The last two days were quite a challenge, and yet, the team continues onward to tackle another two long days of riding! The team was eager to ride in the Midwest, avoiding the climbs in the eastern states, but then encountered new challenges like wind. We entered our 6th state of the ride, Indiana, and persevered through the two longer rides. We had many rail trails these two days, which allowed teams to take it easier by not having the stress of traffic, and being able to chat.
Quote(s) of the Day
“Where’s my helmet?” - Micah
“On your head” - Nicole
“Oh, that turn is tight, let me sit up straight and get this right!” - Veronica
Ride overview
Mileage: 89.4 Miles + 114 Miles = 203.4 Miles
Elevation: 3,204 ft + 2,735 ft = 5,939 ft
Points of Interest: Lancaster, Sivilotti Household, Columbus, Ohio to Erie Trail
Ride Dedication: Irina Ziminski, Carol Knowles
Tales of the Trail
Day 11
The team woke up bright and early today, starting with a “Happy Birthday” to one of our riders, Alex!!! (Whoop whoop!) Today we tackled 89.4 miles - just slightly shorter than the previous two days. We started off the day by going on some trails - a luxury to any rider. The trails meant that the riders didn’t have to worry about traffic, enjoyed the scenery, and most importantly, yap. We had one of our first rest stops at a coffee shop in Nelsonville, and the team explored the local area. Later that day, some teams stopped to quench their thirst, run by some kids at a local lemonade stand! As we got further into the Midwest, the flat country roads felt more and more familiar to the riders - finally, a break from the climbs!
The riders looked forward to a very special stayover today - the Sivilotti household! The Sivilotti family generously gave the team air mattresses to sleep on and five-star dining! Everyone knows that the best meals are home-cooked meals; it doesn’t get better than that. Alex’s family also took the trip from Illinois to Ohio to visit for Alex’s birthday! Both families and the team debriefed over chicken, sausage, polenta, cauliflower, and many, many fruits! Shout out to Alex’s sister, Emma, who made bracelets for the entire team! We admire the work it took to make that many bracelets, and we love them! Thank you to Sofia’s family for hosting the team and making it feel like home.
Alex and Emma with the bracelets she made!
Day 12
The team tackled one of our longest rides today - 114 miles! Luckily, the first 69 miles were on rail trails! This gave the team plenty of time to yap, making the day pass by faster. The team encountered lots of wildlife on the trails: bunnies, foxes, cardinals, and more! Our rest stops started becoming more efficient and timely, as we knew we would take the entire day to complete the ride. During lunch, the team explored some local yard sales while munching on some Bruegger’s Bagels - provided by the Sivilotti family.
As we got closer to entering our 6th state of the ride (Indiana), the team faced torrential downpour. Despite these conditions, the teams pulled through, determined to finish what we started. We successfully got into the stayover before 8 p.m. and felt accomplished for completing the challenging day. We stayed at Central United Methodist Church, where we were provided sandwiches for dinner, breakfast, and snacks for the days ahead. Thank you to the Central United Methodist Church for providing us with a place to sleep and food to fuel our hungry riders!
Cyclist’s Corner
Day 11 : Stephanie Yang
How are you feeling today?
I'm feeling really good. I was the van driver today, so I didn't have to cycle at all, and I got a little break.
What was your favorite part of today’s ride?
My favorite part was watching all the groups roll in when I was waiting at the rest stops. It was really fun to see you guys from afar, because that's not really something I get to see on a daily basis.
What motivated you to join Illini 4000?
I really love challenging myself physically and signing up for races or trying new sports, so I thought this would be a fun new thing to try because I hadn't really cycled before. In addition to that, I think that the cause is really great. I know so many people, friends, family, and neighbors who have been affected by cancer, so I think it's just a very meaningful and impactful cause to support.
Before joining Illini 4000, how much bike training had you done, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?
I had never really competitively cycled before. I had completed a triathlon where I used my commuter bike, and I would ride my bike around campus, but never on a road bike before, so it's my first time. Other than that, yeah, I was in a triathlon club and I ran cross country in high school, so I had a lot of cardio background.
What is your bike's name? Model?
My bike's name is Ivy because it's black and white with some ivy leaves on it, and it’s a Trek Lexa.
What are you most nervous/excited about?
I'm probably the most nervous about inclement weather. I think being stuck in like a tornado or severe thunderstorms is pretty scary, especially because we can't shuttle everyone at once. I am usually the most excited about food donations.
Anything else you want to talk about?
I'm gonna give a shout out to everyone who was sagging in the van today because they kept me company, played good music for me, and helped me with directions and finding rest stops. It was nice to have them there.
Day 12: Micah Yoder
How are you feeling today?
I'm feeling pretty good about today. Today was a really long ride, and was definitely tiring because of that, but it was also really nice because we had some really long trails. And it was great having a wonderful breakfast this morning and then also having a dinner donation tonight. We missed the last rest stop, but got back on track, and everything worked out pretty well, and we got in a lot earlier than the other long days.
What was your favorite part of today’s ride?
I'm going to say the trail section in general. It was a very nice path, and there also was a cyclist who joined us for a bit of our ride, falling in for drafting, and then biked up ahead to finish whatever route he was doing, which was nice to see.
What motivated you to join Illini 4000?
I initially joined because I had a lot of friends in inline insomniacs, another club at U of I, who had been a part of Illini 4000 and they encouraged me to do it. And I thought it sounded like a great opportunity to bike across the country. I didn't know about the cancer fundraising aspect then, but that just made me want to do it more, because we're actually working toward a cause which will help other people. And I went to the meetings, and it seemed interesting, so I signed up!
Before joining Illini 4000, how much bike training had you done, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?
Yeah, so I had done a lot of medium bike rides during COVID, because I was bored – mostly around 50 miles. So although that was with a different bike and different equipment, with Illini 4000 it's definitely prepared me for doing longer rides. But for the most part, all of the riding with groups, and even a lot of the endurance was fairly new. I tried to do the marathon at the same time as training for Illini 4000 which also helped.
What is your bike's name? Model?
I do not have a name for my bike yet. I'm borrowing a bike from the gear program. It's a trek domane!
What are you most nervous/excited about?
I'm most excited to get to know the other members of my team and make more memories together through the rides themselves, through games, through things we learn from stay overs. One thing that I'm most nervous about is… Yeah, not a whole ton. Actually, I've been through summer long experience with being a camp counselor before, which I feel has prepared me for this. And I'm excited to keep riding with everyone.