The penultimate day of the ride and I4K Prom are here! :) Let’s get it!

Ride Overview

Mileage: 59.9

Elevation: +1593’/-1734’

General Direction: Proceed through the town of Healdsburg and onto the Old Redwood Highway, take this south toward Windsor, pass through it and turn right onto Fulton Road at mile 10.1, turn left on W College Ave at mile 15.0 then right on Stony Point Road a mile later, stay on for 14.2 miles to bypass Santa Rosa, turn right onto Petaluma Blvd. to roll through downtown Petaluma, at mile 38.1 cross under the highway via the bike route and turn left onto San Antonio Road, rejoin the bike path at mile 40.7 and Redwood Blvd. within the town of Novato, jump to Novato Blvd. and Alameda del Prado continuing to follow the U.S. 101, at mile 57.1 turn right onto 4th Street to pass through downtown San Anselmo, turn left onto Greenfield Ave. and left onto Lincoln Park a mile later, turn left onto Francis Drake Blvd. then right onto Ross Ave. to reach the stayover.

Points of Interest: Downtown Windsor, downtown Petaluma, downtown San Anselmo, San Pablo Bay

Tales of the Trail

A route on highways, down country roads, past towns, on bike paths, through neighborhoods, and complete with some stray swaying palm trees awaited us as we rolled down the hill out of the church parking lot. Anxious to be so near the end of such a broad, intense, and joyful summer and yet having sixty miles separating us from being within arm’s reach of the bridge was a very mixed set of feelings for all of us. Last night’s conversation was on everyone’s mind, and excitement, sadness, and anticipation of the end being so near are running high. However, it was also Backwards Jersey Day which was fun! :)

An overcast sky dwelled over the morning air as we made our way alongside the 101 once again, just missing the city of Santa Rosa within the first third of the miles. Hills of golden, dry grasses passed us by as we made our way into the charming town of Petaluma. A rather interesting detour followed, and took us through the last open and rural area of the entire ride, the golden hills at this western point acting as their own sort of sunset on our experience. As we entered the town of Novato, we had our last ever rest stop at an In-N-Out, a first experience for many riders and filling for all. The final twenty miles were hilly with tight residential and main roads swaying us through the Californian suburbs. Occasional bike paths jammed us against or underneath the 101 and took us on some precarious downhills until our signature right turn through lively downtown San Anselmo (Fun Fact: The birthplace of the first script of Star Wars). The stayover was easy to reach from here, and the sun was fully shining down on us by the time we arrived.

Tonight, we are staying at the beautiful First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo. We completed our routines for the afternoon; laundry, showers, cleaning bikes, and generally organizing ourselves for the day to come. We were served an absolutely lovely dinner, as well as desserts and snacks, by members of the church congregation and then readied ourselves for I4K Prom. Truly unique and cool prom fits were worn by all and we danced the night away, save for our superlative awards and traditional signing of the jerseys. It was a wonderful and memorable night to serve as our last one on the entire cross-country ride. Tomorrow needs no briefing, we know where we’re going.

And now, the official Illini 4000 2023 Prom Runway and Superlative Awards!

Cyclist’s Corner: Team Edition

From now until the end of the ride, this segment will be a single open answer or poll-style question that most or all of the team will answer. :)

Today’s Question: In short, what have you gained and what have you lost from this ride?

Jonathan B.: Gained: So much. Lost: Self-doubt.

Paul: Gained: 15 lifelong friends. Lost: A few pounds.

Jaylen: Gained: Confidence as a cyclist and learning to adapt to any challenge. Lost: Bad habits that prevented me from pursuing my dreams.

Olivia: Gained: Becoming more of a team player and being better about putting others first. Lost: My charger :(

Sam R.: Gained: Saw a huge cross-section of the country. Lost: The ability to sleep in on weekends.

Jonathan Y.: Gained: Tan lines, amazing friends, the opportunity to see the generosity of strangers. Lost: Four sunglasses, three pies, a pair of socks, twelve pounds, almost my phone too many times.

Nina: Gained: An introspective analysis on myself and my place. Lost: A hat within 48 hours after buying it.

Sam M.: Gained: A more complete understanding of what a small group of people can achieve as a team. Lost: Any doubts about what I am capable of.

Edward: Gained: A greater understanding of my limits. Lost: Good spending and eating habits.

Kathryn: Gained: A better sense of self. Lost: The ability to sleep past 4:40 AM *smiling with single tear emoji*

~Dictionary of I4K~

I4K Prom: Also known as “prom”. An I4K holiday traditionally celebrated close to the end of the ride. Involves typical prom traditions including proposals and pictures with an I4K twist. Thematic or ridiculous attire is encouraged. Rider superlative awards are also given at this event.