The team got to spend the last two days in our organization's hometown - Champaign, IL. Surrounded by corn, buildings where we had our weekly meetings, and Allen Hall, where all our team ride training began, the team was cheerful to be back at home. It has been a little over two weeks into the ride, a little over 1,000 miles, and this rest day in our hometown was much needed.
Ride overview
Mileage: 76.8 Miles
Elevation: 1,334 ft
Points of Interest: Sidell Grocery, Homer Lake, Meadowbrook Park, Beckman Institute, Murphy’s Pub, UIUC
Ride Dedication: Mark Austin
Tales of the Trail
Day 15
After our stay at Randy’s, we started off the morning with a quick picture at a Rockville mural nearby to remember our visit. We said goodbye to Indiana and rolled out toward Illinois. Being in the midwest and near our campus of UIUC, we expected there to be flatness and wind. Fortunately enough, it wasn’t super windy. It was nice to be on familiar roads once again, as some team members earlier this year took a similar route by participating in the annual “Ride to Randy’s” in the spring. Instead of going from west to east though, this time we were going east to west! The team’s encountered some trouble in the morning as we encountered a collapsed bridge across Leatherwood Creek that we were not able to cross, making the teams backtrack a couple of miles to reroute. Despite this interruption in the day, the team continued with eagerness as we all wanted to be back home in Champaign.
One of our rest stops during the day was at Sidell Grocery, where an employee remembered us from 2022, back when our team stopped there for shelter during a storm. It was great to be back and visit a familiar place! Our team had lunch there and continued onwards to Homer Lake, where we met with some I4K alumni to finish the day with! Afterwards, we approached our final rest stop of the day at Meadowbrook Park. (Un)fortunately for us, Illinois weather hit us again and it started to rain! It was a throwback to our training rides in the spring. Regardless of the rain, the team met with friends and family who wanted to ride the final 3 miles with the team back to Champaign from Meadowbrook Park! The ride-along was a blast and we got to share with others how our team works during the ride with callouts and formations.
We all ended the day at Beckman Institute, where the Cancer Center at Illinois arranged a welcome event for us. We were met with applause and support unlike anything we have experienced before. We all rushed to celebrate, talked about our mission with representatives from local media, got cool swag from the Cancer Center (along with some delicious Jimmy John sandwiches), and then headed to the Alma Mater statue to take a few photos with the team. A huge thank you to Fred, a photographer from the University, who documented the final miles of the ride, as well as CCIL for organizing such a rewarding end to our day. From there, the team decided to head their separate ways to rest, with some going to Murphy's Pub for the night to get half-priced burgers (Murphy’s Monday - perfect timing!)
Day 16
Our second rest day started out great, with everyone dispersed throughout the Champaign-Urbana area. My group (Dev, Andres, William, and Micah) stayed at Maaike’s house in Champaign, and we all got to sleep in — hooray! Personally, it felt amazing to rest and recover after a long stretch of biking, and I think everyone would agree. Some of us went to pick up new gear and bike parts, while others got food and coffee. Later in the afternoon, some of us went to the Illini Union basement to bowl and get ice cream. Many of us got some stellar strikes and enjoyed a couple of laid-back games. Afterwards, we went to a new ice cream shop in the Union basement - Moo of I. We picked out some flavors and extracts, and enjoyed our ice cream before heading back out in the Champaign heat.
After being dispersed, we all met up at Jason’s house to get some well-needed bike and van cleaning done. We used his handy power washer to give our bikes a deep clean — shoutout to Jason for having great cleaning supplies! We also completely cleaned and reorganized the van, which was very needed after how dirty it got. We got to practice setting up tents and folding them down to prepare for our camping days, and we made some additions to van decor! After van cleaning, everyone dispersed to get some rest before our ride to Kankakee.
Thanks to Maaike for giving some of us a house to sleep in — your basement was great and allowed us to get some deep rest!
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider (day 15): Dev Dassani
How are you feeling today?
For the most part, I'm feeling pretty good. It was a really flat day rolling into Champaign, and the rain didn't really hit us until the end, and we still missed it for the most part, which was good, and it was just great to be back in Champaign.
What was your favorite part of today’s ride?
I really enjoyed how flat it was. It was a well-needed break from the hills we had on the east coast. It's just really nice to be back in Champaign.
What motivated you to join Illini 4000?
There are a lot of reasons. I really liked the idea of biking across the country, and it seemed like an awesome opportunity. It's great that Illini 4000 is also an organization grounded in its goal to raise money for cancer research, spread cancer awareness, and also document the cancer experience. This organization really makes an impact on the lives of many, and it’s great to be a part of that impact while partaking on this annual ride across the country.
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 a little bike training. I would go on bike rides every now and then, and I did a lot of indoor biking when I was injured from running. But for the most part, throughout all of high school, I was a big runner, so that was a big part of my athletic background that I feel really built my endurance.
What is your bike's name? Model?
My bike's name right now is Jeremy, after Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy from Phineas and Ferb. I don't know why I named it that, but that's the name that I decided on for some reason, and the model is a Cannondale Synapse 3.
What are you most nervous/excited about?
I'm nervous about biking on busy roads because it can be a little scary sometimes, but we're still super safe, and as long as everyone's making the right callouts and everyone's doing what they need to do, safety-wise, it's still super safe. I'm excited to bike in the West Coast. It's gonna be really beautiful out there, and I haven't seen a lot of it. I'm really excited to see the Tetons and Yellowstone, and just all the places that are out there.