I apologize for not posting a blog since Pittsburg. Much has happened since then. Many cities have been visited. Enthusiastic friends and family, as well as the Daily Illini and other news sources met our homecoming ride to Champaign-Urbana. I got somewhat emotional as I just completed four years of school and graduated in May. I got to walk around through campus and take in the college life for what seemed the last time.Our arrival to Millennium Park in Chicago was met by an even larger more enthusiastic group of friends and family. It was only two and a half weeks but it seemed like it was half way through the ride. I got to spend great time with my friends and family, and I also got to spend time with my nephew, Benjamin, for his first birthday. The best part of the ride was bringing my family and friends for the Ride Along. They got a 16-mile taste of what we do day in and day out. It felt like a warm up for me and my guest thought it was great and a lot lighter than they expected. Leaving Chicago was a bit tough, but very exciting knowing that 2/3s of the ride was still ahead of us.We departed Chicago for Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and the beginning of the rest of our ride. We got to stay with the Topols and were accompanied by former ride leaders for the day. The following days were all met by beautiful scenery in Wisconsin and interacting with amazing people. We entered Minnesota and rode toward Rochester for an event day and a time to meet people battling with cancer at the Hope Lodge. I got to meet a wonderful woman who was battling a cancer tumor that was found in her midsection that was removed but has since affected her again. She is forced to spend Monday through Friday in the Hope Lodge hundreds of miles from her family in North Dakota. She spoke about her experience with a group of us and it really touched me. She explained that she is a nurse practitioner and how her experience has really affected her in that she is for a change the person that is receiving the care and help from others which is hard for her. I asked her, thus far what has been the most difficult part of her battle with cancer and she said that it was telling her family, especially her children. This really hit me hard as she in many ways she reminded me of my mother who is also a nurse and a mother. I gave her a hug and wished her luck in her battle, and she wished us luck on our journey.The following day we got to tour the Mayo Clinic. This was amazing, we got to see and experience one of the most technologically, innovative, and compassionate facilities in the world. We were also interviewed for the local news that aired the same night. Our experience in Rochester and our ride was deeply dampened as two of our riders were sent home due to extreme circumstances. This really affected others and myself negatively.Today was a day of healing from our loss. The ride was an easy one, with perfect weather to Albert Lea, MN. During the ride and as we arrived I began to feel a bit better. We got to our stayover and decided to explore he town as we arrived before the team van and the pastor as well. We went in search for food donations. We entered The Taco King and I approached the owner, Raul Campos, the Taco King, and I explained that we were in search of food donations for the team. He responded with out hesitation and was more than happy to feed 26 cyclists. He invited us to his home where they were having a graduation party for his son, Jose. We all got to eat and enjoy a great time with the Campos family and friends. Aside from food donations, the party also donated $200 in cash to our cause. This was truly an amazing experience and I feel that I have made great friends.After our awesome dinner, we returned to our stayover. We decided to jump in the lake, and after Josh, Taylor, and myself played frisbee in a park and were joined by three young boys. We taught them how to play for over an hour and a half. It was great time and truly made me happy interacting with them and making an impact in their lives.I'm still recovering from our team loss but I'm excited to finish the rest of the ride. Today has been a great day that gives me motivation to continue riding and fighting the battle against cancer.
Week #1
This first week has been an incredible experience. I almost can't believe that we’re actually doing this. As we prepared Sunday May 22nd for our first ride I began to feel butterflies. I felt a bit nervous for what was to come the following day. I got to spend that day and night with my brother and sister-in-law, Orlando and Mariel, which sort of settled my emotions. We woke up for our ride Monday morning and everybody was very excited. We prepared everything we needed and got on our bikes and took off. We passed through Newark, NJ to arrive at the Thakkar home in Hillsborough, NJ. There we had an amazing dinner and shared our stories with Mr. and Mrs. Thakkar, who are the parents of co-founder Anish Thakkar. They graciously opened there home to 28 dirty and smelly cyclists and were extremely proud to do so for the Illini 4000.The following morning we departed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We started the day with a tough accident but everybody was ok. We continued with out one rider due to damage to his bike, and continued on. Entering Pennsylvania was amazing. The state is so beautiful with amazing scenes and people. The ride into the city of Philadelphia was along the Schuylkill River and provided one of the best views of the city. We got to take a picture with the statue of Rocky! We arrived to our stayover in the west side of Philly and we all agreed we needed to get Philly Cheese stakes.Leaving Philadelphia we encountered a few rolling hills and beautiful scenery of Amish country as we headed for Lancaster, PA. The highlight of the day was when we stopped to eat strawberries on the side of the road that we bought from two little girls that were selling them in the heat of the day. Our stayover in Lancaster was nice. We got to shower and wash our clothes down the street after going a few days without.The next few days going through Chambersburg, Everett, and Mt. Pleasant (the climb wasn’t so pleasant) is where we encountered the Appalachian Mountains. Each day was tougher than the last, but all the more rewarding. We climbed and climbed up the mountains and were rewarded with awesome downhill rides. I reached over 45 mph!! It was a little bit scary at first but an amazing feeling. On our way to Chambersburg we encountered a tornado warning that forced us to take shelter for a few hours. During that time Anthony, Josh, Cristian and myself got to share family stories and experiences and came closer together. The following day to Everett we also encountered a tornado warning that again forced us off the road. I got to witness the most intense hailstorm I’ve ever seen. All of us were sort of scared but excited to see the storm. As a result of the storm we were not able to ride our bikes into Everett, but we were extremely lucky to find two amazing people that gave 9 of us a ride into town. By far the toughest day was our ride to Mt. Pleasant; an 80+ mile day through a few mountains in the hot sun. At every stayover we arrived to we were greeted with open arms by wonderful people. I cannot thank them enough for their generosity and selflessness in supporting a whole team of bikers. We have had nothing but great feelings and encounters thus far.We arrived in Pittsburg, after climbing a few more hills, and we had a rest day! Our rest day today on Memorial Day consisted of an awesome picnic in the park. We got to relax and eat amazing food. I also got to walk around the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburg and saw Pitt campus as well as CMU. I like this part of Pittsburg, and wish I could have seen more, but I keep asking myself, how is it that people want to live among huge mountains, where every turn is hill lol.We rode 493.9 miles in our first 7 days and will be in Ohio tomorrow night.! We will be arriving in Chicago in 10 days!!! I really can’t believe it. I am really proud of our team and feel that if we can make it through the Appalachian Mountains we can make it through anything.Wish us luck as we continue on our way to conquer the US!!
Last days before the ride!!
With only 3 days before the ride is set to start, it finally sinks in. Im am starting to feel butterflies about this trip. There is rush of mixed emotions that I have when I think of what is to come. Only a few days ago I was feeling similar emotions about graduating, this feels just as good! I am very excited for I4K 2011 Team, and I cant wait to depart from NYC!I want to thank the I4K Board Members for all their work in preparing us for the 2011 Summer Ride. You guys did a great job! Thank you for you leadership, experience, dedication, and enthusiasm throughout all of our training. We wont let you all down!I wan to thank everyone that has supported the Illini 4000. It is your support and generosity that has made the Illini 4000 a success for 5 years running. With your help we have raised $116,945 for Summer 2011 for the American Cancer Society, and Camp Kesem!
32 Days Left!!
Only 32 days are left before the ride and I am very excited. We have all really stepped it up, biking more and more taking advantage of the beautiful spring days. I am also having mixed feeling about the final weeks of my college career. Im definitely going to miss college. I have really come to learn more about the world and more importantly, myself these last 4 years. But I am very excited for what is to come. Im sure I will never forget this coming summer, as we take on the US on two wheels. I have really come to enjoy our team, a mix bunch of people that love to help people.My goal for the next month is to finish school strong, bike strong, and enjoy my last 30 days as a student at U of I.Team I4K 2011