A few days ago, Julianne posted her blog titled "The Journey," saying that we have a mere 100 days left. Except how that wasn't a few days ago. As of today, there are 57 days till we start out pedaling in New York City. I can't even process the fact that Julianne did not actually post a few days, it's no longer fall, and the ride is looming before us like this giant, terrifying, exciting thing. Personally, I injured my knee about 4 weeks ago, and it still hasn't healed to the point that I can be training like everyone else, which is making this particularly scary. Starting next week, I'll be able to ride with the team again, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to finally get outside with the riders! At the same time, it's scary for me in the same way it's scary for everyone. This is ground completely uncharted to most of us, full of things that will break every expectation we've made. At the same time, I remember the day when the count opened on the page, and I thought the train ride to New York was so soon! I didn't even realize how different it would be once we got this close. I'm afraid if I blink, I'll open my eyes and be standing with my bike at the train station, wondering where those 57 days went, just like every day that has ticked away toward our trip.
Cars are big, you are small.
Today, the team had the absolute pleasure of getting to meet a member of the Livestrong Foundation! Lance Armstrong is one of the greatest inspirations in my life, and the entire Livestrong foundation is an absolutely amazing non-profit, that has touched millions of lives through all of the work that they do. The entire time that Brian, the Livestrong representative, was speaking to us, all I could think about was what an interesting effect cancer has on people. It's an individual experience, but it has united millions of people to do genuinely amazing things. The biggest thing that amazes me about Illini 4000, and all the other non-profits dedicated to ending cancer, is the generosity that comes from people in all walks of life. Livestrong, Illini 4000, and all the other cancer foundations simply wouldn't be possible without the pure generosity that comes from all of those who've been affected by cancer. Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer's reach, and that's almost unfathomable. At our meeting today, we also had safety training, since we start outdoor training this weekend. One of the key points that Josh, our head of team development and training, made multiple times was, "Cars are big. You are small." When he first said that, I hadn't yet seen the phrase on the Powerpoint slide, and heard it as, "Cancer's big. You are small." Obviously, I was really confused as to what this had to do with safety training, but it did hit home. Cancer is very, very big. It's terrifyingly daunting, in reality. It's a disease that leaves a huge impact on every life it comes in contact with, and it comes in contact with almost every person. There are 29 of us, working together to try to fight this thing that's almost too big to fathom. Let's be honest. Cancer is big. We are small. However, we're only small as single entities. We're only small if we let ourselves be. Together, 29 of us are fighting like hell to try to make the change that we can. Even more importantly, people everywhere are donating, volunteering, or helping in their own way, in their own communities, to combat this disease that is so ensnared in our lives. Cancer is big. But together, so are we.
Livestrong
The Illini 4000 would like to thank Brian Myers from Livestrong for coming to visit us at our team meeting this week! We really appreciate your support and ideas, and we look forward to growing the relationship between our two organizations.Our talk with Brian helped us to reconnect with the cause, as well as to see what amazing initiatives that our donation to Livestrong helped support. Be sure to check out Livestrong.com to learn about the many ways in which Livestrong can help you or your loved one through the entire cancer experience and beyond.In other news, our new Portraits Project website will be launched soon! Keep your eye out for the announcement!
Athletico
The Illini 4000 would like to thank Athletico for helping us out this year! Rebecca from Athletico came to our meeting this week to talk about training and how to deal with pain and injuries. We really appreciate the guidance you are giving us this spring. With your help, the 2012 team is going to be the most prepared I4K team to date!
Sometimes, it is about the bike
Most of the riders have been athletes their entire lives. Some of us played basketball, ran cross country, dominated the football field. Some of us do lacrosse, soccer, or any number of other athletic endeavors. We all have something we love, a past in sports of some variety that lead to us being capable of Illini 4000. For me personally, I have always been completely, totally, and entirely awful at sports. Rackets and tennis balls never collided, basketballs seldom went through nets, and baseballs never entered gloves. Even PE was awful; soccer balls seemed to be determined to fly past me into the goal, the kickballs flew right into the defenses' hands, and dodgeballs never, ever hit their target. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED to play. Basketball was my favorite for a long time, but it's hard for a kid to stay in love with something they're so beautifully awful at doing. Then Daddy bought me a bike, a really beautiful bike. A fire engine red Windsor, probably the prettiest bike I'd ever seen. I fell in love. It was beautiful, and it could carry me anywhere. I enjoyed mountain bike riding with Dad and my sister, but nothing compared to the pure freedom of being on the road. Mountain biking was fun, riding through the woods, looking at rivers, cranking up and down hills, trying not to fall on roots and rocks (mountain biking in central Illinois doesn't involve REAL mountains). However, road riding made me feel alive like nothing else could. The wind that came from every direction, the sound of pavement and tire meeting, the exhiliration of pedaling as fast as possible for a mile just because I could. There was nothing like being under a beautiful blue sky, feeling like the entire world was in front of me. In fact, biking memories are the only ones I see through my own eyes instead of as an onlooker. Maybe it's because biking makes me feel so significantly like I'm myself. It was almost like my bike became a part of me. I rode every morning with it on a trainer if it was cold out, or got on almost everyday after school if weather permitted. The bike meant the world to me, as a way to calm down or to think through something that had happened that day. My bike brought me peace in the midst of madness.One of my favorite books of all time, Heft on Wheels, by Mike Magnuson, is a super inspirational autobiography about a man who turns his life around through cycling. During his story, he got hit by a truck while he was riding. He ends up in the hospital, feeling awful about everything that happened, and realizes that what got him this far was the bike, and what will get him back to health was also the bike. Mike shows that you have to find the thing that saves you. Find the thing that keeps you from falling prey to just walking through life, as though you have no control. He states, "There's life on the page, and then there's life." He's right. I've always loved my bike, and I know that biking is what saves me. My bike consistently reminds me of what it means to be alive, and I can only imagine how much this summer will affect that idea, for the better. Being able to mix biking with fighting cancer, a disease that affects so many of us in different ways, is a dream that is seconded only by seeing no one ever have to battle cancer again. I can't wait to see what this summer brings, and how it changes all of our lives. It's hard to believe that in 81 days, we'll all be attached to our bike for 74 days, but I can't wait to begin. I think Illini 4000 is exactly what Mike was talking about when he said that there's life. In 81 days, we'll all be experiencing life in a way that's barely imaginable. Here's to life (and bikes!).
"There's a whole lot of good"
I guess I just assumed that hosting a spaghetti supper was as easy as making noodles, adding sauce, buying salad in bulk, and selling tickets ahead of time. I thought it was totally do-able and that me and a support team comprised of my two older sisters and mother could handle it together. I could not have been more wrong. Even though I logically had the supper planned out…I missed so many important details that needed to be accounted for. Somehow, though, everything just seemed to fall into place. My 4-H leader from years past had donated to my team and when I ran into her at a basketball game when I was selling tickets, she told me to stop by the 4-H meeting that was conveniently held the next morning to thank the club myself, and read the thank-you letter I had written them. After talking with my leader and other moms in the club the next morning, they suddenly volunteered to arrange desserts for the dinner. A few days later, my mom called me and told me that the same women (amazing women, might I add) called and volunteered to help coordinate the supper. It was so great hearing that there were people who actually WANTED to help out and did so just because they could. This group of women got together and brought tickets to town meetings, basketball games, local businesses, their own families, their friends, anyone and everyone who was reachable. They acted as my messengers just constantly spreading the word and letting everyone know what I was doing and how they could help. I often asked myself: why are they giving so much of their time to help me out? How can they be so generous? I still ask myself why. It seems like things seem to just have a way of always falling into place and I can’t exactly explain it. I guess you could say I’m a lucky girl, but I don’t even think that would do it justice; it’s something beyond luck.Each day for the last week our friends in the community have committed hours of work to helping me out in my quest to raise money, fight cancer, and cycle across the country. It’s funny the way things work out sometimes. In all, I’m learning soo many lessons unrelated to anything cycling. I guess, on this journey, I’m learning about life. My goal for hosting this spaghetti supper fundraiser was not to just raise money for cancer, but I wanted to actively engage the community in what I’m doing. Every year the Illini 4000 stays in my small town of 1200 people but less than a third of the community know what Illini 4000 is. I want people to see me and be able to connect to the cause…After tonight, I think I did a pretty fair job of that on top of reaching my fundraising goal and smelling like pasta. But, I owe all of the success of the fundraiser to my supportive friends in the community. I think there is something to be said about the strength of community and the bonds you create with people. I learned that in life you have to remember to smile a lot, do a lot for other people, and maintain all of the relationships that you create. You never know when you’ll need a hand, or five, and so I’m going to make sure that I’ve got five on hand when I need them : ) Thanks Clifton and Iroquois County. Tonight I learned what it means to have a home, it’s something more than a house and a family to come back to…it's neighbors who make dessert, pastors who donate their parish to you, relatives who surprise you, sisters who clean tables, and moms who stress out. Luck doesn’t even begin to describe it, and after commenting on how generous the volunteers were, one said to me: “Well, you know, people talk a lot about the bad, but there’s a whole lot of good still happening in these small communities.” He couldn’t have been more right. Here’s to the end of fundraising, and the beginning of the journey.
The Journey
Today, we are a mere one hundred days before the start of our trip; the expedition that will lead us from New York City to San Francisco on mere contraptions of metal and other knick knacks. I think, however, for most of us, the journey has already begun. As we are ever approaching the date of departure, I am constantly reminded of why I signed up to do this. Cancer is so ensnared in the lives of all of us: even since making the team, a good friend of mine lost his father to cancer. We are on this journey, and this ride, not only to raise money and have a fun summer, but to hopefully be impacted by those we meet and to reciprocate the action. I personally don't plan on coming back from San Francisco the same person who was on the train to New York City, and I couldn't be more excited.
What it means to be I4K 2012
Of course, there are a million things it means to be an I4K rider. It's walking into ARC at 10 AM on Saturdays, smiling because we know that in a few weeks we'll be getting ready to ride at 8 AM. It's the extreme joy at playing I4K basketball, which are the most fun basketball games in the world (especially when Bradford ducks and rolls). It means skyping for team meetings, and taking "5 dozen" team photos that all look exactly the same.It means knowing that no matter what happens, someone will always have our backs. It's the joy that we'll have chore partners because of the "extreme bonding" that will happen. It's the silly smile we all get when someone says "Do you have your bike yet?," or how we all have the same feeling when we tell someone new about what Illini 4000 is. It's knowing that this summer is going to be the greatest experience of all time. For me, what exactly it means to be part of the I4K team was made really, really evident a few weeks ago, and again by Connor Ramsey at last night's meeting. When we had the first training of the semester (which was wonderfully painful!), I was sitting on the couches in the lobby of CRCE with Connor Wilson and Ashley Young, and we were just chatting about how close we all live to each other. I had just turned my phone on, and suddenly it was bombarded with 4 voicemails and 4 texts, all from my mom, saying that Dad was out biking, so she had an ambulance coming to the house, she needed to go to the hospital immediately. She didn't give me anymore detail than that, so I was obviously really freaked out! (It turned out that she had really, really awful vertigo from a deep inner-ear infection. She's doing much better now!). Connor and Ashley walked with me through the whole time I was on the phone with her, and they still ask me on a regular basis how she's feeling. It kind of solidified for me what the whole team is like--it's a whole bunch of people, who really, really care about people they don't even know, because we all understand what it's like to see a loved one in pain. Connor Ramsey, at last night's team meeting, stated something along the lines of: People aren't donating to help you ride across the country. They're donating to help affect millions of lives. Connor's completely right-- people may be donating in our names specifically, but their donations mean so much more than that. They're for the researchers that we fund. They're for the families, who've lost loved ones. They're for the survivors that we help support. They're for all the lives lost in the fight, and for all of those still fighting. That's what it means to be an I4K-er: we want to make a difference. We want to change lives, of those people we meet and those who can potentially benefit from the work that we do. We're young, we're dedicated, and we're trying to spread hope through every conversation, dollar donated, and pedal stroke.
Portraits Project Info Session Next Week!
Thank you to everyone who came out and talked to us yesterday at activity day! It is always wonderful to see people so excited to hear about what we do.For anyone interested, we will be having a Portraits Project information session next Tuesday, 1/31 at 7pm in room 119 English Building. We've spent the last five years collecting stories from cancer patients, survivors, and caretakers and we need your help to share them with the world! We are currently working on creating a website, and we need a lot of help to take all of the Portraits we have and get them ready to go up! If you want to help us document the American Cancer Experience (bonus points if you have photo or video editing skills), come out next week to hear more about the Portraits Project!We look forward to seeing you!~The Illini 4000 Board of Directors
Ready to Ride
This past Sunday, I purchased the bike that is going to take me across America this summer, and I couldn't be more excited. Monday I took her out for our first ride together, and everything about it just felt right. It was a short ride, but I just wanted to get used to how the bike feels and how we work together. I rode yesterday and today as well, thankful for the unusually warm weather we've been having.Unfortunately the weather is supposed to turn ugly tomorrow, which means I probably won't be going out on my bike. But that does mean more time to work on fundraising. I'll be hoping for an early spring this year, because the sooner we all can get out on our bikes the better!
First Blog of my life
Never done this before. But figured this is a great time to start. Got my bike over break and I4k is all I currently think about. To the team: lets have a get together on the first weekend back for some bonding (and I suppose you non-team board members are invited as well). My place is always open, but we'll plan in further detail at another time. Anyway I figured I'd post one of my favorite songs which is now quite relevant to our lives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EzeW5KoPUI Enjoy. And once again, Bradford, bring your uke.
Rantoul
Wow it’s been ridiculously not cold, so I was able to take a ride from Urbana to the neighboring town of Rantoul yesterday. Rantoul is the next stop north of Champaign on the Amtrak line…about 16 miles away. I had the pleasure of running into Ken Beck from the Dance Department at the Walgreens in town. He has a cool blog here: http://kenbeck.blogspot.com/Anyway, I made up a little song about Rantoul and recorded it in poor quality. Check out the link to the video below. I’m seriously considering strapping the ukulele to my bike this summer...Hear the song: (Anne Toole of) Rantoul 
Hope you're having a wonderful 2012!
My Favorite Things (the cycling edition)
Merry Christmas! I had an I4K-riffic Christmas this year, involving lots of spandex and the opportunity to go out biking with my dad, which is one of my absolute favorite things to do! After I got home from a chill ride with my dad, I hopped onto my trainer, and the tune of "My Favorite Things" popped into my head, but I couldn't remember any of the words! So, instead, it got revamped. So here goes, my personal version of My Favorite Things: Blue under-armor and white clip-less pedals,Power-bars good enough to help win medalsShoes for those pedals without any strings,These are a few of my favorite things! Crank brothers items and spandex galore,Brooks leather saddles and izumi shorts,Riding as though you glide with wings,These are a few of my favorite things! Komen gloves covered with pink ribbon sashes,Hoping and praying there aren't any crashes,Riding outside and wishing for spring,these are a few of my favorite things! When the chain breaks,when the wheel bends,when I'm feeling sad,I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a great Christmas, surrounded by family and friends. For the other riders, enjoy your break and good luck bike shopping!
Crazy Realizations...
Hi all! Every single day, I talk to someone about Illini 4000, and how incredibly excited I am to be a part of this amazing organization. Today, however, brought an interesting conversation. My uncle from Alaska called me, talking about how excited he was for me. Now, my uncle has lead a crazy life, doing everything from working on a salmon-processing boat (imagine dangerous catch without the cameras) to hitchhiking to Alaska from New York, and being struck by the thought that I was doing something on his life was really exciting!However, a much more important realization also happened--HOLY COW WE WILL BE IN NEW YORK IN 5 MONTHS AND 5 DAYS!! It seems so far away, but at the same time, it's coming so quickly! Before we know it, we'll be on a train, heading towards the adventure of a lifetime. I can't believe that in 5 months and 5 days, my bike and I will be heading out with the other completely amazing members of the team. (Also, as my best friend has so nicely pointed out, that's 1.356 X 10^7 seconds. Thank you Computer Science major and WolframAlpha.) P.S. If you're interested in donating, you totally should ;)
We're Young and Inspired
I can't believe I'm doing I4k, I really cannot wait to cycle across the United States and I DEFINITELY can't wait to do my part in supporting research. Every time I see someone wearing a live strong bracelet or a breast-cancer awareness t-shirt, I get a little hopeful. When I'm older (and hopefully when cancer is much less of a problem) it's going to be gratifying to look back on this experience and know that I took a part in changing it. I think as students we too often take a back seat using the excuse that we're too young to be involved in something as large as cancer. I'm glad I4k gives me the opportunity to do something about a disease that's kills one person each and every minute.On that note, if you'd like to donate to me...YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO IT : )
A trip to the Mills Breast Cancer Institute
Last week, my teammates and I visited the Mills Breast Cancer Institute here in Urbana. We received a full tour of the facilities and had time to ask lots of questions about various cancer treatments. It was a fantastic source of information and a wonderful facility. Check them out here: http://www.millshope.com/
Fall Updates from the 2012 Team!
Hello Everyone!With the semester passing quickly, the new Bike America Team has already been busy! Fundraising is coming into full swing and weekly team training has begun! We also had a lot of fun at our Fall Potluck bringing together alumni and the 2012 Team.Last Tuesday, the 2012 Team visiting the Mills Breast Cancer Institute at Carle Hospital to talk to staff members and to have a tour of the cancer treatment center. The event was very informative and definitely helped to remind everyone of our cause. Thank you again!Also last week, the Illini 4000 was on TV! Click here to see the video!We'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!~The Illini 4000 Board of Directors
An interesting start
Hey everybody! I'm Tory Cross, and I'm a freshman studying psych and (hopefully!) MCB. Last year, when I picked up my first U of I brochure, I saw the Illini 4000 tidbit, turned to my mom, and said, "I'm doing this. No matter what, I'm doing this." This is probably the most excited I've ever been to do anything!Unfortunately, I don't have any news to share about the first training meeting or our first team Potluck, although I did have the chance to meet my rider buddy, and I'm really excited about that!I missed out on the training this week to travel to Florida to see my grandma, lovingly known as Nana. Nana was diagnosed with bone cancer 7 years ago and has been undergoing chemo the entire time. A few weeks ago, my grandpa, Gramps, took her to the hospital because she was no longer eating. While there, her doctors discovered that she had liver cancer. They felt that her body was too weak to handle more chemo, and they sent her home. The doctors estimated that she had 3 months left to live.On my way to the airport to fly down to see her, my sister (who was also visiting) called and said that my mom needed to come with me, the nurses said she probably would lose her fight during the weekend. Somehow, my mom managed to get on my flight and we headed off to Florida.There was no possible way we could have been prepared for what awaited us when we got there. Nana had moved to a hospice, and she could no longer speak. She had just enough energy to squeeze our hands when we entered the room, but it was only for an instant. We spent Friday with her, and returned to the hospice on Saturday, where a team of absolutely wonderful nurses did their absolute best to make sure she remained in as little pain as possible. Saturday, at 4:48 PM, Nana's pain ended. I wrapped my arms around my mom and Gramps, all of us glad she no longer felt pain, but wishing she'd never had it in the first place.Sunday morning, Gramps got out of bed and said he wanted to see sunrise at the beach, so we all climbed in the car and went. As my family and I stood, looking out at the sun coming up on the water, it made everything we're doing this summer feel so much more real. We're riding for so much more than just a ride across the country. We're riding for more than ourselves. We all have personal reasons to ride, but it's more than that. We're riding to show that the fight doesn't end. For each of us, there's someone in our lives who no longer lives in pain, but that doesn't mean that their fight ended. Their fight travels with each of us, everyday, and that's what we're riding for. It's a fight that doesn't end until no one has to bear the pain of it any longer.
The 2012 Bike America Team!
After weeks of interviewing, the Illini 4000 Board of Directors is excited to announce the 2012 Bike America Team. This summer, we will send this dedicated team of cyclists from New York City to San Francisco to raise money and awareness for cancer research and patient services. This year will be the organization’s sixth cross country ride, and we are aiming to raise more money than ever before - $150,000! We are so thrilled to have such a diverse team of individuals who are passionate toward fighting cancer!Below, you’ll find a profile of the 2012 Bike America Team. Rider profile pages are coming soon!
- Sarah Bopp – Community Health – Bloomingdale, IL
- Bradford Chapin – Sound Design and Technology – Grayslake, IL
- Shannon Cleary – General Studies – Clifton, IL
- Tory Cross – Psychology – Sidell, IL
- Marcus Eck – Elementary Education – Springfield, IL
- Casey Fee – Chemical Engineering – Batavia, IL
- Youngwoon Han – Political Science – Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Sarah Hidder – Natural Resources and Environmental Science – Wilmette, IL
- Jaime Kelleher – Materials Science and Engineering – Western Springs, IL
- Alex Kulyk – Mechanical Engineering – Glenview, IL
- Amanda Lundgren – Political Science and Anthropology – Southport, NC
- Alex Massey – General Studies – Gurnee, IL
- Tricia Maybaum – Special Education – Palos Park, IL
- Laura McQueen – History – Urbana, IL
- Krish Mehta – Economics – Farmington Hills, MI
- Kristen Miller – Nursing – Orland Park, IL
- Paul Organ – Economics – Hoffman Estates, IL
- Julianne Reynolds – Architecture – O'Fallon, IL
- Liz Reynolds – Dietetics – Springfield, IL
- Jaime Ruan – Chemical Engineering – Chicago, IL
- Patrick Ruane – Materials Science and Engineering – Park Ridge, IL
- Kenny Shaevel – General Studies – Libertyville, IL
- Lauren Sheehy – Bioengineering – Park Ridge, IL
- Jun Uchikura – Finance – Toyko, Japan
- Xue Wang – Accounting and Finance – Beijing, China
- Samantha Wojtowicz – General Engineering – Chicago, IL
- Connor Wilson – Physics – Urbana, IL
- Ming Ying – Mechanical Engineering – Beijing, China
- Ashley Young – Agricultural and Biological Engineering – Newman, IL
- Can Zhang – Biochemistry – Chengdu, China
Illini 4000 Alumni October Ride
This past weekend, eleven Illini 4000 alumni riders and a long time I4K supporter rode from Deerfield, IL to Lake Geneva, WI. Many thanks to Brad Topol and Jon Schlesinger for organizing this awesome trip! It was so great to see people from every ride year come out to support the charity. Money raised from this event will be donated to the 2012 Ride.
Team of Alumni Riders at the Harvest Time Apple Orchard
And, of course, there were plenty of good times with great friends!
(Photos courtesy of Brad Topol)Thanks again to Brad and Jon!Also, the Illini 4000 Board of Directors is pleased to welcome former Director of Information, Erik Volkman, to our Advisory Board. We are excited to have you on board, Erik!Stay tuned, as the 2012 Bike America Team will soon be decided! If you didn't get a chance to apply before our application deadline, you may still Apply Online for our waiting list.