Today was a nice, short 53 mile day. Our ride was dedicated to Andrew, a friend of Lindsey's who passed away from cancer this year.We began the day with a diner breakfast at Uptown Cafe in Greybull. We decided to take the opportunity to relax a bit since we didn't have any reason to rush to the stay over. It was a very relaxing day with good opportunities for mountain pictures. One negative is that there were very few (as in zero) bathroom opportunities. The first 52 miles were all on Rt. 14 and very wide open. The positive is that there was a big downhill at the end. It is always a nice way to finish.It is sometimes difficult to come off of a really beautiful, exhilarating day like yesterday and feel excited about an average ride. Everyone did a great job staying positive and realizing that we are still amidst beauty despite the slightly less exciting ride day.We are staying at Christ Episcopal Church in Cody tonight. They provided a pasta dinner with a sauce that was far superior to our norm. We also did a portrait with a church member, Randy. He is retired and is a part time spiritual councilor for local hospice care. His wife is a breast cancer survivor, and he talked about how the experience made him realize how much families of cancer patients suffer, too. The main piece of advice he had for caregivers or friends of patients is to not talk too much. Being a good listener is the best gift you can give.We are heading to Yellowstone tomorrow! There is a very good chance that we will not have service tomorrow, so it is likely that you may not hear from your rider and/or that there may be no blogpost. We will update the website as soon as possible!DR
Day 45: Dayton to Greybull
We dedicated our ride to day to Catherine Kemp's best friend's mom, Jeni Lehnert, who is currently going through treatment for lung cancer.Today is the day we all agreed on liking Wyoming. It had been a rough previous 3 days, but today was beautiful. We left for the Big Horn Mountains at 6 a.m. Our cues said to get on US 14 West and we didn't turn off until 71.8 miles later. We climbed up through the Big Horn National Forest for about 17 miles, enjoyed a downhill, and then climbed about 15 more miles to complete our 6,207 feet of climbing to the highest point. We reached our maximum elevation of 9,038 before enjoying 6,309 feet of downhill. There was a sign that signaled an 18 mile downhill coming out of the mountains. It was glorious.The morning was very cold, and the afternoon warmed up quite a bit as we descended. Many of us had numerous layers and winter gloves on, then peeled them off as it got warmer. To give you an idea of how drastically different climbing is from descending, it took us 6.5 hours to climb 35 miles, and under an hour to descend them. The view was also unbelievable. Winding down the mountain provided great views of the valleys and we exited through a red rock canyon. The mountains were so green and forested and the rocks so vibrantly red, it is impossible not to like Wyoming after the experience.We are staying at Greybull Alliance Church. We did a portrait with two members of the church, Kathy and her daughter, Amy. Kathy survived inflammatory breast cancer. She talked a lot about how cancer has changed her perspective. She has become a more thankful person and tries not to worry about things that don't matter. She also talked about how she believes love should be at the center of everything, and desires to share her experience with others. She is in the process of releasing an album of songs she wrote during her cancer experience titled, "Hope is Alive."The portrait was a great end to a beautiful day. We are looking forward to what else Wyoming has to offer.DR
Day 44: Buffalo to Dayton
The good news is that Wyoming is getting prettier. The bad news is that we had 35+ mph winds today. Today was a shorter 58 mile day, but we were prepared to do quite a bit of climbing in the foothills of the Big Horns. Compared to the wind, the hills were the easy part. We battled crosswinds and headwinds all day, but we all kept a positive attitude. There was really no time during the ride that we could relax, but I am proud of us all for persevering and making the best of it. As someone said earlier, “If we can do that, we can do anything.”We are staying at the Dayton Community Center. It is a very nice facility with lots of showers and a kitchen we could use. We made an early dinner and then went to look around the downtown area. It is small but very cute with various art galleries, a popcorn shop, diner, ice cream shop, and other stores.Here’s to hoping for a less windy Wyoming tomorrow!DR
Day 43: Gillette to Buffalo
Day 43: Gillette to BuffaloWhat a day. Last night we made a team decision to ride on the interstate in order to shave 28 miles off of our planned 98 mile day. Wyoming is the least populated state and the interstate has a nice wide shoulder. We left at 6 a.m., and the first 20 miles were cool and easy.Three of the four groups left the first rest stop, and right as the fourth group was about to take off, Sarah discovered that the van wouldn't start. Ashley, Steven, Rachael, Austin, and I stayed with her until we could find a solution. After an hour and a half of troubleshooting the problems with the van and calling towing companies, Steven, Austin, and I rode to the only rest area between Gillette and Buffalo to bring supplies to the other groups that had been waiting. Steven and I had backpacks filled with meal bars and sunscreen, and Austin carried a tire to replace Catherine's because she had gotten a flat right before the rest area. We decided it was unsafe to ride unsupported without easy access to water on such a hot day, so we waited for the van to be repaired.Ashley, Rachael, and Sarah stayed with the van, got it towed, and waited for it to be fixed. It turns out that the transmission fluid was low and there were problems with the alternator. After it was repaired, they picked up 3 of us, unpacked at the stay over, and came back to get the rest of the team. It was a long day of waiting, but we were all very patient and passed the time by discussing various current events, talking with folks at the rest area, and doing push-ups.We are staying at St. Luke's, and they provided a delicious pasta dinner. We all relaxed and unwound after such a long day.We got a glimpse of the Big Horn Mountains today. Getting closer to the big climbs of the west!DR
Day 42: Newcastle to Gillette
Today’s ride was dedicated to Catherine Schmidt’s friend Nora who is a melanoma survivor. We left in warm sunshine and breezes and arrived in scorching sunshine and brutal winds. The first forty miles were super easy and we all flew through them. The remaining 38 were much more challenging. The day heated up to 95 and we experienced very strong crosswinds. Additionally, there was not much to see. We had been spoiled in the Black Hills, and today was much less scenic. It is evident that this area is experiencing a dry summer. As always, though, we made it. We were lamenting about how there are days when we arrive at our stay over and have no idea how we managed to get there. Today was one of those days.We are staying at First United Methodist Church in Gillette. Fun fact: Gillette is the energy capital of the nation. We rode next to many trains carrying coal today. When we arrived at the stay over we got to shower at the town’s Rec Center, a beautiful facility that we all were thankful to take advantage of. The church generously made us an amazing dinner of burgers, hotdogs, mushrooms, fruit, various salads, and ice cream bars and other desserts. The people hosting us joined us for dinner, something I always enjoy. We are still so thankful for such generous people that make us feel so welcome.DR
Day 41: Rapid City, SD to Newcastle, WY
Last night we turned the lights out at 8 pm, but it was still bright as day out. This morning, when our alarms went off at 3:45, it was pitch black. Why so early, you ask? We had an 81 mile day with 6,400 feet of climbing, and we wanted to spend some time at Mount Rushmore. We didn’t want to be rushed or climb the majority of our hills in the hot afternoon.If we’re all honest, I think we were pretty nervous about today. We hyped up the climbing to be pretty brutal in our minds. We all did really well though! The climbs were long, but they were gradual. The toughest was at mile 20 when we rode up a 3 mile hill to get to the viewing point. We got up to Mount Rushmore by 8:30 in the morning, which was perfect because it was not yet crowded. We monopolized a prime photo spot for about a half hour. We also got a glimpse of Crazy Horse, another monument being carved into the Black Hills. It has been in progress for 64 years and is supposed to be enormous compared to Mount Rushmore.The rest of our ride was beautiful. The Black Hills are very forested and the roads wound through and around them. We were surprised, yet again, at the change of terrain in South Dakota. Additionally, for every big hill we climbed, there was an awesome downhill to speed down. We crossed into Wyoming around mile 77, and had fun at the state border taking pictures with the sign. It has become an unofficial rule that you have to take a creative picture with your group. We arrived shortly after at Christ the King Church in Newcastle. We all enjoyed showers, and we ate pasta and lentils for the first time in a while.Tomorrow is only a 72 mile day, and we are rolling at 7. We are looking forward to our upcoming rides in Wyoming!DR 
Day 40: Rest Day in Rapid City
We all enjoyed not waking up to Ana alarm after what ended up being a slightly late night last night. We have been trying to sprinkle in fun, silly events throughout the summer, and last night's event was I4K Prom. What the event basically boiled down to was a dance party. Ashley's mom sent little lights that you can wear like rings, and we all had fun being goofy dancing with them. The funniest part of the night was right when we started. We had just turned out the lights and I noticed a security guard walk in the door. As I was walking towards him, he stopped and observed everyone dancing with these little lights shining everywhere. When I asked how he was he responded, "Shocked." No one had told him we were staying there, so he was concerned when he saw 17 people dancing in the cafeteria. When we explained he just laughed and went on his way.After we were done with dancing we lit the sparklers Lindsey got for the 4th that we never used. We had fun taking pictures spelling out Illini 4000 and I4K.Today we all went on a team date out to lunch in downtown Rapid City. It's a very cute downtown with a lot of restaurants and stores. They also have statues of presidents on every street corner as well as paintings on all of the electrical boxes. It creates a very artsy feel.After lunch most of us went to see Finding Dory. It was the perfect rest day activity. We came out ready for dinner and ready for bed.We are waking up at 3:45 tomorrow morning so that we can roll by 5. We have a long day of climbing and we want to spend a little time at Mount Rushmore, so we all voted to get an early start.We are feeling refreshed and ready for the next stretch of ride days!DR
Day 39: Wall to Rapid City
We began our morning at Wall Drug, the biggest tourist attraction ever. It was fun looking around, and most of us tried their famous 5 cent coffee and homemade donuts.We donated today’s 58.9 mile day to Kenneth, a man that we did a portrait with a little while back when he recently got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He had surgery today, and we were thinking about him and his wife, hoping for a successful surgery and healing.The first 40 miles flew by, and we even had some tailwinds. The last 20 were much harder as we met stronger headwinds and bigger hills. The great thing about shorter rides like today is the more leisurely pace you can afford to take. We stopped, took pictures, took stretch breaks, and felt no pressure to rush.It’s amazing how many different types of scenery we have seen in one state. What began as cornfields turned into rolling hills, then giant rock formations, and now the black hills.We are staying at St. Thomas Moore High School in Rapid City. It is a very nice school and only 2 miles from downtown. We are thankful that Catherine’s parents wanted to provide dinner for us one night, and we got a discount on our dinner from Qdoba. It is always nice to change up our meals.We are very much looking forward to a rest day tomorrow. There is no event, so we will take advantage of the opportunity to rest and explore downtown.I finally got some photos to upload! Here are some from the last few days:
DR
Day 38: Murdo to Wall
We spent our day in the Badlands! Easily one of the best days yet.Our hosts provided a delicious breakfast this morning. Our routine was a little different than usual, though, because we made an adjustment to our ride. Today was supposed to be a 100 mile day, but our wonderful ride leaders realized that if we rode 70 miles to the badlands we would not be able to enjoy them. Additionally, we have had many long days recently, and they wanted our day to be a little easier. We were all so, so grateful, and we really had a fantastic day as a result.We shuttled to mile 43, and rode 20 miles to the entrance of the national park. We gained an hour when we crossed into the mountain time zone, so we really had all day to enjoy the scenery.We got to ride on the 30 mile byway among the rock formations all day, and we stopped frequently to climb and take pictures.We also collected a portrait with Lowell and Kathi, a couple on vacation. Lowell has been battling a rare type of lymphoma, and Kathi has been his support. They talked a lot about how they supported each other and how since they have been through this experience they are quick to lend a helping hand to anyone experiencing cancer. You could tell they were very close and it was great to see them celebrating a long period of treatment with a vacation.We are staying at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Wall. They had a great dinner waiting for us, something we are always thankful for.It seems the entire town of Wall revolves around Wall Drug. We are planning on going on our way out of town tomorrow and are excited to see what it's all about. Rumor has it they have fantastic donuts.DR
Day 37: Onida to Murdo
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise in Onita this morning. The sky was a mix of pinks, purples, and oranges as we began our ride.This morning’s ride was dedicated to Sara’s mom’s friend Wei yee Wong. She is in the middle of her third battle with breast cancer.We rode 85.6 miles to Murdo. The topography began to change a lot, and we rode over many hills with a lot of wind all day. The sun was also extremely strong and hot, and we all really had to work hard to stay hydrated.Despite the challenging day, we appreciated the scenery. We are getting into what we all expected South Dakota to look like, and it’s beautiful. We rode through the grasslands and many fields of amber waves of grain. The distance you can see across the grass is just incredible.We are staying at an auditorium in Murdo, and we were provided with a delicious 4th of July meal of hotdogs, hamburgers, watermelon, and veggies. They even had gluten free and vegetarian options for us! It was an excellent treat after such a challenging day. There is also an ice cream shop, the Murdo Drive In, right across the street, so dessert was a must.We are all very excited to make it to the badlands tomorrow. All of this pedaling has finally gotten us to the West!DR
Day 36: Redfield to Onida
Last night we did a portrait with Jeff, a member of the church that is a prostate cancer survivor. He was kind enough to come share his story with us, and we are thankful he did so.We dedicated today's ride to Maren's grandmother Dorry, who is a breast cancer survivor. After our usual morning routine we rolled out on our 118 mile ride. It was was a long, windy day.It was chilly again this morning, and stayed pretty cool until about 3:00 when the sun decided to come out. I think everyone is starting to feel all of these miles, and it will be nice to have a few shorter rides in the future. The wind was consistent all day, although we did enjoy some tailwinds at the end. The roads are also getting less busy which makes for a more enjoyable ride.We are staying at Onida Presbyterian Church in Onida, SD. We were provided with a delicious dinner and an ice cream social in which we were able to socialize with community members.We are all looking forward to a good night's sleep!DR
Day 35: Watertown to Redfield
Today was a nice change of pace. Literally. We only had 72.3 miles and took the day very leisurely after the two previous long days.We dedicated our ride to Steve, Simon's family friend that has been diagnosed recently.At about 33 miles in we all stopped at Corner Diner for a second breakfast. It was clearly the type of place that had regulars, and they were all very interested in what we were doing. Two nice men paid for all of our meals, another generous gesture we have been the beneficiaries of. We really like telling people about what we are trying to accomplish, and it is so nice when people are enthusiastic to hear.Our groups all stopped for many pictures on hay bails and to admire the scenery. Today is the first day I really noticed just how far you could see; green grass and corn for miles.We are staying at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Redfield. They left a delicious dinner for us.So far we are enjoying our time in South Dakota!DR
Day 34: Olivia, MN to Watertown, SD
Another state line!This morning we rode for Liz Loosli, the cousin of one of Rachael’s close friends from school. She had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, TCell Lymphoma, and Angiplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. Liz ended up beating the cancer twice and was in good health for a couple of years. Unfortunately Liz passed away yesterday and her family found out the cancer had come back into her heart despite her healthy scans recently. We are thinking about her husband, daughter, and the rest of her family.We had a long 117 mile day, but it was perfect conditions. Sunny but not too hot, not too windy, and downright enjoyable. We all rolled in before 7, which felt early compared to last night. We did rest stops at mile 28, 55, 80, and 100 and enforced a pretty strict time limit in order to prevent finishing too late.We are staying at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, a beautiful and large church that we are very comfortable in. We enjoyed our normal dinner of pasta, and are heading to bed early again to prepare for our 4:45 wake ups this week.We are feeling strong and prepared to just keep pedaling!(Sidenote: I apologize for not having pictures in the last few posts. The wifi has not been strong enough to upload pictures. Hopefully soon!)DR
Day 33: Minneapolis to Olivia, MN
Today we rode for Dan Haskins. He is a family friend of Sara’s and is a U of I alum. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer and squamous cell cancer and beat them both.Our ride was delayed a bit this morning because of thunderstorms. Once we got on the road we only met rain once, and it didn’t last too long. The wind picked up as the day went on, but it was a great temperature and partly sunny all day. We also had 10 miles of tailwinds for the first time, and it was glorious. There’s nothing like barely pedaling and going 20 miles per hour!We all rolled in to St. Aloysius Church around 7:45. A few people sat in on a portrait with Joan and her daughter Ellie. Joan had breast cancer and Ellie was her caregiver. They talked about the importance of family support, and fortunately Joan got her last chemo treatment in May. Portraits are always a good reminder of why we do what we do, even after 101 mile days.DR
Wisconsin
I cannot believe how fast time is going, it is already day 32 and we have passed through Wisconsin into Minnesota! I'm not sure which is better: the scenic views, fun bike trails, homemade ice cream, or cheese curds. Here are some Wisconsin pixs from Lake Geneva, Marshall, Wisconsin Dells, and La Crosse. Stay tuned for Minnesota pixs...there should be many since we will be riding over 100 miles 5 of the 7 days this week. :)
Day 32: Rest day in Minneapolis
This morning we had a team meeting to gear up for the week ahead. We have many long days ahead of us, so we are preparing our positive attitudes.At 10:00 Mike at the University of Minnesota gave us a tour of his lab. He receives funding from Damon Runyon, one of the foundations we donate to. He told us about the research being done in the lab and provided lunch for us. Mike was patient in explaining his research, as well as entertaining, and we enjoyed our morning.We split into groups in the afternoon and all did different things. Some of us went to a coffee/bike shop, some went to the Minneapolis Zoo, and others just hung out and relaxed. Minneapolis s a very cool city with a lot going on. It’s a manageable city to get around due to the metra system and buses. There was also an extensive array of food trucks near the stay over, so lunch was more exciting than the usual peanut butter and jelly.While the upcoming days are going to be tough we are looking forward to the challenge.DR
32 Day Update
We've come a long way from training rides back in March. Distance wise and physically. Everyone on the team will always remember day 3 as an awful day. There was no way to be prepared for the climbs considering we train in central Illinois. We had a similar day last week, headwinds and hills, yet we conquered that day so much better than day 3.We left New York City 32 days ago. It doesn't feel like we have crossed 7 state lines and have covered over 1700 miles. The first week or so I felt like I was still doing training rides and now everything is becoming routine and feeling like the real deal. Some days are better than others and we all have days that we question why we are out here. It's not hard to remember why we are here once we talk to people and realize how widespread cancer is.We meet so many amazing people every day. One reason why we take 72 days to cross the country is so that we are able to interact with the communities. Hearing people's stories about their experiences really puts life into perspective. Everyone has a story, everyone's story is different in it's own way but there is common ground among each story. Today Sara and I went to a bakery and we sparked a conversation with the cashier. Her dad had cancer and she generously gave us 5 free donuts. The amount of generosity we receive is amazing. The other day Dunkin Donuts donated 15 dozen donuts!! We have had people stop us at gas stations and give us donations. Crossing into Wisconsin, my group stopped at a bike shop for fun and the owner gave all 5 of us free socks. This trip has reassured me that there are good people in this world.It may only be day 32 and we may not even be half way done but I have already learned so much and have grown as a person. I’m learning about myself, life skills, and things you may not expect to learn while biking (like how intense a game of my cow can get). Also I will never take ice water for granted again. Can’t wait to see what the next 5 weeks have in store.I blog daily on my Tumblr blog if you would like to follow along:http://marenwiltshire10.tumblr.com
Day 31: Rochester to Minneapolis
For those of you that know the location of those two cities in the state of Minnesota thinking, “That’s a long distance…” you are correct. It was a 105 mile day into Minneapolis.We rode for Chau Lam, the father of Shubham’s friend David Lam. He passed away from cancer a year ago and tomorrow is David’s birthday.It was undoubtedly long, but it was a picture perfect riding day. It was sunny, downright cool at times, and wasn’t too windy. Much of our ride was on trails, and it was a great feeling to approach the Minneapolis/St. Paul skyline.When we rolled into St. Olaf Catholic Church Steven’s aunt, uncle, and cousin’s were cheering for us with signs. Inside, Sara’s extended family had dinner ready for us. They had orange and blue plates, napkins, and table cloths as well as an amazing meal of salad, fruit, pasta, garlic bread, and sausage. The desserts were wonderful, too. There were even cookies with the Illini 4000 logo on them!After dinner we all headed to the YMCA for showers. I think we are all looking forward to being clean and getting a good night’s sleep.DR
Day 30: Rest Day in Rochester
This morning was a lazy one. Everyone got to sleep until they naturally woke up, and we took advantage. Around 11:00 we headed to Hope Lodge, where we served lunch to the patients and caregivers staying there. We grilled hotdogs and set up a buffet. We ate lunch with the people that attended and had some very good conversations with people that are in the middle of some of their toughest days. In order to stay at Hope Lodge you must be undergoing treatment or caring for someone who is. Everyone was very kind and more than happy to let us sit and eat with them.We had the afternoon to ourselves. People went their own direction, either to Mayo Clinic, the bike shop, or to wander the city. Mayo Clinic is beautiful. It doesn’t feel like a hospital at all, but instead a hotel or community center. There is a big Chihuly installation in the lobby and everyone is so friendly.Those that didn’t do any of the above spent their afternoon in the kitchen. Alison is quite the cook and especially baker, and she has been planning an I4K Thanksgiving. We all pitched in some money and Alison’s Aunt Nancy generously covered the rest of the cost. Alison has been promising an amazing meal, and she outdid herself. We dined on rotisserie chicken, homemade gravy, cornbread muffins, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn, fresh green beans, brussel sprouts, stuffing, pumpkin pie, apple crisp, and ice cream. It was absolutely amazing.This was the first Thanksgiving experience for some of our international students. Therefore, we also went around and said what we’re thankful for. A few things that were named include our new friends, the opportunity to be doing I4K, Alison for cooking, and chamois butter.All in all, a successful rest day.DR
Day 29: La Crosse to Rochester
Today was an 83.6 mile day into Minnesota. We rode for, Wendy, the sister of one of Sarah’s friends. She passed away from lymphoma this week. She passed very quickly, and we are all thinking about her family.The first forty miles were a breeze today. Literally and figuratively. The second forty, however, were very difficult. The wind really picked up. It can feel demoralizing when you feel like you have to put effort into pedaling downhill. Nonetheless, we finished and rolled into Zumbro Lutheran Church a little later than normal and with a sense of relief.There was a competition today to see what group could take the best picture with the “Welcome to Minnesota” sign. It had great potential, but only 2 groups actually saw the sign. The rest (mine included) blew right past it as they were crossing the bridge. Minnesota needs to up their sign game if you ask me.We succeeded greatly in calling for food donations today. Alison is a great encourager of everyone calling at least one place at every rest stop, and as a result we acquired some Indian food, 5 Pizza Hut pizzas, and 5 dozen donuts from Dunkin Donuts. You read that right, 5 dozen. That’s a lot of donuts to get for free!If our legs don’t need a break tomorrow our stomachs will. Looking forward to our rest day!DR
