There is plenty to be cautious and aware of in I4K. Road conditions, climbing, general fatigue and health, nutrition, hydration, weather, and with this, heat can make or break a ride on a whim. Despite all of this, we still continue the push, and have been making individual and team gains in terms of lowering the time that we spend on the bike, and what we do with that time. What feels “fast” on the bike is very limited compared to what one may experience in a car. On a flat surface, 10 mph generally feels somewhat average and can be a good sustained pace to be at, while a 20 mph average in these conditions is pretty fast. There is no agenda of pacing or average quota we must meet, it all depends on each group and each rider’s current health and individual strengths. We have been gradually increasing this average pace as we become more efficient, stronger, and get used to the longevity of the rides themselves.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 81.3

Elevation: +3564’/-3355’

General Direction: Use country roads to ride west from Cedar Rapids, turn south and pass through Toledo and Tama miles 53-56, turn west on E49 and make a square under Marshalltown for the final miles (starting at 67.0) to avoid gravel roads, arrive at the stayover via northbound Route 14.

Points of Interest: Iowa River

Tales of the Trail

The mid-June heat continues to settle on us as we continue our westward push through Iowa. Most of our ride today was due west through plenty of cornfields and passed by rural housing and farms. The next largest town we passed through didn’t house more than a few thousand people, and the vast majority of the route was very remote, a bit of a sample of the remoteness we will experience in rural Wyoming and Idaho. Casey’s continues to be a big, red beacon for a quick PB&J or Taos Bake. A fair amount of climbing populated this route, and it became more concentrated the closer we got to Marshalltown, adding to the difficulty.

We are staying at New Hope Christian Church. We were provided some much-needed showers and a wonderful spaghetti, chicken, and salad dinner just in time to go to the movies. Our host Don organized everything for us here, and his wife owns the local movie theater and allowed us to view a free screening! We watched Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and it was madly incredible! It was a fun and unique way to spend the evening, whether watching the movie or sleeping a bit in the theater.

Cyclist’s Corner

Today’s Rider: Adam Wallach

How are you today? I’m doing well. Today was one of the best days of I4K for me so far. There wasn’t a moment on the bike ride where I wasn’t having a good time. My group was talking and we zoomed down some descents which was fun. Our stayover also provided dinner and we got to see a movie which was really fun. Overall a great day.

You’ve fundraised thousands of dollars for our cause. What has been the most impactful fundraising experience you’ve had? Asking friends and family for donations. I’m very grateful to everyone who donated. Over 50% of the amount came from their generosity, and even neighbors I wouldn’t usually see were happy to help.

What keeps you going when it gets difficult to put in all of those miles or even to get on the bike? What gets me on the bike every day is that I can start the ride and see how I feel, and if I really don’t feel good I can sag. For staying on the bike, I would say recently I’ve been thinking of our cause more, and especially about my uncle who passed from cancer. I just want to see it through and things that bother me in the moment are things I push through.

Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform? I enjoy wearing my calf sleeves for three reasons. One is that I don’t have to apply sunscreen in that region which saves some time at stops, second I think it looks cool, and third it is very slightly more aerodynamic.

What’s your rest stop routine? I use the bathroom, eat a lot of food quickly, then sunscreen, fill bottles, and stuff food in my back pockets. Then, I am ready to roll.

In the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most? Colorado and California. There’s a lot of mountains and climbing and descending. It’ll be cool to experience that and to see how confident I’ll be on those descents. I haven’t been to either state and I’m super excited for the views too.

Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)