1) The New York City subway system is not designed to accommodate 27 people and their bikes. But it can be done.2) Bear Mountain is a real place, not just from a Bob Dylan song! It's also very beautiful and tough to climb.3) An ice skating rink is a pretty okay place to sleep.4) Flat tires will come to us all, but not everyone will be as lucky as to encounter a support van for a different cross country cycling trip to give you a nice pump to change it quickly (this did happen to me).5) Everyone on I4K Ride America 2017 has at least one odd sleeping habit. Everyone.6) Rain sucks.7) May 26th is Illini 4000 Day in Rochester, New York!8) Being a (relatively) recent vegetarian and visiting the birthplace of your favorite meat based food (Buffalo wings) is more challenging than any hill or headwind.9) Lake Erie is a top tier great lake.10) Sometimes you lose your wallet, and that's bad. Sometimes you find it on the side of the road, and that's good!11) East Cleveland has some of the worst roads in the U.S.12) No for real, they are no fun at all to ride on.13) The Towpath trail west of Cleveland is lovely and lots of fun to ride on. 15% grade hills, not so much.14) Rule #1 of I4K: The stayover is always at the top of a hill.15) Snowcones are good.16) Riding 100+ miles will make you do some strange things, like willingly eat Domino's pizza.17) Being 92 years old doesn't inhibit dancing ability.18) Riding into Champaign-Urbana from New York after riding in from a training ride a dozen times is a very surreal experience.19) Route 45 is different than Old Route 45.20) No matter how you set it up, your own bed will always be more comfortable than a sleeping bag.21) New York is pretty cool. Chicago is still better.
Day 19: Zach in the Spotlight
Zach had the ride dedication today.
A sunny, breezy 77 miles from Champaign to Kankakee. We were joined by some I4k alumni and one brave mom (you go Mrs. Behyl) on today's ride. Looking around at the network of previous riders was really cool and gives me hope that we will stay connected as a team even after this summer ends. Although the sun was very hot beating down on us, Dylan’s parents were generous to ride along the whole way with us and provided the team with snacks during rest stops.
In the third edition of team member Tuesday Thursday, ride leader Zach is in the spotlight. This is his second year completing the ride. He responds to “Zach” “Dad” or “Mom”, take your pick.
Why did you first join I4K? I first joined my sophomore year (2015) because many people in my life had been affected by cancer. I also wanted to be a part of an organization that seemed meaningful, and I liked how I4k involved traveling for a cause.
How long have you been a board member? This last year I was director of the Portraits Project. I was also on the Portraits board the year before.
Has being involved with I4K shaped you in any way? Definitely. Being in I4k has made me more patient and I have developed a respect for the generosity of random people. My faith in humanity has been restored (laughs). It made me grow up a little bit. It has forced me to get things done on a deadline.
Do you see yourself cycling after this summer? Yeah I’ve always wanted to do bike racing. Or a criterium (race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 500 m to 1000 (thanks Wikipedia)). I want to push myself to do shorter races that involves more speed.
How does this ride compare to your last? This one has give me more appreciation for I4k and more appreciation for the ride leaders. Right now I am always “on”. It is kind of difficult sometimes but also nice. When the team works together it all comes full circle and gives Tyler and I more satisfaction.
How has this organization evolved since you first joined? Every year everything gets smoothlined. The training gets harder, but that way we know what we can expect from people during the ride. Team meetings are planned to a T. As an organization we are becoming more serious- social media and they way we present ourselves has come a long way. I am still impressed that we are run by students without outside help.
How do you like being a ride leader so far? I really like it. It makes me happier because I’m able to help people when they need it. There are a lot of situations where people don’t know what to do and I can be there for them. I am given opportunities to make real decisions that have real outcomes, in a lot of ways being a ride leader is like a real job.
What is the hardest part about it (being a ride leader)? I really want the team to be happy all the time. If it’s a hard day I don’t want to inflict people with more stress even if it needs to get done like packing the van, etc. I care about each team member’s well being and I want make sure they’re having a good experience.
What is the next big thing you see yourself doing after this? SLEEPING (just a joke). I would like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail one day.
Describe i4k in one word: Bliss
Tomorrow’s forecast: corn sightings on the way to Frankfurt.
Chicago countdown: 1 day!
MB
Day 18: Back in the 'Paign
Crazy day today crossing the border from Indiana back into sweet home Champaign-Urbana. Near perfect conditions for the first 20 miles of the ride were followed by some strong headwinds for the middle and end of the 77 miler. We all celebrated when we saw the Illinois state border sign, and were able to capture some pictures of us scaling the top of it.When we arrived we were greeted by a crowd of family and friends as we rolled up to Alma Mater to take pictures and then headed to Illini Grove for a potluck picnic complete with more Chipotle, pulled pork and even homemade ice cream (thank you Jeff).Being back to our familiar campus surroundings felt nice but surreal. Coming back to Champaign, it almost felt as though all the miles we have covered leading up to this point had not actually happened, or that all of our journey leading up to Illinois was only an extended practice route. Which, according to veteran members of the team “the ride doesn’t even start until after Chicago” so perhaps from New York up to now actually was an extended practice ride after all.Countdown until Chicago count: 2 daysILL...MB
Day 17: Bless Up Rockville
Alia’s grandfather Fadhil took the ride dedication today. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2015 and is still battling today. He originally moved to a town near our stayover tonight in Rockville Indiana which made the ride today extra special.Upon hearing tales of the food, pool, and showers at the famed Rockville stayover during the morning meeting we were extra motivated to finish today’s ride as soon as we could. Compared to the rough patch of the past two days, riding today felt like a pleasant stroll (minus the less than ideal state of Indiana’s roads). We could not have asked for better conditions with a breezy high 70’s climate and plenty of opportunity to call dibs on the cows* that we saw on the mostly empty county roads.We encountered even more incredibly generous people today when a Dollar General manager donated cases of water and PBJ supplies, who then inspired a kind delivery truck driver to give us lunchmeat. Any substitute to the daily lunch PBJ can mean the difference between a memorable lunch or just another forgotten meal due to the routine-ness of I4k life.It seems that these stayovers are in competition to one up each other on offering us the most over-the-top amenities. This team of 18-23 year olds turned into a bunch of middle schoolers today when we were provided with the opportunity to spend a few hours in a church community member’s backyard pool (chicken fights and all). Our hosts continued to spoil us with a filling three course meal complete with salad, pulled pork sandwiches, and the most incredible angel food cake I have ever tasted. Who said we would be roughing it on this trip?What I realized about todays near perfect day, was that it felt so good because we had the past two days to compare it to. It is almost guaranteed that this experience will offer each person a spectrum of emotions and hardships. Today’s experience would not have been as fulfilling if every day was pools and angel food cake. The joy of being able to ride to a new place every day and being able to be a part of I4k is very closely tied to the adversity of the experience. And because of this I will now be more inclined to welcome the everyday challenges. Bring it on, Western United States.*My Cow™ is a classic I4k game in which riders call dibs on cows. You may double your amount of cows if you see a church. You can kill the cows of other players if you see a cemetery. You can save your cows from a cemetery if you say “save cows” before other players. Enjoy.*See ya tomorrow Alma MaterMB
Day 16: I Blame Indiana
A friend of Dan’s, Krystal, who was diagnosed with breast cancer during her sophomore year of college took the ride dedication today. She was a studying elementary education at Illinois State University when she eventually lost her battle.With humid and hot weather and legs and bottoms still sore from yesterday’s century, today’s 71-mile ride was another hard one. Although there were only slight headwinds, it still made riding that much more difficult. The difficult day was made better with a rest stop at DQ. Most of the team treated themselves to blizzards to cool down during this time.As the team continues to become more comfortable with each other and riding our bikes, our ride leaders remind us that “real I4k doesn’t start until after Chicago”. Meaning that the most difficult part of our long journey is yet to come, once we hit the West. With tales of driverless roads in Idaho, and stretches where even gas stations are not to be found in South Dakota, we have been informed that most riders will find a day where they hit their own personal wall. Us new riders are reminding ourselves not to become complacent. Participating in this ride continues to prove itself to be multi faceted: fighting cancer, cycling, experiencing the country, and personal growth. Hopefully the peaceful dynamic that we have established amongst ourselves can continue all the way to San Francisco. I am staying hopeful.When’s the next rest day?MB
Day 15: A Century a Day...
The dedication today was in honor of Logan’s grandparents. Both of them battled different forms of cancer and eventually passed some time ago.Shameless plug alert: birthday shoutout to myself to Tyler.First century today! In order to conquer the 100 mile stretch between Columbus and Richmond Indiana many groups today spent the 20 mile intervals between rest stops chatting or listening to music. We were lucky today that we had minimal turns, spending most of the day on route 40. My group today was introduced to “the hot seat” by veteran rider Tyler. This game consists of singling out one person in the group and having the other people ask as many personal questions which can be as intimate or silly as they please. This game was able to entertain our group for over 80 miles and we barely minded the distance we had covered.Leaving from Ohio at around 7:30 we arrived in Indiana at around 8:00. By the time the team regrouped at the stayover together, all of us looked pretty defeated. From sore bottoms to extreme hunger and tiredness, everyone seemed ready for a 10:00 bed time.Feeling accomplished that we did our first century but hoping that we don’t have another one for a while.Currently accepting chamois butter donations.MB
Day 14: Groundhog Days
We rode for Johnny today. Mackenzie stepped up to dedicate the ride to his uncle that is currently battling skin cancer.Today’s 60 miler seemed like child’s play compared to yesterday’s doozy of a ride. Tomorrow will be another hard day for the team as we will complete our first century (100 mile ride) to Richmond Indiana. Now that we have exited New York, crossing state lines seems to come as frequently as the passing of each week. During the first 40 miles of today’s ride we were able to coast. We even got to bear witness to the largest strip of yard sales in the United States. Every year Route 40, which runs from Ohio all the way to St. Louis, hosts an annual yard sale along the side of the road. With instruction from ride leaders that we had to carry whatever we bought, our group decided against treating ourselves the wares, which mostly consisted of baby goods and old furniture.With the passing of each day time seems to move in the strangest way. Although every day seems long and hard, the routine of it, when looking back, makes it all seem to be passing by so quickly. Whenever we notice what day of the week it is we feel confused, because when riding, “every day feels like a Tuesday.” Keeping up with the news is a luxury and most of us could not tell you what is currently happening in the world outside of what we see on the side of the road after riding for 8 hours every day. Things are stating to blur together due to our extremely routine schedule, and we are only able to recall memorable things from each day. "Where were we when we happened" "Oh yeah, the place with (that thing), now I remember" is a daily conversation at this point.Although we are only two weeks into our eleven-week journey, I am already starting to get the feeling of wanted to freeze time. Picturing riding into Golden Gate Park is one of my motivators when riding, but in a way I am dreading that day. I think I speak for everyone on the team when I say being a part of this groups is one of the most rewarding things you can force yourself to do, and I don’t want it to end. I know I will miss the ride once it has ended.Pray for our legs tomorrowMB
Day 13: Did Someone Say Chipotle?
Julissa had the honor of dedicating the ride today. She shared with us that her best friend’s mom was diagnosed with cancer and had beat it after two years of battling. Unfortunately, earlier this year she passed away once a tumor presented itself on her spine. Her passing occurred the day before the application for the team was due and this is what inspired Julissa to apply for I4K.Many records were made today. The most amount of uphill climbing in one day, hottest day, most amount of roadkill seen, and arguably best stayover. Our ride from Wooster to Zanesville consisted of 86 miles in 80-degree weather. Although we usually only make two rest stops today we added an extra because of the longer route. Even though it seems that rides are starting to get longer and harder, these past two days have been made easier by being given the ‘OK’ by ride leaders to have music playing while we are riding. Most of the ride today was spent on the shoulder of a road with many trucks and cars zooming past us, and plenty of dead animals spotting the sides of the road. So many, that my bike actually ran over a ‘fresh’ one and I experienced a split second of being airborne.Today we were reminded that we had exited the East and entered good ol’ Middle America as we passed by an Amish village. We watched as farmers plowed their lawn with horse drawn carts and parked their horses and buggies outside of a local restaurant.Everyone was motivated during today’s ride by the promise of catered Chipotle waiting for us at our Zanesville stayover. This Church was actually a stop on the original rider’s route 11 years ago, and they have stayed here ever since. Besides the awesome and plentiful food, we also got BEDS. Well, not exactly beds but cots, and if you’re an I4k-er it definitely counts.Tomorrow’s 60-mile ride seems like an easy day and the team is looking forward to our second stayover next week in Chicago.Excuse me if I smell like a dead animal.MB
Day 12: People
Christina dedicated to ride today to make her birthday extra special. She was initially inspired to join Illini 4000 for her aunt and her two cousins after her uncle, Ji Ding, passed away from liver cancer. Ji was actually one of the only survivors of a clinical trial several years ago, and then unfortunately the cancer came back her senior year of high school in 2015 and he passed away.It is obvious that the team is improving their strength because the rolling hills today from Cleveland to Wooster barely fazed anyone. We were lucky today with the sunny skies and pretty scenery of a national park (no offense Ohio but your national parks could be another state’s forest preserve). Nonetheless the 76-mile day was made much easier with our gracious rest stop host.Last year, the team happened to pass through a road side convenience store on the same route and encountered Troy, the wonderful store owner. He was so impressed with the team last year that he offered them complimentary ice cream and took a picture with them that ended up in the local paper and was displayed near the entrance of the store. This year Troy organized a rest stop at the store. When we arrived we were offered a satisfying selection of sandwiches (anything besides PBJ is considered gourmet at this point) fruit and veggies, and milkshakes all around. Some local reporters even interviewed Tyler and Zach and took pictures of the entire team.Something that I have begun to take notice of recently is people’s reactions when we explain that we are riding across the country. So far I have pretty much been faced with the spectrum of people like Troy and our other stayover hosts who have gone above and beyond and whereas other people in stores and others places have expressionless faces while talking in passing waiting in line at a store. Today was my first extremely unpleasant with a pickup driver who then gave us an obscene gesture as he sped away honking while we were simply sharing the road with him. These various reactions bring to light the spectrum of people that we share this Earth with. Overall the positive reactions have brought more joy into my life than darkness from the negative ones, and I hope this positivity means something for the rest of the world on a larger scale.Since I accidentally brushed over Tuesday’s post (sorry followers) I made some adjustments to Team Member Tuesday and have now declared Thursday to also be fair game for our weekly interview. This week meet Maddie:How is the ride going so far? (deep sigh) It’s not as hard as I expected but I think that’s because I had a lot of adrenaline during the first few days. Then my body started getting used to it so I think I was able to adjust that way. What were people’s reactions when you told them you were doing this? Most people thought I was crazy but also after explaining the cause and the purpose of the organization they were more understanding of why I wanted to do it. Biking across the country not something that anyone can or would want to do, but everyone can agree that cancer research and patient support services are extremely important causes to support. What has been the hardest part for you so far? The hardest part was having my body adjust to the sleeping and eating schedule. I was used to staying up late and then I was forced to wake up 5:45. It was also hard to eat in the morning at first. What do you have to do for your position? I’m the co-social media chair with Christina. We post and comment on our Facebook and Instagram mainly. It is really important for our donors and the parents of the riders to see what we’re doing every day. I’m happy that this is a shared position because we get two different perspectives of the I4k experience. How do you think participating in I4k will affect you after the ride? I think that it has already made me understand myself a lot better. We’re with the same people 24/7 for 77 days straight so you have to learn how to constantly adjust and be with people. There is no time for ‘alone time’ really. It’s also made me into a more social person. I didn’t know anyone going into this, but now I can say I have 26 new friends. What is your favorite thing to do or think about during the ride? I like singing to myself or talking with other riders if it’s a straight shot and easy terrain. But then if there is a really hard hill I always count backwards from 10 until I’m at the top. What would you say to people who are considering applying for the team? Do it! I was nervous to apply at first. I had wanted to do it my freshman year but then I chickened out. I’m so glad I finally found the courage to do this because it has been an awesome experience so far. Describe I4k in one word: family.Hopefully you have read this far since this post was so long.MB
Day 11: First Rest Day
First rest day! This morning Arturo was able to arrange a visit with Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Cleveland due to their oncology specialty. We met with a woman whose family donated the funds for a special terrace rooftop area where children could spend time outdoors with their families and a horticulture therapy room where horticulture specialists ran special programming for the child patients.Rainbow Hospital was such a special place because of the specially designed architecture that was geared towards the children that would inhabit it, complete with animal statues and colorful building design. An oncology doctor gave us a brief presentation and I was surprised to learn that there were cases of older patients being diagnosed with cancers that were more common in children, and because of this they would be placed in children’s hospitals based on their cancers rather than their age.After the hospital visit the team broke up into different groups to explore the city. My group was able to briefly visit the free Art Museum and take a look at the exhibits there. I enjoyed looking at American pastoral room and seeing the 18th and 19th century artists’ rendition of the scenery that we ourselves would see on the ride. After this, a couple teammates and I took a satisfying nap on the museum lawn and then explored the little Italy section of town. We chatted over gelato and coffee and appreciated the down time that we had.In the evening some of the team members took advantage of being in Cleveland and went to an Indians game while others chilled out in the church we are staying at. We have been on a lucky streak recently and have been provided with food by the kind people of the church community at many of the stayovers. Hopefully we can beat the previous team’s record of only eating pasta and lentils for 8 days during the entire trip! So far we have only eaten it once.Although I thought I would be more than happy to have the day off, today I have actually been missing the feeling of being on the bike and being able to enjoy the scenery. I am excited to continue our journey tomorrow.Sunny days and sleepy ways.MB
New York Was Pretty Cool
We finally made it out of New York. It is incredible how different riding in Illinois is compared to everything east of Cleveland. Essentially it comes down the distinct lack of corn and land that isn't flat. The first few days of riding on hills were interesting. No one on the team, except for previous riders, really knew what to expect in terms of hills. But on those first few days, I know everytime I saw a big hill I would just think: "I can't f@!#ing climb this thing". But you do. We all do. You just keep pedaling, and it might suck, but you make it to the top. And it is incredible how rewarding it feels. Then in the distance you can see another hill and a different thought crosses your mind: "S#!t". But you climb that one too, and the 10 other hills for that day. It honestly feels great and it's a ton of fun. Exhausting for sure, but well worth it. It teaches you a lot about your own mental strength. I'm looking forward to the hills in Zanesville, OH.Phil "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first" Kagebein
Day 9: Finally Outta New York
The dedication today was for a friend of Michaeline’s friend’s cousin. Ashley Gustafik was born with a brain tumor which eventually led to childhood leukemia. She passed away shortly after her 16th birthday.A bit of a tough ride today. Luckily, what started as light drizzle eventually turned into a sunshiney day. However, today was our first day of riding with headwind and the team’s usual pace got slowed down significantly.We finally made it out of New York! Although the state has many beautiful views to offer, some of us were starting to get sick of being in the same state for so long. Two state lines were crossed today as we rode along Lake Eerie. Per I4k tradition, we took pictures at the Pennsylvania and Ohio state welcome signs. We were surprised by an Illini 4000 sticker on the ‘Welcome to Ohio’ sign from a previous year’s team leaving their mark. Pretty cool that it was able to stay intact after so long.Although the wind made biking difficult, the team was able to look forward to our first Sheetz experience, one of the most underrated gems in this great nation of ours. Sheetz is a gas station chain in eastern states that features food orderable from a computer screen, exotic coffee like twinky flavored espresso, and some of the cleanest gas station bathrooms you have ever seen. Many riders took advantage of the two for $1 hot dog special as a treat and binged during a rest stop.Another I4k tradition was begun today: the Mosher. In a previous year a rider found a ski pass id on the side of the road and picked it up. Erik Mosher was the name on the id. From there, a game of trying to slyly give the id away to someone else throughout the day was started, and whoever ended up with the id by dinner time had to make the team do whatever they chose the next morning. This morning the task happened to be a full team human pyramid in the middle of the Westfield Methodist Church. By the fourth row the entire pyramid collapsed (my bad guys).Tomorrow we will arrive in Cleveland and get to experience our first rest day. I am very much looking forward to having the extra time to explore the city and walk around without bike shorts on.Coming for ya ClevelandMB
Day 8: Rub Some Dirt in It
The ride dedication today for in honor of a close friend of mine’s mother. Annie’s mom, Sheila, was diagnosed with cancer while she was pregnant. Due to her pregnancy she was not able to undergo treatment until after she gave birth. Unfortunately, treatment was started too late and Sheila died shortly after. One of the qualities I admire most in Annie is her strength and it was an honor to ride for her mom today.The ride conditions today could not have been better: 70-degree weather, slight breeze, views of Lake Eerie, and a short ride day of only 59 miles. The team took the time to enjoy the lake views today at a rest stop and took pictures on the beach.We arrived earlier than usual at our stayover and about half to team took the opportunity to walk 2 miles to the beach and relax. Westfield is a small town in the middle of grape country, and during the ride today we noticed a vineyard with a Welch’s sign.We have not had to make our own dinner for five nights now, due to the dedication of Julissa, who is tasked with the position of calling restaurants and asking for food donations for the team. Tonight’s successful calls resulted in a carb lover’s dream of pizza, grilled cheese, and potato chips. No one was complaining.Day three without a shower, but it seems the team hardly notices. The team has adopted the mindset that “if all of us smell, none of us smell”, which has helped a lot.Before actually being on the ride, I was worried that the living conditions would make life difficult. However, the minimalist lifestyle has been eye-opening for me. And I actually have gotten rid of a few things I deemed to be excessive in the past few days such an extra towel, and an old t shirt. I think that living in this way for 11 weeks will really lower my living standards (in a good way) and make me more inclined to live a more minimalist lifestyle that I have adopted on this trip once I return to my normal life.Staying clean by any means necessary (baby wipes)MB
Day 7: Inspiration Via Windows
70 miles, overcast, smaller shorter hills. The ride today was unanimously considered an easy ride from the team and most of us are starting to become more comfortable on our bikes. We have even been more inclined to think of stimulating conversation topics while riding rather than panting and thinking about how many miles until we finish.The team has begun to notice how close were to the border of Canada by the increasing presence of Tim Horton’s, noticing Canadian brand beer at convenience stores, and even a Canadian flag sighting as the van passed a street close to the border. Because we are still in the state of New York, at times it feels like we are making no progress and the thought of reaching California seems far away, but things like this remind of us of the distance we are making.One of the things I will remember most from today was the unexpected stained glass tutorial we received from a congregation member of the church we are staying in Blasdell, a town just outside of Buffalo (fun fact: Buffalo sauce was invented here). The man demonstrating for us, Ron, showed us the method of creating stained glass windows, and the precision and attention to detail that goes into completing this task. I had never really considered this process before and I was surprised by how time consuming and expensive this could be.Ron explained to us that many churches are undergoing financial strain in these times and in order for the church to save money, himself and a few other members volunteered, none of whom were experienced in this type of work, dedicated weekly meetings to complete the task. Spending three hours a week on the windows he predicted that the entire process of 9 sets of two windows would take 10 years in total, and since all the labor was volunteer, the church would only spend a fraction on it had specialists done it instead.After his demonstration Ron began to talk to us about the effect that our cause had on the people we would meet and thanked us. He said to us “What we are doing with the windows is a small thing, but what your group is doing is a big thing. What you are doing is inspiring others” Another point Ron stressed was the importance of meeting and talking with people along the way. He even described his experience talking with a waitress the first time that he ventured west, was what he remembered most about his trip. Finally, my favorite Ron quote from this short meeting was “if you learn to like each other you can get a lot done.”One more day in New York.Excelsior,MB
Day 6: The Heart And Soul Of This Trip
The ride dedication today was for a friend of Phil, who passed away before his time. Sergio was diagnosed with leukemia while in middle school and passed away shortly after.Before today, for myself at least, this group and this trip felt like a bike group with a cancer focus. However today I realized that we are truly a cancer group with a bike focus. After our quick ride of only 23 miles with slight rain into Rochester NY about half of our group had the opportunity to visit a Hope Lodge. These special places are a sector of the American Cancer Society’s outreach to allow those with financial need to have a place to stay during their cancer treatment for free.One of the harsh realities of living with cancer, besides the obvious physical and mental strain, is the financial burden it places on its victims. The Hope Lodge today allowed the group to better understand why there is a need for these types of locations, and we learned that without them, many of these patients would otherwise sleep in their cars in hospital parking lots. While other organizations like Ronald McDonald House focus on the parents of children affected by cancer, Hope Lodges are geared toward adult patients and even allow them to have a caretaker with them during their stay. I was impressed with the nice amenities that the Lodge offered to its guests. The rooms looked similar to hotels and there were common areas with books and games.After the tour the team was “surprised” (the surprised was accidentally spoiled for us by some well meaning hosts) with a police escort to meet the mayor of Rochester, Lovely Warren. Due to our other recent brush with fame meeting mayor De Blasio, at this point I was starting to feel famous myself. With five squad cars to block traffic for us we biked as a team to town hall. When we arrived, journalists and security guards led us to a private press conference where the mayor herself presented us with a proclamation slip, naming May 26, 2017 Illini 4000 day!Although this one day proclamation will only be valid for this day on this year, it was still amazing to me that the team was able to get this type of press and access to officials. I4k continues to surprise me.With two different city mayors, a day named after us, a police escort, and overwhelming community support from the towns we have visited in only the first week, the team agreed that no other summer in our lives will be able to top this one.Only thing missing now is a red carpet.MB
Day 5: Behind the Scenes with I4k
The ride dedication today was for Lou, the father of a medical school colleague of Zach’s dad, whom Zach knew personally. Lou had a rare cancer, merkel cell, and after he was in remission for two years, his son noticed a node on his neck. The Dr. said that once the node reached one inch in diameter that he should have it checked out, and once it reached this size, he was informed that he would have to undergo cancer surgery, radiation therapy, and dialysis. As a self proclaimed “numbers guy” Lou figured that he would beat cancer in his own way by declining these harsh treatments. Within two weeks of this decision Lou passed away.Today consisted of our first time riding through rain (for the entire 67 miles). While this made the ride very unpleasant it was not enough to bring the girl gang riders down (myself, Julissa, Neeca, Christina, and Stefany) as we sung in chorus throughout the entirety of the trip.Tonight the team happens to be staying in one of the “four corners” churches that make up the only spot in the US that four churches from different dominations reside on different street corners. This town had a very warm, small town feel to it, and we were greeted by our hosts with Illini themed decorations, a delicious homemade meal, and friendly members of the community to chat with. We even had an enthusiastic museum tour guide give us a history of Palmyra, and how it came to be named that. The team is very much looking forward to a semi-rest day tomorrow with a 23-mile ride to Rochester.On another note:Once people hear that we are doing this journey they usually have many questions (if they have any questions at all). Many are surprised that we are a completely student run group. To undertake a mission this grand in scale, it involves a lot of logistical planning that takes place behind the scenes on the day to day. Today I will introduce some of what goes on.Logistics: (2 person job) Colin “route master” McKeoughThis task involves checking the routes the day before to make sure there is no construction or potential hazards, making sure they do not have to plan re- routes, giving the team an overview in the morning, and explaining tricky cues.To complete this job Colin uses Ride with GPS, an essential phone app for all I4kers.Each day his job takes 40 minutes a day (20 at night and 20 in morning).He got involved with this position because he was on the logistics committee leading up to the ride.Portraits: (2 person job) Stefany “portraits gal” Stefany VeldhuizenFor this job, Stefany looks out for future portraits. To do this she asks the stayovers if they have community members interested in giving interviews, and encouraging the team to reach out to community.For example, the other day, the team gathered at an ice cream shop during a rest stop where we met a woman who was a cancer survivor. She then gave us her ‘portrait’. Besides this, Stefany also sets up cameras, keeps track of the mics, and makes sure consent forms are filled out.Overall her job varies in how much time it takes. It depends on if we actually gather a portrait that day or not. However, in the end, she and the other portraits partner Dylan, transcribe and edit the videos, which she assumes will take a long time after the ride.For Stefany, being able to hear people’s stories is really moving. She enjoys hearing the different perspectives, and helping them to inspire others. What she refers to as “the soul of why we ride”. Readers, feel free to give feedback on the blog in the comments section and any suggestions for things you would be interested in reading about.C'Est la VieMB
Riding Six Miles Off Route Isn't Pretty Cool
What was supposed to be a 66 mile day of minimal climbing, turned into a leisurely 78 mile ride when my group turned the wrong direction early in the morning. Thankfully the road hit a dead end and we noticed our mistake before we got too far away. At least we had the cold and rain all day to keep our spirits up.Phil "Sheen" Kagebein
Day 4: I4k Magic
Today’s ride was dedicated to the family that we collected a portrait from earlier this week in Albany. Charlotte, the mother, and Raymond her son sat down and spoke with us at the YMCA. Only last month their father, Roland, who had two children, died from colon cancer suddenly. He unknowingly had stage four cancer and within days of finding out, he passed away. Somehow this family gathered extraordinary strength to discuss their experience with us for our project.In our training and meetings leading up to this trip during the school year many riders who had participated in this trip in previous years talked about the “magic” of I4K. I was initially skeptical of how great this experience would be because when breaking it down: it involves many hours of arduous physical activity, infrequent opportunities for showering, laundry, and wifi, early mornings, sharing small spaces (and sometimes one bathroom) with a large group of people, having near constant hunger, and learning to get along with 27 unique people. Sizing up this experience in this way might make it seem like some sort of military training. However, I have already began to fall in love with spending the summer in this way and I am so grateful that I decided to participate in this organization.When I look at my team members I am so proud of the progress that they have made. At the beginning of the year we all started out with varying base levels of fitness. Each day I am amazed at how my teammates push themselves and each other to achieve impressive physical feats (so far, an average of 70 miles a day with lots of uphill climbing). And while one may think that this type of challenge each day would bring out the nasty competitive side of each person, thus far I have only witnessed collaboration and encouragement. It makes me so happy to see how well these people have been able to create a warm and open group dynamic in such a short amount of time.Thanks you for being such a great squad 2017 team. I can’t wait to reach San Francisco with you all.XOXOMB
5/24 - Getting Into a Rhythm
As the days go by, I'm starting to find a rhythm in the morning and during the days that works for me. My riding has improved and I'm smoothing out my pace on the bike. I'm starting to get used to getting up at 5:45 instead of 8 and going to sleep at 10pm instead of 1 or 2am. If I'm being honest, this ride will be good for me if all it does is change my habits. I'm exercising more than I ever have before and my body is finally getting used to the strain. I'm getting up earlier and going to sleep earlier. I'm sleeping longer than I ever did in college or high school(with weekends as an exception).But with the rhythm that I'm in comes some confusion. I still don't quite feel like this is real yet. It hasn't hit me like it may have hit other riders. I know that I'm doing this crazy trip and I most definitely feel the physical work I'm doing...but everything just seems to whir by. I feel like it's all happening around me, not that I'm actually doing it. Four ride days are already behind me and it feels like just yesterday I was on my couch watching the NHL playoffs(which I am for some reason not missing as much as I thought I would). It's coming close to lights off for us, so I'm headed to bed. Will be blogging again soon. Goodnight y'all.
Day 3: Team Member Tuesday
Quick notes about the ride today: although there was a lot of uphill climbing, being able to speed down a hill at 30mph +, along with the gorgeous rural hilly scenery and rolling through cute towns made it all worth it. Upstate New York does not get enough credit. Little Falls, NY, where we are spending the night tonight, is a quaint town with wooden olden style large houses surrounded by hills.This morning we dedicated the ride to a teacher at Neeca’s high school.“Alexa was a beautiful English teacher and water polo coach at Elk Grove High School. She was very much a hippie. Even though I didn’t have her as a teacher she was always smiling. Although I knew that she had beat cancer previously I thought that she was done. She was so tough. In April of last year she passed away. During the memorial service at the school I started crying when I heard her husband speak, and I’m not a crier.”Today is the first segment of Team member Tuesday. Each week a rider will be interviewed in this feature series.Rider: NeecaYear in school: Rising sophomoreFavorite things about Illini 4000 thus far: Bonding with the team and all the inside jokesLeast favorite thing about Illini 4000 thus far: HILLSOne thing that surprised you about this trip: All this year leading up to the trip we heard about how we could only bring a small backpack and that we wouldn’t shower everyday, but I thought they were exaggerating. They weren’t. Lights out at 10 and having only a short time to get ready in the morning these past days have shown me how slow I move in everyday life.Do you think after this trip you will love or hate biking? Probably love it…in IllinoisAfter this summer you will have biked across the continental US, what is another thing you hope to accomplish? I want to run a half marathon in the spring of 2018What are you looking forward to the most? Going to everyone’s weddings on the team.Favorite CLIF flavor? Blueberry crispPBJ or spaghetti with lentils? PBJSink laundry or all natural? Sink laundry for sureSlow and steady or FAUC (fast as you can)? Slow and steadySummarize I4k in one word: dirtyDon't forget! You can still donate to our cause! Our goal is $150,000!Don't forget to stretch,MB