Waking up at the beautiful Sinai Temple this morning was very nice. Despite all the complaints about ending our days at seemingly the highest point in each town, starting at the top of Pittsburgh was a relief because it meant we could avoid at least some of the climbing the city has to offer. Pennsylvania was finished today and despite feeling like a state that takes a month to drive through it only took us 6 days, including rest, to bike through.
Ride Overview
Mileage: 71.3 miles
Elevation: 1,982 ft.
Points of Interest: University of Pittsburgh, Heinz Field (as it should be known), Ohio River, Panhandle Trail, Yankee Trail, Wheeling Nailers Stadium
Tails of the Trail
The morning start was slightly warmer than our last two days, coming in at 50°F as opposed to around 45°F. This meant that many of us were able to roll out in mostly Summer clothing, braving the cold air for just a while before it heated up to where there was no chance we would have wanted the jacket. In our morning circle today, we dedicated this ride to David, Ren’s uncle, who battled and overcame prostate cancer. David was able to call us before the ride and give a reminder of how hard life can be, yet how fruitful overcoming challenges is.
On our first descent, we rolled down into the heart of the university district of Pittsburgh through Schenley Park where we could see the unmistakable sights of the University of Pittsburgh and the Cathedral of Learning. The teams on the road met up with each other much sooner than they had anticipated due to a road closure that forced a change in direction (of course this was coming right after the Day 7 we just had, right?), but Anthony, Maaike, and Nishk, prepared from yesterday, were right on top of where we would all need to go next. Everyone connected back to the original route around mile 2 and from there tried to space out, sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully. We ride in groups of 5 or less to try to make ourselves manageable both from a rider perspective and from a car trying to pass perspective. When slowdowns happen at the beginning of a day, sometimes a “mega group” can form. Although it can be so much fun to ride with everyone, we try to avoid this scenario and split it up when it does occur for our own safety. Spreading out, we rode over and then down the riverside admiring just a few of Pittsburgh’s many bridges.
Pittsburgh still had a couple of wall-like climbs to throw our way as we made it over into the town of Carnegie, but those of us on the road took them in stride, now expecting at any moment the roads could go from flat to what feels like a cliff. Bushwacking through a section of bike path brought us to the top of this one and sooner than we knew it, we were back on a totally isolated bike trail, this time called the Panhandle Trail.
We have all been impressed by how extensive the bike trail network is in western Pennsylvania because they just take you so far. As always, we found something that could get under our skin, the gravel was a bit slower than pavement and anytime the trail switched from one to the other our moods would totally swing. We saw so many fellow cyclists, runners, and walkers out today and it was nice to have people to say hello to ever so often. The first rest stop was just off the trail and the sight of the van was more than welcome. Snacks picked up from Ebensburg are still being consumed and the team has been loving having the choice of both sweet and savory options. Sometimes there is only so much sugar one person can handle.
For quite some time after this rest stop, the riders still stayed on bike path and actually had a decently sized section that was at a slight decline meaning that average speeds over that stretch could be much faster than elsewhere. One group even picked up a friendly local cyclist to tow around for a few miles before he carried on with his training ride. The end of the bike trails meant the start of climbs into West Virginia. Although we didn’t know we were crossing the border at the time, the second rest stop should have clued us in: Mustang Sally’s. Apparently, this fine local establishment has been used by Illini 4000 teams of the past, but of course it was our first time there. Let’s just say that they tended to accommodate a biker group of a different variety and our space-age spandex suits by comparison were wildly out of place. Nevertheless, the crowd was very friendly and the staff let us use their bathrooms. This was a lesson in not judging a book by its cover.
Rolling now in what we knew was West Virginia, we went up and down some more before finding the Yankee Trail that followed the Ohio River almost all the way to Wheeling. Another flat happened at this point for one team and some of us were very tired from the ride the day before. In Wheeling, we saw the local hockey team stadium, the downtown, parks, and more bike paths! Getting to the stayover required one more detour to a footbridge because the bridge where the church could be seen from on route was totally under construction.
Dinner at the Christ United Methodist Church was a donated supply of Chipotle food and tacos from the church and their community! This went over so well that we were scraping the bottoms of the containers for more. After a laundromat run, it was lights out on another good day on the road.
Cyclists’ Corner
Rider: Maaike Niekerk
How are you feeling today?
I'm feeling good. I'm feeling tired, but overall happy. I think my legs are feeling better than I thought they would be feeling, which might be exactly what I said in the first question for the first interview last time. I think I was like: my legs are feeling better than I thought they would, and I think that stays true.
What was your favorite part of today's ride?
Ooh, that middle stretch we had, where we basically had a stretch on the trail that was entirely tree covered, and I think like a 2% downhill like the whole time. We were flying, and that was so fun, because it went by very fast. We saw a lot of other cool cyclists, and a lot of people looked like triathlon people. So I enjoyed that quiet trail stretch, because it was super fun. We could just zoom!
You did Illini 4000 two years ago. What motivated you or made you want to do it again this year?
Um, I think a lot of things. I had a really good time, the first time I did it. I loved it, so I kind of never doubted that I would want to do it again. I had a free summer, and I also think that the cause is more important now than ever before. I think that a lot of cancer research is currently really under threat, and so I think it's really important that we continue funding those causes and things that we care about. So, yeah, I think this is a very good time to bike across the country. Last time was also a good time, but this time is a great time to bike across the country.
And so this year being the ride leader, how has that been versus your first ride?
I don't know. It's different. On the team we assign everybody a chore, and my chore in 2024 was being that journalist, which was very fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. It just kind of feels like a different chore to be doing. I don't know if I want to say more work, but just work in a different way. I think it's interesting, it's definitely maybe, maybe a little more pressure, because sometimes you have to make big calls. For example, yesterday I had to decide whether we routed one way or rerouted the other way. There's definitely a lot of pressure that comes with making a decision for a big group of people, but I'm very happy to be doing this again especially with this team. I loved the last team, and yeah, it's overall been a great time.
What are you most excited for this summer?
I'm really excited to go to some of the places we didn't go on the my first ride. Especially Utah and Colorado. I'm really, really excited to see those. I think it's going to be really, really pretty. Yeah, I'm just excited for some more great nature. I'm excited to go swimming in some different spots, and we're also in the stretch of the ride now that is the same as 2024 So, I'm excited to see all these places again. It's very cool.
What's your bike's name, and what's the model of your bike?
My bike is named Bichael, spelled like Michael, but with a B. He is a Trek domane Al4, I believe. Red bike, I love having a red bike. He's amazing and I love him. I'm getting better at working on him. Redid his bar tape all by myself, and it's held up so far. So, I love my bike.
Anything else you would like to tell the world?
I love Illini4000.I love these people. I love this team, go cancer research! Yay, we're doing good stuff out here. I'm very proud of everybody. I will say that I think everybody is really putting their heart out there this summer, and I'm so happy that we're doing this together.
And last question, a very heated debate on the team: are you pro sprinkles or anti sprinkles?
I am infamously anti sprinkles. I don't like them. I think they don't add anything. They're texturally weird, pure sugar. I'm a big fan of fun and whimsy, but I'm anti sprinkles. There you go.