Today, the team entered our 9th state of the ride, Nebraska! Iowa continued to leave us biking on rolling hills till we hit Omaha, but it wasn’t anything our team hadn’t seen before! To get through the hot, hot, hot day outside, the team took many fun pictures throughout today’s ride with different objects and statues to fill up our camera rolls with memories.
quote of the day
“I can’t hear clearly with sunglasses” - Yuncong
“The sun be sunning” - Jason
ride overview
Mileage: 65.7 Miles
Elevation: 3,725 ft.
Points of Interest: Rubacks Super Market, Tom Friedman: “Looking Up” Sculpture, River’s Edge Pavilion, Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters
Ride Dedication: Ela Ostrowski Tchorz
tales of the trail
After yesterday’s events in Iowa, the team was ready to get moving into our 9th state of the trip, Nebraska! Home of Kool-Aid, the team made sure to hydrate throughout the day with electrolytes and water to not let the heat get to them. Iowa’s hills kept us on our toes and pedaling until we made it out of the state. Our first rest stop was at Rubacks Super Market, where the employees were super kind and wished us luck on our travels. Despite having oatmeal in the morning, the team was ravenous, and many decided to buy some fried chicken to satisfy their hunger with some protein. At this stop, many groups also chose to take some cool photos for today’s scavenger hunt activity, where we were given a list of objects to take a photo with.
Our second stop of the day was in a shady area underneath some trees. The team silently and unanimously agreed that this would be the perfect spot to nap, so many fell into a slumber until it was time for the next and final stretch of the day, when we would cross into Nebraska. Leading into our 9th state, the team had to stop at Tom Friedman’s “Looking Up” sculpture. The sculpture reminded us all of our beloved tall rider, Matt, and we took some time to rest and refresh as there was a sprayground park nearby.
We took the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge into Nebraska, and it was a well structured bridge. The team stopped to admire the Iowa-Nebraska state line across the ground. Afterwards, some teams went to visit the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters, while others continued onward with the ride. Omaha tested our perseverance for the day with some final steep climbs (but no rolling hills like Iowa) leading up to the stayover. Once everyone got settled in for the night, the team made our classic Spaghetti and Lentils for dinner. Some went for a trip to Walmart to get some necessities, and others got some haircuts by one of our riders, Sofia! We ended the night with some classical music, as our heads hit our pillows to take some much needed rest for the day ahead.
Thank you to the All Saints Episcopal Church for providing us with a place to sleep in the retreat center. It was lovely there and the team was able to get their much-needed rest.
From the Saddle: A Question for You
Introducing a new segment, From the Saddle! We as an organization have reflected upon how much our supporters mean to us and want to get your feedback! For the time being, we will be testing out this segment to see how well it performs and include it in our journals on a weekly basis (may change). The idea is, we will ask YOU, the readers, a question, and it will be your job to respond in the comments. This will be a great way for us to get to know our supporters better and create a community surrounding the cause of fighting cancer!
Today’s Question For You: What snack would you never get tired of on a long trip?
cyclist’s corner
How are you feeling today?
Pretty good, kind of sore, ready for the rest day tomorrow. But this stretch has definitely felt easier than the last one, and I can tell I'm getting stronger. So I'm feeling pretty good today.
Do you have any go-to gas station/rest stop snacks?
I kind of just go for whatever's in the in the van, but if I can go to a gas station and buy either a protein shake or just some milk, that's always a good day.
What is your rest stop routine?
I usually start by trying to get down as many calories as possible, and I also drink as much water as as I can comfortably drink, and then sunscreen, maybe sit down for a bit, and Then get rolling when, when my group is ready.
How do you stay motivated on long/tough days on the bike?
I try to just tell myself, I'm just gonna push through for another mile and see how I feel. And then I kind of just keep doing that until I get there. And then same with rest stops, I'll say I'll just make it to the next rest stop, and then I can sag in the van if I want, and then I try not to let myself actually do that and just push through, kind of just taking things one piece at a time.
For the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most?
I'm really excited about Crater Lake National Park. I think that's going to be really cool. And in general, I think just out west is going to be very beautiful. So I'm excited for that. I'm a little nervous about some of the climbs and descents on the mountains, but I think that the payoff is going to be huge.