Today was a tough one. A few events and harsh temperatures prompted us to shuttle to our stayover early and recuperate. We hope that this is the hardest day in terms of not riding, and the support, clarity, and strength we have shown each other has been nothing short of incredible. We are ready to roll to our next destination as we begin to approach the western border of Pennsylvania. Going to keep this one brief.

Tales of the Trail

We had planned to possibly shuttle in advance of the high in the upper 80s, and our rollouts at 6:00 AM have also helped us greatly in beating the heat. We started by passing south of State College to begin our first climb at mile 13.5, a near two-miler. This was followed by a descent into the small town of Julian. In I4K, safety remains the highest priority. One of our riders had a close call with a driver during a turn on this descent while riding safely, and ended up on the ground with only minor injuries. They were treated and will recover fully, and the help they received from the other riders in their group was absolutely commendable. We then decided to shuttle in groups from our rest stop at mile 18 to the stayover.

Other fun things that happened: due to various factors including improper fastening devices and bumpy road conditions, my bike took a spill off of the back of our van’s bike rack. :.) Luckily, most of the damage was taken by the wheels themselves, but it is currently un-rideable and needs these and a few other parts replaced. Mike, the absolute angel that he is, is lending his bike to me in the meantime while other members of the team including Nina, both Sams, and our Logistics Director Ellie have been super helpful in tracking down shops and parts. It goes to show how fragile these vehicles really are, and how essential the work that goes into maintaining them is to keep our mission going.

We arrived in our shuttle groups to St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Du Bois in the early afternoon where we met the amazing Father Mark. He organized pizza donations from two different restaurants and provided us plenty of extra water. We were also given lunch and donuts from a local shop. An absolutely beautiful and lively small town to be sure. Special shoutout to the YMCA for the showers! That’s all for now, we’ll see you on the road tomorrow!

~Dictionary of I4K~

Shuttle (v.): Transport rider groups to various points on the route including rest stops and stayovers. May be due to a variety of reasons including severe weather and bike problems.