I4K is now west of the Mississippi. Let’s get it.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 99.7 (+0.3)
Elevation: +4402’/-4695’
General Direction: Turn due south and proceed west on the Military Ridge State Trail until mile 38.2, turn left, then right onto Section Line Road, turn left in Dodgeville at mile 43.5 and use the trails that hug U.S. 151 to reach the town of Mineral Point, use south and west country roads to reach Belmont and continue working in this trend, cross briefly into Illinois on Route 35 at 95.5, descend to bridge level and cross the Mississippi River into Iowa, ride north through downtown Dubuque for almost a mile to reach the stayover.
Points of Interest: Military Ridge State Trail, Sugar River Wetlands State Natural Area, Ridgeway Pine Relict State Natural Area, downtown Mineral Point, Pecatonica River, Mississippi River, downtown Dubuque
Tales of the Trail
A century is no small feat for any cyclist, and our team has a few handful of these or longer during this summer. We essentially crossed Wisconsin’s western half, and after a brief re-entrance into the northwestern point of Illinois (the only time this happens on the ride!), we arrived into the Hawkeye State of Iowa. The eighth state on our journey, we will ride due west across it for nearly a week.
The day began with a very long but scenic, and at points just gorgeous, gravel trail. We had to be careful not to slip on patches of loose gravel, and of course had to be aware of others on the trail, but luckily traffic was pretty light. The highest elevation on this route, the Military Ridge State Trail offered views on both sides of rolling Wisconsin fields and thick forests. It was a bit of a magical experience at points. The rest of the route was mainly on roads, with tons of rolling hills throughout and almost ravine-like dips in the middle of some of them. They were definitely as imposing as those in Pennsylvania, but we powered through them. We stopped for lunch at Café 43 in Mineral Point, and even trucked our PB&J box into the restaurant itself for a nice, air-conditioned rest stop.
The route continued through plenty of rolling farmland, and the views of distant hills were beautiful. Another stop at a farm with some friendly cows gave some time for a quick nap, and by then the mid-80s high had set in. During this sort of heat, we go through our bottles completely before each rest stop, so its important to refill them and stay hydrated at all times. Toward the end of the route, even the tar on the road began bubbling and snapping under our tires as we rode over. The end of this long journey gave us a brief and somewhat surreal stop in Illinois, before our final crossing over the Mississippi to enter Dubuque. It was a heartfelt and hype moment for all, and does well to represent our crossing into the vastness of the American West.
We are staying at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, home of an intimately and naturally lit sanctuary with the fifth largest collection of Tiffany glass windows in the United States. We arrived late in the afternoon due to the great distance, and were met with showers and a wonderful spaghetti and lentil dinner by our own team chef Hanna Fei. Tomorrow is mid-80s for both temperature and mileage, and will take us to one of the largest cities in Iowa: Cedar Rapids.
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Laurel Racette
How are you today? I’m doing pretty swell. I’m happy, I’m excited, I’m in a good mood, I’m living life, I’m in Iowa.
You’ve fundraised thousands of dollars for our cause. What has been the most impactful fundraising experience you’ve had? I talked to an energy bar company, and didn’t end up getting a donation due to logistical reasons, they received my email and asked to have a meeting with me and I was a bit nervous because it was my first time representing Illini 4000 as an organization by myself and I wanted to lead off on a good foot. The people I talked to just wanted to learn as much about I4K as they could and wanted to do everything to support our cause they could. The first thing I heard from a woman on the zoom call was that she was a survivor of childhood cancer and that cancer runs in her family and a man on the call was her cousin and he watched his family suffer with their battles with cancer. As the call progressed he ended up crying at one point while discussing it. That experience changed my perspective on fundraising, at first I was nervous to meet the requirements for the team, but the experience of talking to them showed me the impact of I4K for the first time.
What keeps you going when it gets difficult to put in all of those miles or even to get on the bike? It’s still something that I struggle with. But when I’m having a really hard day, I think about the people I’ve met doing portraits and their experience to juxtapose what I’m doing on the bike with all that they had to go through. It helps remind myself that this ride isn’t just about biking, it’s about helping people who have or have had cancer. I think the biggest things that get me through in the moment are my teammates cheering me on. It is hard to get back on the bike sometimes but all I have to do is keep pedaling until I can’t.
Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform? No.
What’s your rest stop routine? I wish I had one. Most of the time it goes something like bathroom, food, sunscreen, water bottles as my group starts to roll.
In the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most? Idaho, I want to see the mountains so bad.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
~Dictionary of I4K~
PB&J Box: the box that holds our bread, peanut butter, and jelly specifically for PB&Js during our lunch stops. Also holds serving utensils and sometimes other food. Maintained by its own dynamic chore role.
