Today we had a somewhat quick ride, which gave us more time to enjoy the sights of Lincoln. We dealt with some difficult hills in the beginning of the ride, but the roads soon flattened out, making the day much easier. The team got to Lincoln after dealing with two flat tires and had time to relax before getting dinner. We hit the town in the evening for some food, and enjoyed the night without worries of waking up early the next morning, excited for one of our first I4K holiday’s, Valentines Day!
quote of the day
“Dev was giving flat tire vibes today”
ride overview
Mileage: 57.9 Miles
Elevation: 2,031 ft
Points of Interest: The Beanery, Tipsy Tinas Taco Cantina, The Waffle Cone Haymarket Ice Cream, Historic Haymarket, The Hub Cafe, Lincoln’s Children Zoo, Nebraska State Capitol Building, Sunken Gardens, Holmes Lake Park
Ride Dedication: Aruna Shah
tales of the trail
Day 27
We woke up at our usual time, and had a quicker than usual morning – we’re getting better at rolling our early! This morning, we challenged ourselves to come up with fun callouts during our ride, which made the day a little brighter. The ride started out with some rolling hills as we rolled out of Omaha, which made for a somewhat difficult start, but we soon came up on our first rest stop of the day - The Beanery Coffee Drive Thru! We all took a quick coffee break and got back on the road to finish out the day fast. Luckily, the roads flattened out, making the ride much easier. On our way, we passed by a cool lighthouse near the side of a river, which made for some fun pictures! Soon, we got to our second rest stop of the day, which was outside of a Mexican restaurant and coffee shop. Some of us got $1 ice cream, bought patches, and got some food before heading back on the road. It was a quicker day, as we only had 12 miles to go, but we ran into some misfortune on the last stretch. In the span of a couple of miles, the team got 2 flat tires, making the day a bit longer, but we were able to fix them up and get back on the road. With only a couple miles to go, we came up on a very windy path going into Lincoln, and we soon found ourselves riding through the University of Nebraska campus. We soon made it to our stayover for the night, and everyone got to unpacking and showering, while another group drove over to a bike shop in town to get some bike parts.
Since we had the evening to relax and not worry about riding the next day, the team decided to go out for dinner in the Historic Haymarket District. The whole team went to Tipsy Tina’s Taco Cantina, and we enjoyed each other’s company in a fun atmosphere! After dinner, we went to get ice cream to finish out the night, and a group of us went back to the stayover while others stayed out for a bit. It was great to have a good night’s sleep without the worries of being woken up at 5:45 am, and the upcoming rest day would be well-needed after a long stretch!
Day 28
The team was greeted with coffee and donuts this morning at their stayover in St Paul Methodist Church. While the team was eating breakfast, we got to chat with some local community members and met Robert and Ann! Both of them have survived cancer, and we had the opportunity to talk to them about their experience and what we, as riders, have also learned along the ride. Afterwards, Robert so kindly gave the team a tour of the sanctuary and up to the church bells (McKinley Memorial Chime), where the team was able to read sheet music and play the bells! The experience was amazing, and it was so kind of Robert and Ann to show us around. Thank you!
Once we said goodbye to Robert and Ann, the team got ready to head out for the day to explore Lincoln with their “dates”. I4K Valentine’s Day is Valentine’s Day, just not on February 14th. It’s one of the many holidays that I4K celebrates while riding on the trip. The “dates” were chosen randomly, and gave people on the team the opportunity to know one another better. The team set off for the day to do a multitude of things. Some went to The Hub Cafe to grab lunch, while others went to neighboring cafes to get to know one another better. Here is what our “dates” were up to: Nicole and Andres went to the Lincoln’s Children Zoo to feed some giraffes, goats, and gaze at the animals. Sofia and Micah went kayaking! Alex and Stephanie went to throw some Axes! Jessica, Yuncong, and Jason explored Lincoln and the Nebraska State Capitol. Harbin and Katie went to the Sunken Gardens, where they surprisingly encountered a wedding in progress! So they stayed to watch and support the newlyweds of some strangers. Eli and Dev went to shoot some targets, and Veronica and Matt baked an apple pie that the team later ate that night (which was scrumptious)! After the team spent time with their “dates”, we got dinner from a pizza restaurant called Yia Yia’s, which gave us 50% off our order. Thank you for giving us a discount — the pizzas were amazing and fed the whole team! Once the team was fed, everyone went on with the night, doing whatever they needed to do to prepare for the next day. It was a day of adventure for everyone, and we’re ready to explore more of Nebraska!
Thank you to the St Paul Methodist Church for hosting us for two days in a row, and for giving us recommendations on what to do in Lincoln, NE!
Cyclist’s Corner
Today’s Rider: Katie Kobel
How are you feeling today?
Today, I’m feeling pretty good. I had a lot of fun with the ride in my group. At the beginning, my legs felt like they weren't waking up, even though it was a pretty easy day. So after the first rest stop, it got better, and then it was pretty good day.
Do you have any go-to gas station/rest stop snacks?
Okay, so my favorite gas station is the Wawa, which was out East, and now it's gone, so that's sad to me. My favorite snack I like is when we go to the coffee shop and I can get my Ice Chai.
What is your rest stop routine?
My routine is, normally, I immediately like to go into wherever we are and cool off. Then, lately, I've been falling asleep at the rest stops, which I don't like because then I'm too tired to go back on my bike, and then I get sunscreen and water.
How do you stay motivated on long/tough days on the bike?
I think lately, I've been telling my life story, because everyone keeps asking me, and it really does make the time go by quicker. So probably talking on the bike and then just thinking again about why I'm riding, that helps a lot.
For the remaining portion of the ride, where are you looking forward to visiting the most?
I think, really, I'm looking forward to the entire rest of the ride, but specifically California. I've never been there, and I've always wanted to go. It looks cool! I went to Colorado a few summers ago, and I had a lot of fun, so I'm excited to go back there again.
Anything else you want to talk about?
I think I'll just give a shout out to myself, because I think at the beginning it was hard to get used to the ride, but I think within the past week, probably, it's been getting much better, and I'm enjoying it a lot more rather than having a hard time with biking. I think I'm getting stronger and it's easier so I'm able to enjoy it more!