Days 27 and 28 find the Illini 4000 Bike America Team at Iowa’s center: within its capital and crown jewel of Des Moines. Similar to Madison in many ways, Des Moines has proved itself a welcome city for a rest day before our stretch covering western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Plenty of delicious ice cream too. :)
Ride Overview
Mileage: 66.4
Elevation: +2260’/-2297’
General Direction: Ride north then turn left onto U.S. 30 Bus., take the adjacent bike trail and follow this road as well as Route 330, at mile 15.1 turn right onto E63 through Rhoades, turn right at Collins, then right onto 320th Street, turn left at Maxwell onto Route 210, at mile 42.4 turn right onto U.S. 69 to enter Ankeny, take trails and major roads south and west to weave through Johnston, and the neighborhoods of Beaverdale and Drake to reach the stayover.
Points of Interest: Rhoades Post Office Tank, Hendrickson Marsh, Heart of Iowa Nature Trail, Skunk River, crossing with I-35, Des Moines River
Sam M, Paul, Nina, and Edward with a flamingo friend.
Tales of the Trail
This was a strong riding day for our team. At only (only???) 66 miles compared to our recent rides with 15-25 more, it felt very manageable to zip along the trails and road shoulders, and to finish the day in the early afternoon. A very newly paved bike trail flung us through most of the first 15 miles, and the majority of the remainder kept us to our usual highway shoulders or to taking the lane on country roads. While much of the scenery was, well, corn, the valleys and shallow hills made for some splendid views, and there wasn't nearly as much climbing to work with compared with the past three days. All in all a great route.
Jon, Kathryn, Sam R, Jean, and Hanna make their way into the outskirts of Des Moines.
Our hosts at Grace United Methodist Church have made us feel welcome and secure, and the rest of the day was quite enjoyable for the team. First, we drove to Grays Lake, located just southwest of downtown, to jump into it on behalf of our alumni and a fundraising effort organized by our fundraising director Lucas Dion. We had a blast in the lake and secured showers immediately after thanks to Drake University’s Rec Center. From there, we traveled back to the church for some down time and dinner, followed by ice cream at Black Cat, known for its interesting yet tasty original flavors and for ice cream nuggets (complete with sauces)!
Who tank’d it better?
The Rest Day
This rest day was definitely a needed one for the team as we full steam ahead toward the Great Plains, followed by plenty of mountains. We started our day, after a long night of sleep, with cleaning our van and a trip to Friedrich’s Coffee for some breakfast. From there, riders went about their rest days relaxing at the church, exploring downtown which was hosting the Des Moines Arts Festival, seeing a movie at Varsity Cinema, and, after a donated pizza dinner from Felix and Oscar’s, one group made a final stop at Snookies Malt Shop. Tomorrow whisks us into the largest town between Omaha and Des Moines: Atlantic, IA.
Jonathan with a cool sculpture on Drake’s campus.
Jaylen and Jean with Black Cat’s famed ice cream nuggets.
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Sam Michalak
How are you today? Im doing well, today was a good rest day and it was nice to be off the bike for a change.
You’ve fundraised thousands of dollars for our cause. What has been the most impactful fundraising experience you’ve had? Seeing how willing my friends and family were to support something that meant a lot to me and something that means a lot to them, just the overall eagerness to help.
What keeps you going when it gets difficult to put in all of those miles or even to get on the bike? For me, it’s remembering who I am doing this ride for and thinking about what they have gone through, and remembering that the ride is bigger than me.
Do you have a favorite accessory to wear with your ride uniform? I would go with my sunglasses. I know that everyone liked to joke when I bought them but I like them and they bring a good vibe to the group when I throw them on.
What’s your rest stop routine? At rest stops I try to fill my bottles early and put them in a shady spot. I then try to quickly grab a snack and go on my phone just to take my mind off of the road for a little bit.
In the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most? Anything west of Boulder, that will be all new to me. I am really excited for the mountains both in Colorado and California, and am also excited to see what type of challenge it will be for both myself and the team.
Please visit the rider profiles page on the website to learn more about this year’s riders! :)
Quite the license plate find approaching Des Moines.
~Dictionary of I4K~
Take/Taking the Lane: Fully occupying the current lane or moving to a separate lane after doing so (“taking the left lane”). Accomplished by organizing the group from a pace line to a triangle, square, or set of five as appears on a die. Done so on four lane roads, before turns and stops, and as a means to be more visible to drivers in situations where passing is not safe. Call is “take the lane”, response is “taking the lane”.
*slurp*