Claire P. and Kate with their new friends
Congrats to all of the riders who completed their first century today! Also congrats to those who have before and did again :) It was my turn to drive the van (by pure chance and/or luck) so I didn’t ride the 104 miles… not to worry, we have two more!
Maya and Andy
It was a hot one this afternoon, and we finally reached flatter land. To some, it may be a blessing, to others, it’s super boring! But either way, we’re heading into the midwest. Guess who else is coming? The cicadas! Brood X is really making their presence known today, during rides and rest stops. The little creatures are going to be keeping us company for a large portion of the ride, so we’ve got to get used to them.
Willard wearing ice packs in his shirt and having a snack, courtesy of Sofie
Lunch was at a Veterans Memorial/Bike trail/Art museum intersection and we made some PBJ creations (hot Cheetos in the sandwich?) and enjoyed the shade. The rest stop after lunch, we were surprised by Yee with food, popsicles, fans, and ice packs! We couldn’t be luckier. Thank you again, Yee!
Sandwich shenanigans
Since I didn’t ride today, I thought I’d get direct input from the team…
What was the most memorable thing about the ride today?
“Telling Jacob at mile 28 that it was all downhill from there, and then it wasn’t for the next 30 miles“ - Brian
“One. Brian telling me at mile 28 that it was all downhill from there, and then it wasn’t for the next 30 miles. That was fun. Two. Hearing that Aadi thinks the greatest rapper is G. Eazy. Three. The deafening buzz of cicadas who have awoken from their 17 year slumber to usher us through the deciduous wastelands of the U.S.” - Jacob
“Putting the cicadas on my fingers“ - Kate
“How Cam pulled us 104 miles through headwinds the whole time without a break.” - Sofie
“The deafening sound of cicadas” -Ryan
“When Yee pulled up and came out and busted open his trunk and gave us popsicles, watermelon, and asked if we needed anything. We were shocked! It was really really cool. The worst part was the last 10 miles— there were a lot of headwinds and we were all just tired and wanted to eat food." - Bang
“When we pulled over to a parking lot because I thought I had a flat, and then Yee comes out of nowhere!” - Willard
“The moment Yee drove past us, that was my favorite moment of the day. We saw on the back of his car, “Illini 4000, cancer sucks!'“ It was awesome.” -Ellie
“Pulling up to Yee and getting popsicles. And getting carried by queen Maya the whole time!” - Andy
“Yee. It was such a nice break from everything— it was the motivation we needed.” - Claire N.
“Yee surprising us *heart eye emojis* *happy hearts emojis*” - Sour
“We found a way to dance on the bikes, finally. The whole group has to do it at once to the music.” -Claire P.
“Head bopping and confusing passer-bys” - Gibby
“I would honestly say it was when were biking up— the heat, the elevation, made it really intense— and then Yee drove up, he beeped, we naturally looked over, and it was Yee— we pulled over and he greeted us with fresh fruit; I’ve never appreciated an orange that much. I had like six. He really made a significant difference in our ride.“ -Cam
“Sofie saying she was going to vomit at the Indiana state border” - Rahul
“The unbearable carbuncles on my fundament. I will not forget that.” - Aadi
Bang, Gibby, Claire P., Willard, and Claire N. toughing it out in the heat
Everyone was incredibly relieved to have showers and food at the stayover, and we are all exhausted and so ready for bed (even me, haha). It’s just over 70 miles on the road tomorrow, and rain is predicted, so recovery is necessary! I’ll be back on the bike and ready to report the day.
— Marielle
Lunch!
Cam and Yee
Not much to see, not much to do…
Claire P. and Henry
Willard, Bang, and Gibby at the 100.5 mile mark, the Indiana state border!
Sour knows how to relax
Road trip!
Abandoned porta-potty makes for a good rest stop
Bigfoot sighting by Cam
Gibby displaying perfect chamois butter etiquette
Just some dudes biking into Indiana