the ground that day!Yesterday was also a great day. We rode from Indy to Rockville. We started the morning off right at Dan's (a rider from last year) home with tons of food--McDonald's, coffee, fruit, and chocolate milk. Then we ended up in a small all-American town in Indiana called Greencastle for our 40 mile rest stop. All of the Lady Pack needed to use the restroom so I went into a floral shop and asked the lady working if she had a restroom we could all use. Before she said yes she asked me what we were riding for. I was about to tell her and then all of a sudden she just looked at me and said the following: "You are riding for me. I had breast cancer." This left me speechless and it felt surreal. Her name is Karen and we talked to her for a while. She even ended up calling her friend in town that owns a restaurant to see if he could give us something to drink. So we went to his restaurant and decided to order some food. The owner/chef, named Steve, used to cook for the Barnum and Bailey circus! The food was great and Steve's kindness and our waitress' kindness were unbelievable--they gave us a free meal and inspired us all to continue on with our ride. After lunch, we completed a portrait of Karen and her story touched all of our hearts--there were lots of tears, but also a lot of laughter. I think it was such a special portrait for us because it was completely random and allowed us to truly understand the purpose of our ride and the portraits project. This day made me realize that every mile, hill, mountain, and gust of wind is worth it because our ride has a much greater purpose than just being able to say "I rode my bike across the country."As each day passes, we are all becoming better cyclists which means we get to our stayovers earlier. This is great because we get to spend more time with people we don't ride with. I have really enjoyed getting know more people on the team because everyone is awesome and we are always laughing.Jordan introduced us to a game called Farkle. It's a dice game and is pretty awesome/addicting. Kevin is really good at farkling, which is actually a really bad thing. I was on a roll and even sparkled a few times but eventually I lost my good luck and ended up losing.Things that have made me laugh a lot in the past few days:-Michell's alternative personality is Lil' Jon-Pi has the best Batman impression-Kevin has a great British accent and a super cool Spanish-speaking monkey friend on his bike, he's also a good dancer-Bridget likes to spit Gatorade out of her mouth while she laughs and she can also bike super fast when she realizes there is a dog chasing her after I yell "BRIDGET MOVE!"-Eamon is really good at yelling at Indiana-Ana has good music video choices and the burritos we had in Columbus were amazing-Jillian is Dr. Doolittle-The Lady Pack literally saw a lion in the middle of Nowheresville, Indiana. For real.We are in Chambana tonight and that means one thing only: DOS REALES.Up next: CHICAGO!!!!
Kitten, Tailwind, Alumni, and REAL BEDS
Typing from the library of the Alumni Center in Urbana.We saved a kitten! Some riders found it on the side of the road and brought it to the Humane Society of Hillsdale, IN. Score!We had a lovely tailwind today to push us along as we trekked into Chambana. We stopped at Homer Lake for lunch, where the team had previously been on a training ride. We are better cyclists now! Also, no hail. Win-win!We were greeted at the Alumni Center as we all rode in together. The Alumni were eager to hear our tales, as were the families and friends in attendance. We're all very excited to be here, and to sleep in beds. Yay beds!
Chapter the First: Day 14
So it has been a very, very long time since my last blog, but it is finally time to put a new team perspective out on the interwebs, so here we go. I promise to try to keep this up....We are officially 2 weeks into the trip, and it is a unanimous consensus from the team that it feels like AT LEAST 2 months. But not the kind of 2 months that you dread; more like the kind of drawn out time spent idly in the summer where I can picture myself in a movie with the voice of Morgan Freeman narrating a montage of our summer spent cycling across the USA. "They were a young group of 28, young and exuberant, heading straight across the country and creating memories that would define their lives..." I can hear his voice now.Our trial by fire is over, and the team has settled in. We survived the Appalachians and our bodies are now stronger for it. Personally, I have been pushing myself every other day to ride harder for longer. I have definitely come a long way as a cyclist, both physically and mentally. Everytime the wind picks up or the the hills get a bit steeper, and the burning sensation in my legs get to the point where I want to quit, I tell myself, "The burning sensation will always go away, just keep pedaling and it'll go away." And eventually it does. OR I just follow Shea's lead and chomp the hills out of my saddle while screaming "OM NOM NOM NOM."As far as the team synergy goes, I'd say we have a unique dynamic going for us. We are one part crazy-madhouse family of 28 and one part disciplined army of strict, regimented and disciplined personnel with responsibilities and orders to complete. And we can go from one to another in a moments notice. Its quite an amazing feat. I'd say Nate has mastered the art of transition more so than any other rider; he is capable of napping on any horizontal surface in less time than it takes to say "You've been mosher-ed."The part of the journey so far that has affected me the most has been the hospitality and graciousness of our hosts. Everywhere we stay, people just want to give us help and aid us in our journey. It seems that the only thing they want in return is to be part of our amazing experience; to me, that is the most wonderful part of this whole trip. We, as an organization, have decided to do something that has such momentum and gravitas, it draws everyone in our path toward our cause. Everyone just wants to help, and its a beautiful thing. This journey brings the best out of everyone, and though we have lost some friends and family or have someone who is currently battling cancer, our trip breeds hope, and that is the most powerful weapon we have.I'll never forget the words that the pastor from Everett told us."Suffering builds endurance, endurance builds character, character breeds hope. And hope NEVER fails"
Greenwood and Rockville 06/06-06/07
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR. That is how I feel right now... and here is why.Well the 83 mile ride into Greenwood was chaotic to say the least. I clocked out around 33 miles.. and then jumped back in the game around 41 to finish the day. Michell took a trip to the hospital after a little accident on the road so I decided to take the bike out of it's 8 mile retirement to insure there was room for her in the van. I rode with Steve and Tracey and it was going fantastic until we had about 4 miles left and decided to stop at Arby's knowing that we wouldn't be eating for a while upon arrival. The last 4 miles sucked to say the least. Check out Steve's blog for details. The Bartholemew house was absolutely gorgeous. Not only was the landscaping fantastic, the interior design was impeccable and Dan got the hook up with some yummy ice cream... and McDon's sausage mcmuffins for breakfastAfter what some have been calling "over-doing it" yesterday, my knee was on throb setting today and I drove with Michell. The day was filled with some eventful moments. We met an NCIS fanatic and he gave us a shout out on his blog, the lady pack were hooked up with a sweet lunch, leftover mcmuffins were devoured, and some of us waded in a river under a bridge to escape the heat. We arrived in Rockville and set up a nice lunch spread, naps were taken, and the church provided us with an unbelievable dinner.Hanging out in the church, it's very apparent that the team is having a blast on the trip. While the first few days were rough, I can tell that being out of the mountains, the stress has minimized and people are really enjoying each other's company. I've become team hair stylist: I've cut Max's, Shea's, and half of Eamon's (the clippers died, they're charging). Gabrielle just decided she wants to become a gypsy. Karaokee is waiting upstairs for us and Eamon is hovering over my shoulder waiting for his haircut to be finished. On that note, byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Love this church.
Fever Pitch Before Homecoming!
We woke this morning to McDonalds. Never before in our lives have we eaten so very many McMuffins. What a feat! Some people ate five! Six, even!Dan Bartholomew rode with us for about 34 miles out of Greenwood. The weather was perfect--no 15mph headwinds today. A lovely group of seven lady riders interviewed a florist about her experience with cancer and enjoyed lunch at Chief's in Greencastle, IN.We stopped for ice cream near the end of the ride, and the Rockville United Methodist Church has been nothing but generous to our entire group. Soon there will be I4Karaoke.Off to Champaign tomorrow!
I love Greencastle, IN!
Today was the best day ever!I rode with some lovely ladies today (Jill, Gabrielle, Bridget, Ana, Diana, and Tracey). After spending quite a while fixing Ana's flat tire around mile 35 and playing with an adorable dog named Angel, we headed on to the rest stop at mile 40. We stopped by a flower shop to use the restroom and met an amazing woman named Caren who shared her story with us about her experience with cancer. She also directed us to a restaurant called Chief's where we enjoyed an absolutely fabulous lunch! We headed back to the flower shop afterward and Caren sat with us for an interview for the portraits project. We finished our last 28 miles (with a stop for some delicious ice cream) and then arrived at the church for more deliciousness. Fabulous day =)
Champaign or Bust!
Champaign or bust!See you tomorrow, Champaign-Urbana!
Rain or shine. Geenwood, IN 6/6/2010
Sleeping on floors is tough. I am not getting enough rest, but for some reason it is easy to push on with 27 other people focused on the same goal you are. Today was a 83 miler to a alumni rider from last year's house.The first part of the ride was spent with the front group in rainy, windy conditions. This was a very rough first half of the ride. We stopped at mile 44 for lunch. Our whole group took a nap in front of a random house until the van met up with us with our food. It was absolutely freezing. I had a raincoat and arm warmers, shivering. Eventually I fell in a deep sleep and only woke when the people who were driving the van parked the van next to me and shook me awake. We began lunch. PB&J!Halfway through lunch, another group showed up and Conor's phone rang with news of an injured rider. Michell fell! she was sent to the hospital to look into a minor concussion. She is fine, don't worry. To make room in the van for going back and forth from the hospital, Lauren pulled her bike out and finished the ride after clocking out at 37 miles for her knee.The ride was enjoyable through a windy Indiana countryside. Near the end, Lauren's knee bagan to bother her again. She popped another vikaden. We rode until mile 79 and then took a break four miles out at an Arby's. We spent an hour there. Good talk and good food, but the medicine wore off. Lauren had to tough out the last four.Tracy and I were Lauren's cheerleaders. She struggled. We were a half mile out and Lauren was hurting. We were stopped at a stoplight and she asked, "How long?" I said, "Long enough." This answer was not acceptable for her. The light turned green and she took off. I was out of the saddle just to catch up with her. She hit twenty out of the blocks against the wind. Ridiculous. we took a wrong turn and you could see the pain. Ouch! I hope it gets better. Thankfully, she finished. Then iced.The house we are staying at is very nice. Our meal was once again supplied by the alumni in Indiana. Laundry! Ice cream (again). I am currently bidding on a couch spot to sleep on. I don't have much to offer!
Century. Richmond, IN 6/5/2010
107 miles! Get ready.My breakfast was 2 cupcakes, coffee sweetened with cupcake frosting, a mountain dew and a Dr. Pepper. My God.People were surprised to see me drop to the group in back. I hope it encourages other teammates to try different riding groups.Keeping a slower pace was hard and frustrating at times. It was a war within myself. It was fun to sing whatever song that came to your head and having the others sing along with you. It rained twice. Vary hard. Not fun and cold!Our lunch was taken at mile 66 with family friends who very generously and selflessly brought us a wonderful lunch. Thank you bvery much the Cartright family.Tonight I could be classified as introvertive, pensive and homesick. I hate feeling wishy washy. I attmpt to turn this mood around by listening to country music, eating a pint of ice cream and drinking a half gallon of sweet tea. This might work.I have no idea where we are going or how long our ride is tomorrow. But hey, I like surprises.
Almost perfect. Columbus, OH 6/4/2010
Today's 54 mile ride was tempting to me. I knew I could own it. I suggested to the group that we could ride without rest stops. Here goes.The morning began with a modest breakfast of oatmeal, coffee, and cupcakes. Because of the excess of food leftover from the night before that could not fit in the van, last night's dinner was offered as breakfast, even desert. Who would throw away ice cream? I wouldn't! I sweetened my coffe with vanilla. I spiced my oatmeal up with chocolate. If that wasn't enough, I finished the rest of the Neapolitan and chocolate ice cream buckets. I was sick and pumped up with sugar. Eager to ride...This was our very first flat ride. It was very easy. We flew by the rest stops, enjoyed the scenery and saw some alpaka run (too funny). We hit the last 5 mile stretch. A roofing nail attacks my back wheel. I goes through my tire, both sides of my tube, and through the wheel well of my rim. I spent more time prying the nail out of my rim han actually replacing the tube. Thus, I ruined the continuous 54 nile ride. I hope the guys didn't mind too much.As I arrived in Columbus, I scavenged for bike shops to fix my front derailleur. After paying ten dollars to make the problem worse, I continued down High street with Lauren to hit up some more bike shops. Three more miles of bike shops brought us to Baer Wheels, the best bike shops I had ever set foot in. The mechanics were very knowledgeable and understanding. They fixed my bike so well that it rode as if I had just bought it. I bought a new chain lube called Chain-L no. 5. Works like a dream.The alumni of Columbus gave us a meal. I met Dan, a second in command in the Navy. I never knew too much about the Navy before I talked to him. It must be tough to leave your wife and kids for years at a time. My time spent talking to him was very fun and he was very immersed into what we were biking for.Later that night, I found myself rather bored. I began talking with Mary about how I should never be bored on this trip. The problem is we travel from town to town, hiding in churches and not exposing ourselves and giving back to the community that gave us a home for that night. Our day shouldn't end when I finish X amount of miles. It is done when the community that we stay in is moved by the I4K. We had our first portrait done yesterday. We have yet to visit a hospital or give a portraits presentation. When I entered the I4K, as a rider, the journey across the country was second to the community outreach of the I4K. My assumption was wrong.Mary and I wrote down a list of amendments that we would like to see in the Illini 4000. Hopefully our stayovers from now on will be a little less selfish.To widen my perspective on this ride, I am riding back tomorrow during our 107 miler to RIchmond, IN. I am hoping to feel more like a team and meet my teammates in a riding group. 5:30am wake up. Time for bed.
Playing the Numbers game. Zanesville, OH 6/2/2010
Short day! We ate a very nutritious breakfast of pizza and soda. The mood in the morning was very relaxed and not rushed. We ended up leaving at about 7:45am- a little later than we planned. 67 miles! What took us so long was making biking groups. Five random groups of five people. I was paired with Kyle, Michell, Jordan and Pricilla.We headed off on out journey down US 40W to Zanesville. About a mile in, Kyle's chain twisted and made his bike not rideable. We called the van as we struggled to fix his chain. Instead of two groups waiting on Kyle's bike, we traded members from our group to swap with the group that had someone who was more knowledgeable about chains. Through a very fair game of rock paper, scissors- I reigned supreme and jumped n the group to continue riding with Nate, Greg, Jill and Kevin.Along the way we stopped a few times. Once was at a very scenic hill and the next was at a dam. We met the maintenance man of the dam and he showed us the meachanisms by which the dam was run by. Pretty cool. I was amazed by Nate's man talk to convince the maintenance to show us the machines.During the route we hit rain. This was my first rain experience ont he ride. Lucky! My jersey will never be as clean as it once was.Jill's knee began to hurt about four miles away from the stayover. I was very happy with how she really pushed it all the way to Zanesville.The church we stayed at was very accommodating. the room we are sleeping in is more of a living room. Here we are watching Little Women, ate lasagna, and played ukur. What age are we?We weren't allowed to go outside after nine because of the neighborhood we were in. Not like I had anything planned.Right before bed, I got a haircut. From Conor. Maybe he should rethink his career path. I'm keeping the beard until Chicago. Maybe. There are some on the team who aren't very happy with it.The rain made this room smell like wet, musky bikers. It is rancid. Hopefully I can sleep through the smells.