Day 24: A Really Short One (Almost a Rest Day) - Newton, Iowa to Des Moines, Iowa

Des Moines is a big city!  I’m not sure we all quite realized that until we saw the skyline and the stadiums as we rolled over the hill into town.  We didn’t go through the middle at any point, but the area we were in had traffic and much to do and see on its own.  Sometimes, we feel like our stayovers and the surrounding neighborhoods are a kind of miniature world that exists only with us and everything else continues around as if we weren’t there.  Today kind of felt like that.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 39.5 miles

Elevation: +1,853 ft. / -1,827 ft.

Tales of the Trail

We had a little different routine to our morning today because of how we were having breakfast.  Just as last night we had dinner at the church and then biked just under a mile over to the YMCA to shower and sleep, we did the opposite after waking up.  Everyone made it out of the YMCA dressed and ready for the day, but we had our first “rest stop” just eight tenths of a mile into the ride.  Once again, we had some good food: biscuits and gravy.  There was a little concern it would put us asleep on our bikes as we rolled out, but we figured that for such a short day relative to our usual rides we could power through.

With only one rest stop en route to the stayover, everyone was anticipating a pretty easy stroll through the miles on our agenda.  In the end, the day was easy, but the miles were not.  The winds were quite strong and right at our face for a start.  Then, about half of our miles to that first rest stop at a Casey’s were on a road that was under construction and had just had its surface grinded.  We had headwinds and constant bone shaking vibrations going through our bicycle frames.  By the time those first 19 miles were up, we already felt like we had ridden 40, or maybe even 60.  The one saving grace was that the views were quite nice over the rolling cornfields.  

At the rest stop, we had a great combination of a Casey’s and a Dollar General right next door to each other to give everyone their choice for where to buy snacks and take a trip to the bathroom.  We gathered around the van before rolling off again to take a picture with our dedication to Lauri.  On the second half of the ride, we seemed to get to Des Moines pretty quickly now that one of our foes from the first half (the bumpy road) was gone.  The city, as we rode in, was looking really neat and we were excited to have some time to actually spend here.  We also celebrated about a mile before our stayover because there was a laundromat which meant the extra time in the afternoon could also be used to get all of our clothes clean.

Upon arrival, some of us went to a bike shop to figure out mechanical problems and get parts while others took advantage of the close laundromat or time to sleep.  A local gym (Anytime Fitness) allowed us to use their showers and most of the team enjoyed some pho for lunch.  Then, the reality set in that we were all tired again and we went to do some separate activities or go to sleep before dinner.

Speaking of dinner, last night in Newton, we had some pulled pork and cheesy potatoes. Well, today the meal was pulled pork and mac and cheese for dinner.  The Grace United Methodist Church where we were staying had a community dinner and we were allowed to join!  The food was great and definitely filled our stomachs.  

As the night arrived and the looming weather for tomorrow rolled in, the team spent time together inside before going to bed not quite knowing what the forecast would mean for tomorrow’s ride.

Day 23: Racing Through Iowa - Iowa City, Iowa to Newton, Iowa

Although the title of this post claims that we are “racing through Iowa” that is really more of a nod to the miles we are covering and not necessarily the speed or ease at which they are being covered.  We are realizing that the hills, folds, ripples, or whatever you would like to call the shapes of the land here are never ending.  This makes the riding more interesting and the state very pretty, but it does mean much more effort and a lot more gear shifting.  Today, we left our home at another university to get very near to Des Moines (coming tomorrow), but in a town that we are loving the hospitality in and, speaking of racing, which is right next to the Iowa Speedway.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 91.4 miles

Elevation: +3,543 ft. / -3,333 ft.

Ride Dedication: Poppy - A friend of Ren’s from Chicago who had osteosarcoma affecting her femur near her knee. She was an inspirational person to meet and hear a story from. We connected with her because she is in a very similar stage of life to us as a team.

Points of Interest: Iowa Speedway, Deep Rock Ice Cream (not open, but cool facade), rolling hills

Tales of the Trails

Today the team decided to try something new for our morning routine. The past few days we have had a little extra time getting ready everyday, so today the whole team decided to cut down our time to get ready by 15 minutes "unofficially." With everyone racing around to pack their bags, make and eat breakfast, and do many other miscellaneous things in only 1 hour the team managed to only be 5 minutes late to our morning circle. Which honestly is pretty good for our first attempt, so we will see if this continues in the future or if we will go back to our previous routine. 

Now finally getting into the ride, the team was sad to leave the university’s campus especially as we had gotten many ILL chants yesterday. The people so far, besides a couple angry drivers we soon forgot after they passed, have been quite hospitable and wonderful to talk to. As we rolled out today we almost instantly got onto a state highway. The team will definitely be getting used to state highways as these will be the roads we are on for at least the majority of Iowa and Nebraska, if not more states in the future as well. Despite it being the same road throughout the day it was far from straight and flat. Depending who on the team you ask, the rolling hills were either a very appreciated change of pace from the flat roads of Illinois or very annoying with not much in between. Our first two rest stops were on the side of the road and not very notable as we were just chugging along. 

I, Parker, was on a team going by the name of “Chain gang” today. It was quite aptly named as between the 4 of us in our group our chains either made noise, had trouble shifting, or dropped. After the first two rest stops the day they finally began to get interesting. The team is beginning to appreciate all the Casey’s gas stations in the midwest. I can’t really explain the feeling of seeing the van parked at Casey's in any other way than seeing the statue of liberty. No matter how bad we are feeling every time we see the gas station we know that it will be a good rest stop. What do we get there you might ask?  So far the slushies have by far been one of the teams go-to “snacks.” They are even free on Fridays! 

Honestly there is not a lot to say about the route today other than the beautiful landscape that was in our view for the entirety of the 90 miles. Despite being on one road getting a little boring we always love seeing all the cows and many other animals in the fields. The team was quite tired after a long day. We got to dinner a little later than we expected and arrived at 7. Luckily as we rolled into Our Savior Lutheran Church, they had already had dinner prepared and ready. We ate a wonderful meal of pulled pork, green beans, and cheesy potatoes. After dinner it was a little hectic as  the place the team was actually sleeping was a local YMCA. The group got on their bikes and made their way to the stayover. It was quite comical as since it was only a mile away most of the team decided to try and sprint after our support van to draft off of it. The team was able to all get showers and do laundry at the YMCA which we were all very appreciative of. We all went to bed looking forward to tomorrow as it is a much shorter day into Des Moines. 

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Ren Goodfriend

Interview Recorded on June 17th (Day 25)

Hi! The fans.

How are you feeling today?  How was today’s ride?

Today's ride was crazy. 
Feeling good. When I started, I felt when I was on the bike, I was just like “This is miserable. This is terrible. When can I get off?” Now it's less like that, and it's more just, I feel like I've accepted I'm gonna be here forever. 
I'm on a bike and it's like whatever. It's happening. It feels the same as just standing up. 
That's what I was telling my team today. It takes the same amount of effort to me now, which is nice. 

Today's ride, well, we started late because there was a thunderstorm in Des Moines that went until about 9 am. Then we left Des Moines and my team just ran into infinite issues along the way. First there was the mud because the trails were completely clogged with mud and my bike did not like that. 
I spent a long time getting dirt out of my bike. Then after that, after the rest stop, Anthony's bike fell or something, so his derailer hanger was messed up and he kept DIY bending it on the road. And then Sam got a flat tire. 
Sam's chain kept falling off and we had to stop every once in a while. 
We were like, “is there something wrong with your shifting?” We think it was just kind of bad luck because the limit screws were perfect. 
Eventually what happened is we got to the 3rd rest stop, and as we got to the 3rd rest stop, the 1st team had arrived at the stayover. We were like, “uh-oh.” It was 7:30 pm and Maaike said at 8: 30 pm, stop riding. 
We just made the decision to drive the last 20 miles, and it sucks. Honestly, I think we were in a bad mood about it, but I think the ride ended up being really fun. We played music very loudly [in the van], and now we're here and the stayover's quite nice. We've got showers we weren't expecting, so I'll take it. 
I think it seems really good.

Is there anything that you, personally, think, or hope, you will gain from the ride?

I mean, to be honest, as I go through the first few weeks, I was like, “I gotta get out of here. This is not working.” 
The fact that I've even just been able to go from not riding most of the time to being able to ride has been really nice. I haven't really had to sag at all since Champaign except for when I got super sick. Other than that, no mechanical issues or anything, which has been super great. Part of it is just that I want to see the percentage of days I ride go up linearly. 

I saw my aunt yesterday and it kind of reminded me that I should try to connect with my family if I can, wherever they are. I've got some in Japan, some here in the U.S. For the U.S., they're very far. There's one in Seattle and one in Florida, so literally the opposite corners of the country. I'm thinking I'll try to connect with them more and talk to my little sibling. Honestly, I know that a lot of people have a goal of something they want, but I prefer to just kind of see what happens and then be happy about it later because if I set a goal and I don't get it, I'll be upset. I would rather not say any goals and be like, “wow, I did so many great things,” you know?

How have you surprised yourself since New York City?

I think I've surprised myself physically for sure; especially with the asthma that I did not know I had until I signed up for the ride. When I went to my physical, they were like, “you have asthma.” After that, I was worried that most of the time I would just be sitting around. I feel like my asthma is more manageable on rest days now. I feel like a more normal person because I've been exercising my cardiovascular health so much. So that surprised me a lot. 

My hill climbing skills… very surprising to me. 
Even though I take them all really slow,  I get up all the hills now and I don't feel pain. It's just a thing that's harder, but it doesn't hurt. That's really cool to me! 


Also, I think socially and mentally… Going into the ride, I was like, “Uh-oh. Only 3 girls… A lot of these people have not been friends with many women in their lives. A lot of these people have very different backgrounds from me. 
What if I hate everyone?” Definitely earlier in the semester, I was like, “what if I really hate all these people?” I remember I was talking to Lauren the other day. 
It was in New York when we were hanging out and I was really scared that I wasn't gonna like her. I don't know, if I don't like any of these people, it's gonna be rough. 
I've surprised myself with my ability to adapt socially and talk to different people about different things and share experiences with people who I would have never thought to talk to otherwise. My friend group is pretty similar to me in a lot of ways, and this group of people, not very similar to me in a lot of ways. 
That is something that I hope to carry with me. Also, when I go back to university, because we have so much diversity on our campus. I would love to talk to some more people. 
That includes from different places and different age ranges. Ehsan is 30 and we're like besties and that's crazy to me! Then also, different backgrounds.

Where is your hometown?  If there was food from there you could have with you at every town during the ride, what would it be?

I'll just say the Chicago area. I was born in Chicago. We lived in Berwyn for a bit, which is just outside of Chicago. 
My mom lives in Oak Park now and my dad lives in the city. Pretty much I'm from Chicago. 

If I had to say the food that I wish I could eat every day, it was what I requested when I first got home. For context to the fans listening, the stayover in Chicago was my mom's house, which is in Oak Park. What I requested when I first got there was this pork soup. 
She calls it pork soup, but she makes it with chicken for me. We've just always called it pork soup, but it's like my favorite thing in the world. 
All the vegetables are soft and it's got protein, but it's also got potatoes, and it goes really easy in my stomach. If I could just eat that every single day instead of the pasta, that would be awesome! So it's my mom's food. 

How is the ride progressing for you?

Everything's getting easier every day. Everything's getting more fun! 
Also, the cause is really important and every day I realize that more and more our portrait today was really cool. She was so cool. I really liked the way that she told her story about all these different roles she's had with cancer. 
I think that was such a cool story because I feel like it showed us aspects of cancer we haven't seen. Most of the people we've talked to are survivors so far and it was really interesting to hear from someone who was like “I had to just watch my family wither away over and over.” 
That's something that's important to me. So I think more and more, the more portraits we do, the more I connect with them. I remember Tada's mom was a big one for me. 
Afterwards, I didn't know what to do. She really changed my perspective on everything and because of her, I think the ride has actually become a lot easier for me. Even just thinking, “I get to do this.” 
And even though it hurts sometimes, I get to experience this pain and I get to eat whatever I want, and I get to, you know, see all these things, I get to hurt in ways that she doesn't. You know what I mean? 
That really changed my perspective on things. 

What do you think your role for the team has become (regardless of what it started as or what chore you do)?

I've heard from a lot of people that I have a lot of energy and I'm very uplifting even when things get really rough. I'm always here to have fun, and I think that sometimes the fun rubs off on other people. 
So I think that's kind of my role. I play Ultimate Frisbee and on the team I’m known as the most fun teammate to have around. I'll always be there to be like, “You got this! Come on! We got this! You can do it! 
Don’t worry about it!”  I know Lauren has told me that that's really helped her. I know I've helped Aadit with that too. 
So just being able to, like, hype people up.

What has your favorite snack in the van been so far?

I really like those Ritz Bits. Like the little ones that Randy gave us. They're like little crackers with the cheese in the middle. And the Yoggies are fine. 
They weren't as good as the Ritz Bits, though. I think I ate the last ones today, and I always just pack them in my bag. 
They're also really easy because they're not like chips which if you put them in your jersey will just fall apart, but they taste like chips. They're small and you can just eat them. 
Those have been my favorite things. Even though they have cheese and I'm lactose intolerant and I probably shouldn't be eating them. They're my favorite van snack.

Day 22: Into the Folds of Iowa - Davenport, Iowa to Iowa City, Iowa

Some of our lovely temperatures from early on the ride on the East Coast returned and we had a day with a high temperature of 70°F in Iowa.  We continued to ride almost directly West and at the end of the day made a visit to our friends (or foes depending on the most recent sports game) at the University of Iowa.  As you will see, the shorter mileage made for a good afternoon to explore a bit of the campus town and have a bit of recovery after 97 miles yesterday and another 80 or so tomorrow.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 61.5 miles

Elevation: 1,867 ft.

Points of Interest: University of Iowa, Quad Cities, Cornfields, Jeff’s Market x2

Tales of the Trail

A Sunday on the road and leaving from a church meant we had some onlookers while we were getting ready in the parking lot with curiosity and smiles once they figured out why we were there.  Davenport was a bigger town than I had originally thought, and so it took us a few miles to really make it out to the road we spent most of our time on today.  There was a road closure just before and we thought it may be another day defecting from the route, but instead we just made a right and left instead of staying straight and connected right to where we were supposed to be.  At least, most of us did.  The conversation of the day was centered around one of the ride groups who took two rights and went the wrong way for a few miles.  I’ll spare them the embarrassment of sharing the names here, but they know who they are.  This left the two forward teams on the road anywhere between 30 minutes and 90 minutes ahead at any given point throughout the day, a nightmare for coordinating forward progress.  When all was said and done, the teams took their own breaks to allow for more time, but it was hilarious to look back and see one team at the last rest stop when the next two were at the next one.

Although Cole had good intentions while writing this to not ‘out’ the culprits of the accidental detour, I am volunteering myself, (Parker), as one of the culprits. While I can attest that at any given moment we were at least an hour behind the other teams, our group did not let our mishap of the first part of the route keep us from having the most amazing day of biking. Our team name today was team vibes, and I would say that is pretty evident in the day that we had. I would just like to tell a “short” tale of our side of the story for the day, although I will let Cole fill you in on the two other groups. After gaining about 5 extra miles we finally got back on the route. With these extra time gained from our wrong turns, by the time we hit the first rest stop our group was starving. In a short-lived attempt to try and catch back up to the other teams we tried to keep the first rest stop relatively quick. Our efforts to catch the other teams were long forgotten however as 6 miles down the road we saw a diner and decided to stop for lunch. As you can imagine it is quite a sight for four college aged kids in biking jerseys and bibs to waltz into a diner in a small town of maybe 1000 with their bike helmets still on. As the restaurant was full, but relatively smaller this led to us having a conversation with the whole restaurant! We kept getting questions from different tables all over the room and it was wonderful to share our story. We even got a few in person donations! When we finished eating we called the van to see how far behind we were and as it turned out both of the other teams were waiting at the second rest stop and we were 15 miles behind. The rest of the day we tried our best to be efficient on the bike so as not to get further from the other groups, but this again did not last long. Our last shenanigan of today was stopping on the side of the road when we saw two cows, an emu, and miniature goats. The two lessons I learned from all this are: enjoying the ride is sometimes more important than just “getting it over with”, and sometimes it's better to pull off and double check the route. If I could go back in time and do it again I would still choose to be on team vibes, even if we were not always on the right path. 

Our first rest stop was in the town of Durant, Iowa at the sight of the first Jeff’s Market on the road.  We found out there was a second when looking at the location of the last team and figuring out where they were.  Seeing Jeff's made it feel like they were back where we had left them, but instead it was one town over in Wilton, Iowa where another Jeff’s existed.  Who knew Jeff had two stores?  More snacks had been donated from the community in Davenport and at this point it feels like we are trying to eat our way through the drawer and boxes in the van packed with snacks.  This is a good problem to have!  

In case they weren’t mentioned already, the winds through the Midwest are going to be a big part of the conversation each day.  A headwind or crosswind can make the miles on the road a real struggle and no wind or a tailwind can make for an awesome day that feels like we are flying.  Today was one of the former: a crosswind.  The crosswind today was particularly tough because of how strong it was.  Drafting only really worked when right beside the rider in front and any time we fell into a straight line, those not at the front were reminded just how hard the leader was working to pull the rest of the group through the wind.  The only way to be saved is to find some trees or occasionally a hill that blocks the wind just right.  Everyone was thankful for those who sacrificed their legs to get us through.

A quick and relatively unremarkable second rest stop by the side of the road propelled us from mile 40 to Iowa City at mile 60.  While waiting for the last team and to pull up to the stayover together, two teams decided to go for lunch.  Cole and Nishk went to get shawarma, Anthony and Aadit got some ramen, and Maaike, Lauren, and Sam stopped to get some classic American food.  The first 4 went to eat outside the Old Capitol and then made the mistake of going to the stayover from a year ago.  Not before getting a picture! When the last team finally rolled in they decided to go to Pop’s BBQ for dinner.

After the relatively shorter 61.5-mile day, we arrived and moved into the stayover in Iowa City around 3:30 pm and then took some showers and went out to explore.  We got more food, shopped, drank bubble tea, and worked on anything we needed some additional hours to catch up on (the journals for Parker and I!)  We had known about our host from stories of the night before with Oliver, a child who unfortunately passed within the last year whose mother we had a conversation with the night before.  The Father had been helpful in providing support through that family’s journey and now is helping us just the same. 

Tomorrow will be another longer day, but if we make it through, we have our eyes set on a sub-40-mile ride into Des Moines just the day following.

Cyclists Corner

Rider: Anthony Salemi

How are you feeling today? 

I'm okay. I'm hungry and I feel like today everyone was a little bit on everyone's nerves. 
That's okay, and I think we got over it. 

And how was today's ride? 


I thought it was fine. There were headwinds. 
I will state that for the record. It was pretty windy, but if you're in the draft, it's pretty fine. So, taking turns pulling was... good. 


Is there anything that you personally think or hope you will gain for yourself from the ride? 


I have a few: for one, massive quads. Okay, okay. Not really. 
I don't think my legs will get much bigger from where they are now because it's a marathon, not a sprint. But really, I think it's a big mental challenge, and I think some things will just be easier after the ride having done something where you just bike all day staring at nothing for 77 days.  You know, your mind will get stronger. 
So I think that'll happen. Also, I think, similar is the Portraits Project. I think hearing all these different voices and seeing all these different people and hearing their stories I think will also be very mind strengthening to me and give me kind of a different perspective on the world and be able to carry myself a little bit better. 
Especially as we get out West. This is the farthest West I've ever been, other than Houston, but that's not really West. And right now, we're in Iowa. 
Getting further West and hearing from those different people as opposed to people on the East Coast or the Midwest that I've had more experience with in my life. 

How have you surprised yourself since New York City? 


I feel like things have kind of gone as I expected for myself personally. 
I think what's surprised me the most is the people on the team.


Where is your hometown? If there was any food from your hometown that you could have with you at every stop along the ride, what would it be? 

My hometown; I grew up in Tacoma Park, Maryland, which is a suburb just North of D.C. It's in Maryland, but the D.C. border is like it's right along the DC border. Something I always cook is a smoothie. That's what I would want to have every day. In normal life, I have a smoothie almost every single day that I put yogurt and frozen fruit in, then blend it. 
I wish I had that every day at a stayover. So you can see me sometimes buy smoothies at rest stops from a grocery store. That's what I'm trying to emulate. 



What do you think that your role for the team has become (regardless of what it started as or what chore you do)? 

I became the route master for the team. I think people ask me about the route, and I think if there are changes on the fly that need to be made, even though I don't feel prepared to do that as the route master, I think that's something that, when we had to reroute I figured it out because I'm the route master.  People ask me questions all the time about the route, which I don't always love answering, but they do ask me. So, yeah, and outside of the prescribed role, I think that from being one of the people who biked a lot before this, I think some people ask me questions about stuff, and how to do things during when we're riding together because of that. 
I think that's kind of a role I have as well. 

What has your favorite snack in the van been so far? 


I like the Twizzlers. They're just, like, pure sugar. We got some on sale. I did the calculations. It was 200 grams of carbs per dollar. Which is, um, I think that's good. 
It was better than gummy bears, and gummy worms, and several other candies at the Walmart at the time. So, yeah, the carbs to price ratio, that was just very good. I like being able to grab, like, five at once, and just taking a chunk. 
I like the Twizzlers. I miss the Twizzlers. I like to eat pure sugar while I'm biking and I don't want anything else. 
I just want pure sugar.

Day 21: Crossing the Mississippi - Rochelle, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa

Today was our longest since that amazing, but fatiguing, day out of Columbus.  97 miles!  We were somewhat considering riding an extra 3 just to make it a full century, but after climbing (once again!) to the top of a town for the stayover, everyone thought that saving their legs for the still long journey ahead would be the best decision.  We still have 6 days straight of riding before our next rest day, so conserving wherever possible will be critical.  The day had a classic array of rest stops and fun along the road, although not as much side questing as yesterday, and we got to see what must be the world’s largest penny farthing.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 97.1 miles

Elevation: 1,919 ft.

Points of Interest: Nachusa Grasslands, Cherry Flamingo Ice Cream, Penny Farthing Statue, Mississippi River, Festival with Music in Davenport

Tales of the Trail

We have been having some beautiful mornings to start riding in and today was no exception.  Beautiful bluebird skies and temperatures suited for riding were upon us.  That made for a good time packing the van and getting onto the road in the morning.  Aadit was driving today and he made the first interesting stop along the way with Sam.  Those two found a train car and with Aadit being the resident enthusiast of trains, the urge to stop with time in hand must have been too much.  Look at him though!

The first rest stop was at a nature preserve called the Nachusa Grasslands where we were able to take some pretty impressive photos, ride a little down the grassy trails, and fill up our water jugs for the day.The last of those was fun because we had a proper well to pump.  Vedang was getting in his upper body workout for the day and helping the rest of us quench our thirst.

We continued riding through the Northwest of Illinois and finding small towns that would pop up out of nowhere along with the never ending fields to stare across.  There were bridges, and farmers, and flats, not too much of a headwind, but just enough to keep us awake and pushing those pedals, and pretty long stretches of road to talk and play games.

Later in the day, the crosswinds picked up and any sight of a road that had tree-lined lengths was welcome.  A slog through 19 miles of these conditions made way for a happy entrance into the third rest stop.  We finally turned off of the main road we had been on for miles and towards a more winding road with a couple of houses… and trees!  The crosswinds subsided a bit and we pulled out the PB&Js for lunch.  The mood was also improved knowing that our next stop was going to be an ice cream shop.

That last point was all we could focus on the rest of our time on the road.  When would we get ice cream?  The when was all dependent on our riding, but the where was right next to the Mississippi River, on the Illinois side, at a place called Cherry Flamingo.  We needed the calories and the sugar and this was the perfect way to start winding down the ride for the day.  The owner also showed us over to amassive penny farthing rider statue near the bike path and took a picture for us.

Soon enough, we were crossing the Mississippi into Iowa and getting very close to Davenport.  We found a festival to stop at for a couple of live song performances before climbing to the top of the town, as always towards our stay at Sacred Heart Cathedral.  Tonight, we had tortilla chips and taco fixings for dinner prepared by the church and before bed had the chance to hear a very special story.

Oliver, a young boy no longer with us, had a spinal cord cancer that spread and was impossible to cure.  He passed away just last November and we heard his story and the story of his family from his mother.  We were amazed at the response by loved ones, medical professionals, and community members that were involved in Oliver’s treatment.  The strength of those fighting through cancer and those aiding them is immeasurable.  Tomorrow, we will ride for Oliver.

Cyclists Corner

Rider: Ehsan Homaee

What was your favorite part of today's ride?

So the last stretch was beside the river, and it was great, very scenic.  We had forests on your right side and rivers on your left side. It was very scenic, and I really enjoyed that stretch. 

What motivated you to join Illini 4000?

Multiple reasons. First, I like biking, and I like to challenge myself both mentally and physically. Man, this is like a great way to challenge myself, I and also the cancer side was also very important for me. I lost my grandparents, my cousins, my close friend because of cancer, and I wanted to do something in memory of them. The portraits project is also another thing that kind of resonates with me during the trip. Whenever I'm listening to other people's stories about like how they deal with the cancer themselves or in their family it's interesting to listen to other people's history,

Before Illini 4000 how much bike training did you have, or did you have any other athletic background that helped for the ride?

I used to go mountaineering, hiking, and camping stuff a lot Biking, I was not a professional cyclist. I just used my bike for commuting between my hometown, my work, and sometimes just for fun. Maybe 20 miles or 30 miles, so yeah, not a big cyclist like some other people in the group.

What is your bike's name and the model of the bike?

Okay, so my bike model is a trek domane, and its name is Sarv. It means Cypress. Sarv is the first name, and Cypress is like its translation in English. I chose this name because it's green and it's very tall compared to other bikes. I spend most of my time these days with my bike.

What are you most nervous and excited about for the trip?

I'm excited for the west part of the country, especially Colorado, Oregon, and California. I’m also waiting for the feeling of when I'm passing the Golden Gate Bridge. I think it would be a great achievement and feeling inside myself. I am nervous about how hard it is to keep up with everything. Starting from the morning that you need to pack everything in 15 minutes to the late night that you have to do everything before lights out. Yeah still I'm kind of having troubles to meet all of those like deadlines or not deadlines and expectations 

Anything else you would like to talk about?

Illini 4000 is like a great way to challenge yourself mentally and physically. Yeah, it is maybe the best way to spend your summer, so I hope this organization will last forever in the university. Hopefully every year students come and join this and enjoy a wonderful summer, which is a life changing experience.

Do you prefer creamy or crunchy peanut butter?

So, if you asked this question two weeks ago, I would say crunchy, but right now I probably prefer creamy. I think, yeah, everything is like a lot of things are changing in my life and in my mind right now, and this is one of the things that changed so yeah right now I prefer creamy. Maybe like in next two weeks again my opinion will change.

Day 20: Sidequesting! (verb: a break a long bike ride into shorter and fun bursts) - Oak Park, Illinois to Rochelle, Illinois

After the crazy storms last night, the team was slightly fearful of what the weather might have in store for us, but we awoke to the sun shining as bright as usual. We have been very lucky with some amazing weather so far (I just knocked on wood as I wrote this), besides some headwinds here and there. Before getting into all the escapades and adventures of the day, which, believe me there definitely was a lot, we would just like to thank our teammate Ren and her family for hosting us these past few days. All this fun we are having would not have been possible without them. 

Ride Overview

Mileage: 82.8 miles

Elevation: 1,663 ft.

Tales of the Trail

During our morning preparations today, someone proposed a challenge of everyone doing two sidequests during the bike ride today. (photo evidence required) The ride today started with a short 1-mile bike ride to the park, where we planned to meet the alumni for the first stretch of the ride. However, as we went to roll out, one of the bikes got two flat tires that had to be fixed before we could head out. Today, we added two (temporary) honorary Illini4000 members to our squad: Ren’s dad and Sam Michalak. (a 2023 alum!) With our new additions to the team, the first 20 miles flew by as we were mainly on bike paths.  

After 20 miles, we said goodbye to Sam M., and Ren's dad stayed with us all the way until mile 20! Honestly, outside of regaling the tales of our first 20 days to the alumni and family, the first 40 miles were quite uneventful. Even though after our second rest stop, we were already halfway through the biking of the day, this is where the day honestly really started. By this time, all the teams on the road realized that if they were going to get their two side quests in, it would have to be soon. This was quite a coincidence, though because around this time is when my team rolled past our first side quest, which honestly was 3 wrapped into 1. First, we rode our bikes in a skate park, which was a ton of fun. The very steep curves and ramps were slightly scary, but we all made it out unscathed. Then we climbed up a thing that cannot be described as anything but a “climbing pyramid.” Anthony even took his bike all the way to the 20-foot peak! Keeping Cole and my tradition from earlier in the ride, our group then went to take a picture with a Caboose. Another team went to a gift shop and a cool soda store. It was the perfect stop to get in our necessary two side quests of the day.

Just as we thought the day couldn’t get any better, we got a surprise mandatory side quest from none other than Cole (driving the van today.) As we were about 2 miles out from our planned rest stop, a random walgreens, we saw him waving us down on the side of the road. At first we were surprised our rest stop came so quickly, but then we looked to our right and realized our day would now consist of a lot more fun. While van driving, Cole found an amazing substitute for our rest stop at a driving range. The owner was even nice enough to donate two buckets of balls for our team to use for free! Our sidequest was not so simple as just hitting balls at the driving range however. Cole proposed a challenge for us: a two-hit competition, one being who could hit the ball the furthest, while the other being whoever could get the ball closest to a specific flag. (about 25 yds out) This was a very fun way to break up our day and to take our minds off the biking. It was evident from some of our golf swings that a few of us had definitely played golf before, had never touched a club, or had played another sport. It was fun to see those who had played cricket in the past and tried to swing it like a cricket bat, others who tried to swing with enough power to hit it to the moon, and even created new never-before-seen golf swings. 

After we rolled out from the last rest stop we had planned on keeping a nice comfortable pace for the last 20 miles. Since we just had a rest day our plan originally was to try and preserve our fresh legs as long as possible. This plan soon went out the window. About 5 miles into the last stretch my group was in the “lead”, but got overtaken by group number 2 at a blazing pace. Now if you know anything about Illini 4000 then you know that racing, going fast, or getting anywhere first is never our goal. However one thing that is true about all of us riders is that we never back down from a challenge. Without even talking about it the front two teams mutually agreed on racing to the finish. Was this the best idea for our fresh legs? No. But, was it some of the most fun we’ve had on the ride so far? A resounding yes. So with about 12 miles to go my team fell into a line and took turns pulling into a tough headwind. After slowly inching up on the team that had passed us earlier we did end up passing them about 4 miles later. This was about the time the other group realized the race was on. We began flying down the road as fast as we could, and no matter what the other team was still within eyesight every time we looked back. It was a tight race until the end and we ended up finishing within minutes of each other. I am 100% that this will be a legendary story that will be told for years to come. (Probably exaggerating our speed a little more every time, although while biking it did feel as if we were in the Tour de France) Although I suppose it is more like the Tour de Illinois.

Today was overall a very fun day full of random adventures you couldn’t find anywhere else besides biking across the country. After hearing plenty of fun stories from alumni that we’ve met, our team was slightly worried about doing enough side quests or fun things off the bike. I think after today, however, we have plenty of stories of our own to share and are very eager to experience more of what the ride has to offer.

Cyclists Corner

Rider: Tada Wagner

How are you feeling today?

I was really tired, and I'm still pretty tired right now, but I feel pretty good overall. Yeah, I'm very happy.

What was your favorite part of today's ride?

Honestly, the race was really fun. The end part where we were the first and they caught up to us and passed us, and then we passed them again, so that was really fun. Everyone had very high competitive spirits, so that was very entertaining and fun. That was definitely the highlight of the day for me.

What motivated you to join Illini 4000? 

The reason I joined Illini 4000 I mean, I obviously love cycling. Cycling is a big part of my life, but obviously the cancer aspect and the portraits project was a really big draw to me, obviously, since my mom has cancer. I joined so I was kind of more able to talk about it, like cancer as a whole, and I never really talked about it with my family or my mom. So being part of this organization has definitely helped me kind of open up and be a little bit more vulnerable around this topic, because, you know, it's, you know, it's a hard thing to go through, and a lot of people kind of just tend to push it away and try to deal with it later. That's not good, because you know that compounds, and yeah, so that was one reason. Another reason I joined was I wanted something that would give me structure and routine, and Illini 4000 does that, like we wake up at the same time, go to sleep at the same time, we eat the same thing, so that was also a draw to me. 

Before joining Illini 4000 how much bike biking have you done, or did you have any other athletic background that you thought helped for the ride? 

I used to do cross country and track, so that definitely helps, and I've been riding with Illini cycling for the last year. That is about the extent of my athletic experience before Illini 4000 so I think that definitely prepared me pretty well for the trip. 

What is your bike's name and the model of your bike?

My bike's name is Kelsey, and it's named after my girlfriend, and the model of my bike is a Lightspeed Ultimate. The old one is Klein Quantum, also named Kelsey, after my girlfriend. (Extra input from the journalists: Tada’s old bike was awesome, but as it is a vintage bike it did not quite happen to have the gearing necessary for the hills we will be climbing out west, so he got a new bike. Although I am sure his old Klein will see many more miles once we get back to the flat roads of Illinois in the fall.)

What are you most nervous and or excited about for the trip?

What am I the most nervous about? I mean, going in definitely was like just living with 13 of the same people for the entire summer.  I'm not a very overly social person. I tend to stay by myself a lot, so being with the same people all the time and having to socialize with different people all the time was definitely a very hard thing at first, and something I had to get used to. Definitely something I was nervous about. It was  definitely good, because I got, you know, out of my comfort zone. But something I'm really excited for about this ride is I think every day I'm excited just like meeting new people and seeing new things. I mean, I know Illinois and Iowa are probably not gonna be very interesting, and Nebraska isn't either. I think just seeing new faces and people I've never met, and hearing so many different perspectives of different people that I would have never had the opportunity to talk to or see.  I think that's like the main thing that has really brought me a lot of joy about, like, through this trip.

And then any words of wisdom to the world? Anything you want to talk about?

I guess just kind of like, you know, if you feel like you want to do something, just do it. When I had heard about Illini 4000, I definitely was drawn toward the organization, but then I was like, "Oh, this is a three-month commitment. I don't know if I'm actually really going to do that, and I don't know if I really want to. I'm the type of person who really is ambitious, but tends not to follow through in a lot of things, because I get really nervous. I like to stay in my comfort zone. So, break out of your comfort zone, do what makes you happy. You know, you got to just, you know, you just got to do things. You have to experience life, can’t hold yourself back.

Day 18: Ride to Ren’s (not Randy’s this time) and Day 19: Rest Day in Chicago - Kankakee, Illinois to Chicago, Illinois

Alumni reunion on Day 19! Certainly a highlight of our time in Chicago.

Day 18

Riding to a familiar place is always fun because you get to slowly figure out where you are until it is all pieced together and everything looks familiar.  With Ren and Tada today, that was certainly the case!  Once we were within 10 miles of our finish line, those two were sprinting down the roads and riding like they knew the place… because they did!  Just like yesterday, the winds were at our back as if the world was telling us to keep going North.  We had fun along the way, learned of new trails, and tried to stay cool where we could from the almost 90°F heat.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 74.8 miles

Elevation: 735 ft.

Points of Interest: Manhattan Water Tower, Chicago Canal, Dunkin’ Donuts, Oak Park, Ren’s Home, Massive Thunderstorm (not a point of interest, but definitely an interesting sight!)

Tales of the Trail

Bagels, egg casseroles, and fruit were all on the table as we woke up from our slumber at the Adventure Church in Kankakee.  They were making this such a tough place to leave because we had so much fun and incredibly welcoming hosts.  As we started the day before though, there was still a mission: get to Chicago.  Albeit begrudgingly, the team packed up their things into the van once more and talked over the ride for the day.  After the games played their role yesterday in making the miles move by faster than they otherwise would, Kev suggested in the morning that we take each leg of the ride today to discuss with another rider their life story and ask any questions we wish (answers optional, of course).  As we rolled out, spirits were lifted by the thoughts of another rest day approaching so soon.

The road was flat, as is most of Illinois, and we were able to avoid a lot of traffic through the first 20 miles, but there was about a 1-mile stretch right before the rest stop that was a little scary.  A heavier trafficked thru-road makes for a good test for communication amongst us as riders.  No one is ever alone and we are conquering any obstacles together, as a team.  Everyone talked with each other before turning onto the road and made sure that callouts for cars back and changes in the road were heard loud and clear.  We all made it through happy and well, but not wanting to go on more roads like this unless we have to.  At the first rest stop, we continued eating snacks from Randy and enjoyed some time taking micro-naps and laying down in a nice patch of grass near a church.  Today, there was also a sort of rest stop 1.1 when two of the teams independently decided to stop at a gas station up the road and found each other when they pulled into the lot.  

After cooling down, the teams that stopped rolled back onto the flat roads and started seeing signs that we were approaching Chicago: more suburban neighborhoods and houses, the last few stops on the Metra, and a few more cars with the White Sox or Cubs logos on them.  By the second rest stop, we were really getting close.  At that point, we were in Joliet and some of the roads to the locals were becoming familiar.  So much for adventuring, we were now arriving back to home territory.  Parker joined back in on the ride on Nishk’s bike during the day after waiting on his to be serviced back in Champaign.

The other evident sign of a larger metropolis is bike path infrastructure.  Not too long after Joliet, we switched from country roads to paths and were moving along a canal towards Chicago.  We found locks, shade, and some massive construction projects along the trails and wondered if we would ever see the city skyline.  The temperature on the day also kept increasing and water was running short in our bottles.  Luckily, thoughts of rest stop number three on the day were at the front of our heads because we knew there would be food, both in the van and the Dunkin’ Donuts attached to the gas station.  

That ended up being the perfect combination.  The gas station had super cold air conditioning, plenty of sugar to satisfy our bodies’ needs for quick energy, and enough interesting items to take a look at to distract our brains from the fact that we still had 17 or 18 miles to go in the day.  Only 15 of those really felt like they mattered.  They were tough, but the last 3 were well within the realm of knowledge for the Chicago kids and Ren led the way back to her house, even detouring where she knew a more pleasant route.  Arriving in Oak Park, we were greeted by Ren’s sibling and mother who had already been so kind as to offer a place for us to stay and were still being more helpful in finding spots for our bikes and belongings.  At this point, the rest day kind of began because different team members headed off to their own respective stays whether that was with family, friends, or each other.  Tada and Aadit were brave to try to bike where they were going but encountered the wild thunderstorm hitting the area on the way.  Tada dove into a car dealership for some shelter and Aadit, thinking he was safe on the Green Line, ended up having to get off and bike some more in the rain when that train shut down because of the weather.  Tough luck!  We are hoping the rest day tomorrow brings what is in the name “rest” and looking forward to the alumni reunion in the evening.

Day 19

The morning of our day of rest, we woke up across the city.  Those in Ren’s house had a new friend making them get up… a cat!  Elsewhere, friends and family woke up together with some being the first time seeing each other in a while.  As was the case in Champaign, a lot of activities were much more individual, but a couple of groups did get out and about.  Cole, Nishk, and Vedang woke up late and went to a bike shop for some parts.  They followed this with some tacos and another bike shop.  Parker, Ren, and Sam went to get lunch together and stopped at a gift shop where Sam got a neon train for Aadit (train enthusiast) and Parker got a hackeysack.  Max spent some of the day with friends at the beach.  Soon enough, it was time for full group activities once more.

Pushing a little earlier due to impending weather, the annual alumni reunion was hosted at Taylor Park and the current team was able to meet with past teams and riders and even some of the members that were with them training through the year, notably Andres for the latter.  Additionally, many family members joined to say hello and were so gracious as to bring food with them to continue to fill our stomachs and increase the stockpile of snacks in the van.  Previous members included riders from teams across the spectrum of the 19 years that Illini 4000 has existed and done a cross-country bike ride.  John Schlesinger, co-founder of Illini 4000, was there to show us where we can make it in life and bestow some wisdom that only an original rider would have.  Food and stories were shared as the late afternoon turned into the evening.  Some of the team went off to speak with a local about her cancer journey and when the rain was imminent, the party wound to a close.  Although the guests left mostly dry, the same could not be said for the team.  We ran with food from the reunion back to the van amidst pouring rain and a tornado siren starting.  

Everyone traveled back to Ren’s house where we were also able to invite Tada’s mother and speak about her ongoing cancer journey.  This was particularly emotional because she has one of the closest affiliations to the team as anyone we have spoken with.  Also, Tada’s mother had a way with words and spoke so fondly of her children that many of us were shedding tears or a bit lost for words.  Soon enough, it was again time to sleep and dream of the days we have ahead.

Day 16: Rest Day and Day 17: Leaving One Home and Racing Towards Another - Champaign, Illinois to Kankakee, Illinois

Day 16

The rest day in Champaign was truly a day filled with relaxation and writing a separate journal for what happened would have given you only just a few words.  Instead, we decided to combine this Champaign day with our rolling out of town too.  

After a night of spending time and socializing with the team and friends of the team, riders went various directions for where they would spend the night, whether that be at Maaike’s house, at their own apartments, or with family and friends nearby.  This split many of us into our own groups for the rest day and many of the stories to share would be as simple as sleeping, packing, moving out, or talking with friends we haven’t seen in some time.  There was one set of us who did get up to some fun together: Parker, Nishk, and Vedang.  These three went bowling, had lunch, and would later meet up with Max to do some bike bathing as you can see in the pictures below.

This type of day almost completely away from the mission at hand is necessary once in a while and you will see from what transpired during the ride that it was indeed a tremendous help.

Day 17

We are not sore! At least mostly not sore and that makes a huge difference. The team biked and walked back onto campus to arrive for the roll out at Allen Hall (our traditional spot for training ride starts). Being well fed and rested was a huge victory because I certainly felt that the 134-mile day was still taking a toll on my body even three days later. There had been no time for recovery and now we had it, in Champaign no less! Being back at the place where this all began and that means so much to all of us was special and a welcome sight when we rolled in two days ago. 

Ride Overview

Mileage: 83.4 miles

Elevation: 864 ft.

Tales of the Trail

Rolling out of Champaign this morning was a special experience because it marked, once again on this trip, leaving school for the Summer and adventuring into unfamiliar territory.  We waved goodbye to campus and the buildings we have become so accustomed to seeing in our views everyday and ventured out into the unknown… actually, just cornfields.

We added Kev Murphy, 2024 rider and Illini 4000 co-president, to our group this morning. Maaike was so excited to have Kev in her group because the two of them rode together in 2024. Kev even added our first rest stop of the day. Moving North into Rantoul, we stopped at Ott’s diner for a bite to eat.  This was one of those places where sometimes we may have said, “let’s just grab something quick and leave,” but instead look at the menu and decide with our stomachs it will be a longer pause in the ride.  Some of the streets on the way were closing for a vintage car show coming to town. Although it was a little early to see much, we spotted an El Camino, F-100, Malibu, and Camaro among others. It’s always nice to see something to take your eyes away from staring at the tire in front of you or the monotonous road out in the distance.  

In between the bookend first and third rest stops, the ride was almost entirely on Route 45 through Illinois and with a strong tailwind.  We were being blown closer and closer to Chicago as if the world wanted us to get there!  When the novelty of averaging somewhere around 17 mph wore off, teams on the road resorted to games to play in order to keep their minds off of the repetitive road and landscape for miles upon miles.  Whether it was a quiz, or a guessing game, or a tale of life stories, our teammates knew how to keep us occupied and that was totally worth it.  If a typical distance between rest stops is 20 miles, playing something and talking along the way makes it feel like that next stop just moved 15 miles closer.  The sun was out, the day was lovely, and spirits were all pretty high.

At our last rest stop of the day, we had plenty of ways to cool down from the heat.  For one, the gas station we had pulled off at had some incredible air conditioning.  Also, the clouds decided to drop some rain right on our heads.  It didn’t last long which meant that nothing got really soaked through, but it was enough to get us damp and felt amazing once we were rolling and the wind was evaporating the water off of our clothes.  That has to be one of the best feelings on a bike because even running doesn’t quite give the same feeling as gliding and being cooled by your movement.  The small reprieve is what really powered us through mentally until we made it to our final destination in Kankakee.

Speaking of that final destination, have you ever heard of an Adventure Church?  Well Kankakee has one and this is where we had been able to find a place to spend the night.  With all kinds of sports courts, a mini-golf course, and a great room for us to set up sleeping bags, this was another welcoming and very fun stayover we have had.  Before bedtime and writing this journal, the team played basketball, football, soccer, and 9-holes of mini-golf.  The scores for the mini-golf were announced at dinner and Parker, with a remarkable 2-under par, took home the victory!  Our legs may have taken on more fatigue from all of our playing here than they did during the ride today with such favorable winds.  I guess we will find out over the next couple of days.

Day 15: Enter Champaign - Home Sweet Home - Rockville, Indiana to Champaign, Illinois

It is very exciting and refreshing to be back! The team has been looking forward to coming back to Champaign for a few days now. Looking back on the place where we had all of our meetings and training rides it feels quite surreal to be biking back to our campus. 

Ride Overview

Mileage: 76.7 miles

Elevation: 1,324 ft.

Tales of the Trail

Ride Dedication: Holly Bledsoe

Parker and his mother Holly who we all ride for at center surrounded by the team. (Photo: Fred Zwicky)

After our stay at Randy’s we started off the morning with a giant wonderful breakfast provided by Randy and his family/friends. After filling ourselves with a nourishing feast for breakfast we (sadly) had to say goodbye to Randy and make sure to get a picture with him and the full team before we rolled out. Considering the tough headwinds of previous days, we were glad to have relatively favorable conditions. 

The ride went by quite quickly as it was so incredibly flat and the team was just looking forward to getting to Champaign. Even so much so that we had to take longer rest stops in order to not make it to Meadowbrook Park too early. In this time though the team definitely made the most of their time. Whether taking a nap on the ground, recording tiktoks, or chatting we definitely made the most of our rest stops today. With probably less than 1,000 feet of elevation and without the headwinds of the previous days the team felt like we were flying. 

The first few two rest stops were on the side of the road and not super memorable. We definitely didn’t need any food from gas stations as we had plenty of food from our goodie bags from Randy yesterday!

As the team rolled into Homer lake the memories came flooding back: our numerous training rides and paddling with the Prairie Dragon Paddlers. At Homer Lake we met up with a photographer from the University of Illinois, the great Fred Zwicky, that would get some very official and professional photos of us. Also at Homer Lake we were met by Tada, a rider who had left briefly to get a new bike, but is now back and better than ever. 

As the team rolled out from Homer Lake on our way to campus you could feel the excitement mounting. Everyone was looking forward to meeting their friends, family, and others on campus. When we rolled into Meadowbrook Park we were met by numerous friends, family, fresh popsicles (shoutout to popcycle), and even Illini 4000 alumni who were there to welcome us home and bike with us to the quad to finish off our day of biking. With many hugs shared, popsicles eaten, and pictures taken, the team (and friends) rolled out towards the quad. With bikes ranging from road bikes to mountain bikes, (having a kickstand on a bike is now quite a foreign concept for us) we started our 3-mile bike to finish off the day. As we all biked into the quad and got greeted by our family we had only one thing left to do, a victory lap! Everyone on the team did an easy fun lap around the quad in celebration of making it back to campus. After this lap a little chaos broke out as the team decided to do a 2nd lap and have a sprint race around the quad. With a few close calls around very tight corners we finally finished up our fun and got back to our family and friends. 

This is a very special day to the team as we biked into champaign, but especially for me. (Parker) This past December my mom got diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer and started doing chemo at the same time that I started fundraising and training for Illini 4000. This made the cause all that more special for me and I am riding in honor of her this year. Today, the whole team and I got to meet her as we rolled into the quad. Today we dedicated the ride for her, so it was overall a very special day for me. 

Although the team was very eager to go their separate ways, we had to get a few team pictures first then the team mostly dispersed on their own. Most of the team, after getting a much needed shower, met back up and got dinner at Maaike’s house as her parents graciously made the whole team a wonderful dinner. With all of our legs being very tired from the previous days of biking we decided to end the night with a more intellectual challenge: Murphy’s trivia. Even though we could only make teams of 6 we had enough alumni and friends show up that we were able to make three teams. Although I knew the answers to almost none of the questions it was awesome to just be able to celebrate and hangout with everyone. You will be proud though as both of your journalists, Parker and Cole, were on the team who won the entirety of Murphy’s trivia tonight. (Mostly thanks to Cole, Maaike, and our other teammates), but either way it was an amazing night.

(Photo: Fred Zwicky)

(Photo: Fred Zwicky)

(Photo: Fred Zwicky)

Day 14: Ride to Randy’s! - Indianapolis, Indiana to Rockville, Indiana

Today was a very exciting day as the whole team was looking forward to meeting one of Illini 4000’s biggest supporters: Randy! This marks the 18th year that he has hosted the team in Rockville, Indiana. We were ready for a shorter biking day of 63 miles, which ended up being slightly more difficult than we first thought. 

Ride Overview

Mileage: 63.5 miles

Elevation: 2,194 ft.

Tales of the Trail

The team was full of energy in the morning as it was a shorter day and we would get to meet Randy in the evening. We have heard many stories from alumni that Rockville is one of the best stayovers on the whole trip. (spoiler alert, it did not disappoint) 

Our first rest stop was on the side of the road and went by pretty quick. Our team has somewhat come to a consensus that we prefer to have a few quick rest stops in the morning and then try and have a longer “lunch” rest stop every day. With the continued trend of bike paths we powered through the first 40 miles with little to no issue, just tired legs from the long mileage of past days compounding. The second rest stop was really a “make your own rest stop.” The official rest stop was slightly further up the road but the two teams decided to stop a little early to get lunch. One of the teams stopped at Burger King, while the other went to a gas station. I was a part of the group that went to Burger King, and honestly a warm meal + soda during a bike ride was just what I needed. 

After a warm meal we quickly went by the second rest stop to refill water, put on sunscreen, and go on our way. The last 22-mile stretch is where the ride began to test our mental fortitude. The temperature was in the 80s, quite humid, and the country roads don’t really provide too much shade. Towards the end of the ride we began almost running out of water and slightly overheating. There were also quite a few “gravel” roads that seemed to be more like rocks to me that were slightly painful to ride through. However, all of these temporary struggles fell away as we saw those big red doors of Rockville’s First United Methodist Church. We were greeted by Randy and his friends/family. (We could tell by their awesome matching tie dye shirts). Randy shuttled us all to a local fairground for some much needed showers. We had some free time before dinner so the team made the most of it and swam at a local neighbor of the church’s pool (Ed and Rita Roach), who even provided drinks for us! After getting all of our energy out and cooling off the team made our way back to the church for dinner. 

The dinner consisted of pulled pork, mac n cheese, fresh watermelon, potatoes, tasty desserts, and many more. During dinner we even got to hear a bell choir as a little bit of entertainment while we ate! It was a fun activity for the team to try and guess what songs they were playing. (we were not correct very often, but they did an amazing job) After dinner the team was able to fill up their “Love Bags” from Randy, which are a gallon ziploc bag full of as many snacks that will fit. Randy refers to all of us as his kids and we definitely feel the love every year that we go to Rockville and are super appreciative for all the support. We as a team are definitely beginning to feel more and more like a family.

After dinner my group went to one of the church members' houses to go to sleep for the night. However, when we got there Bill told us all about his life story and how he opened his own Ace Hardware. He then showed us in the backyard he has a whole room full of workout equipment, a ping pong table, and a foosball table. Even in his late 80s he was still able to school us in ping pong. Although all these fun and games made us stay up longer than we maybe should have, it was a wonderful experience that my teammates and I are sure to never forget.

Day 13: We Always Get Back Up - Richmond, Indiana to Indianapolis, Indiana

Today was a very tough day for the whole group. With the excitement and adrenaline of doing our longest ride in known recent I4k history being gone, today cannot be explained as anything other than a grind. This was a day full of headwinds, which we are used to, however we are not accustomed to tackling a 90-mile day right after biking 130 miles the day before. It was not all bad though as the team had an amazing stayover to look forward to at the end of the ride where a few alumni hosted us at their house! Since we are all so tired and wanted to enjoy our stayover interacting with the alumni as much as we can, this will probably be a shorter journal post. We do want to try and keep mostly on track with daily uploading as much as we can though.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 93.7 miles

Elevation: 2,268’

Tales of the Trail

The team awoke, legs still heavy as we all got ready for the day. We all ate Jimmy John's sandwiches and oatmeal for breakfast that the church had provided. The weather was amazing as we rolled out. As the first stretch of the ride was only 17 miles until the rest stop, most of the team was feeling good, albeit pretty sore. Our first rest stop was a very small grocery store/gas station, so a lot of the team purchased a wide variety of snacks, most notably candy. We had to restock as yesterday we went through 4 lbs of Twizzlers as a team! (probably half of which was eaten by the man, the myth, the legend, Anthony Salemi himself)

It was during the second stretch that we realized we were going to be in for another long day. After rolling out from the first rest stop, we almost instantly hit a 15-mile long stretch on one road. It was completely flat but with 15 mph headwinds the whole way and no tree coverage. This middle part was very grueling and definitely one of the most mentally and physically tough. A quite comical moment that really summed up how we all felt happened during the rest stop. While making a PB&J, Cole dropped a slice of bread covered in peanut butter straight onto his nice white bike shoes. While most of the ride was really tough, our one saving grace was the third rest stop being an ice cream shop. We all got a much needed pick-me-up of sugary goodness.

The rest of the day was really just the team grinding to get to the end. After a 130-mile day previous, we could really feel the miles compounding. Each mile felt like another challenge, but eventually after definitely one of the hardest days yet we rolled into the stayover and were greeted by two alumni: Logan and Rebecca Orr. They are a couple who did the ride together in 2017 (and are now married with two children!) who graciously decided to host us. Although being tired, seeing food laid out right as we rolled in, the team did not hesitate to start digging into some shrimp, bean, chicken, and beef tacos. Along with banana pudding, chips, and salsa. (We were (and are) definitely very spoiled!) Afterwards we all went outside to either throw a ball around or hear all of their stories around a campfire. We spent hours comparing routes, reminiscing, and overall just having a great time hearing about what we have to look forward to. We also heard from them about what we can do to make the ride more enjoyable and memorable. The team even got to see their signed jerseys from the 2017 ride! They said they had 27 people on their team, which is crazy to think about since that is more than double the size of our team this year. I feel like a smaller team comes with both positives and negatives. It has been an amazing summer of bonding so far, as we are so small I feel like we are becoming a very tight knit group.

This was also an eventful day from other tough perspectives: mechanical problems and falls along the way.  The first incident of the day was Anthony catching a broken cable in his shifting mechanisms.  This relegated him to the van until a bike shop could be found between the rest stops during the day.  Frustrating, but at least no injury occurred.  Then, it was Cole’s turn to enter the string of unfortunate news on the message channels.  He had a fall about halfway between the second and third rest stops and scraped up his hip and shoulder.  Although the bib shorts did not survive unscathed, he and his bike were good to go.  The rest of the ride was completed in some pain, but it was done.  Next, we got a call at the van from Anthony during our fourth rest stop that Sam had broken a wheel spoke.  Then, another one broke!  Again, Sam was fine, but it knocked him out for the rest of the day with an unrideable bike.  Finally, Ren had a fall while coming onto some busier and much bumpier roads in Indianapolis.  She too is alright, but like Cole, a bit scraped up.  Whew!  Finished.

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Cole Pawlak

How are you feeling today?

Ha ha… That is a tough question after today because I think this is the most tired and exhausted I have been the whole Summer.  I thought I was catching up after the rest day in Columbus, but the 133-mile ride to Richmond yesterday really took it out of me.  My legs feel tired, my body feels tired, my mind feels tired.  Yeah.  I am having a lot of fun and really enjoying seeing the country!  This is just a tough time for me though.

What was your favorite part of today's ride? 

My favorite part of today’s ride was right after we left the stayover.  The sun was rising, it was relatively cool, and the wind was still light as compared to the end of the ride.  Some rolling hills and a good group with Parker and Maaike made for a very nice way to start the day.  I went on to have a bit of a crash later, I’m all okay, but that put another damper on the good vibes that this group and ride exude to me.

And what motivated you to join Illini 4000?

Well, I first saw an advertisement for Illini 4000 on Instagram back in 2023 during my first year as a graduate student at the University of Illinois and thought it sounded like a super neat program.  I ended up missing the application deadline that year and it ended up being good because I had other opportunities to cash in on.  This year though, it was time to try.  I really love cycling and I wanted to see if I could have some kind of positive influence on the world, so the combination of the two was perfect.  I also have some family who have been afflicted by cancer and it has felt special to honor them too.  The adventure called me and I responded!

Before joining Illini 4000 how much bike training had you done? What other athletic background did you have that you feel would help for the ride?

In high school I bought my first road bike because I was really interested in riding further and faster than what was possible on my mountain bike.  I wanted to be able to make it from my house to my grandpa’s house which was a little over 30 miles away and that was going to make it possible.  I eventually did that ride, almost passed out during it, but I loved the feeling of being able to explore on two wheels and my own power.  In college, I joined some rides with the Penn State Cycling Club and during 2020 I built the bike that I ride today.  At the University of Illinois, I joined Illini Cycling and that was the most fun I have ever had riding with others.  This is what really got me out on the bike more often and in the best riding shape of my life.  Cycling is also a primarily leg muscle sport so it lends itself to what I am good at as a soccer player and skier through my childhood.

And then what is your bike's model, and does it have a name?

I have a 2017 Specialized S-Works Roubaix frame with a collection of components that I purchased, found, or had gifted to me when I was in the build process.  It does not have a name.  I tend not to assign names to inanimate objects.  That’s just me.

And then what are you most excited about and nervous about? 

I am now most nervous about the rides through the Midwest.  I usually do quite well on climbs, so the mountains excite me more than scare me; however, it is the long hours in the saddle for the next couple of weeks that make me nervous about how my body will hold up.  The last couple of days where we are riding for 8-10 hours a day I am not sure are sustainable forever for me.  We will find out though.

I am most excited to see the Tetons in Wyoming.  As a skier, going to Jackson will be an awesome moment for me because they are some of the mountains that I dream about when I sleep.  I have seen videos and pictures but never been in person and I think it will be a life changing memory.
Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter?
I am a creamy peanut butter guy myself.  Crunchy is doable, but creamy is definitely the preference.

Day 12: The Longest Ride - Columbus, Ohio to Richmond, Indiana

Today was quite possibly one of the longest legs in the Illini 4000 history: 133.7 miles.  This was a massive accomplishment from the whole team on a day when everyone who was with us spent some time on the road.  Despite being a long day, this journal may be short because we are going to sleep and waking up to tackle another ~90 mile ride tomorrow!

Ride Overview

Mileage: 133.7 miles

Elevation: 1,703 ft.

Points of Interest: Ohio Stadium, Olentangy Trail, London, Dayton, friendly and scary geese, mile 100, kabooses, Ohio/Indiana border

Tales of the Trail

We received a message from Anthony last night detailing the route for today and how many miles it was actually going to be.  Everything before then was just speculation.  When over 130 miles was scheduled, everyone knew it was going to be rough and that it would take a lot of coordination and a team effort to get it done.  The motivation we had going for us is that some of the past riders chimed in when they too saw the distance and said it was one of the longest Illini 4000 days they had ever seen.  We are pretty confident it is the longest post-2020.  

The combined group at the very end of the longest ride.

The morning was abbreviated to try to get on the road and rolling by 7:00 am even though we were only waking up at 6:15 am.  We were mostly riding by 7:15 am, so not too bad.  Riding through and out of Columbus, we almost immediately hit the Olentangy Trail which Max described as “feeling like another country.”  We rode past the Ohio Stadium and medical facilities we had visited yesterday and carried on West out of the city.  Our legs felt fresh from the rest day and quite early on we knew that the limiting factor for whether we were going to finish 130 miles before sundown was going to be the rest stops and making them short.  The first, went mostly as planned.  After more miles on bike trails (well over 90% of the day on the whole was on trails) we made it to the second rest stop in London, Ohio.

At this stop which was a trailhead and campground, we met Dave.  Dave is a volunteer at the campground who had just sent a troop of boy scouts on their way on bicycles too after camping the night.  We actually passed them on the road just before getting there.  He also told us about his experience with cancer and in the middle of that another woman walked by and had kind words and encouragement to say.  For trying to keep rolling along, this made things difficult, but of course our mission is to talk and spread the word of our cause, so we were happy to talk.  

Both teams on the road at this point (we had 2 groups rolling through the day) were keeping pace with each other separated only by the time difference from when they left each stop.  We were just trying to outrun time and continuing to be moving was the answer.  Before our next rest stop, one group met a pair of ladies who were biking in the same direction and decided to tag along for a few miles.  They encouraged us to keep going and wished us the best for our country crossing journey.  By the third rest stop at mile 62, we were feeling already one full day in almost (which in reality we were) and had a chance to meet with another local near the trail.  Anthony (not our Anthony) shared the story of him and his grandmother who passed from breast cancer when he was younger and made the team realize once more the gravity of creating positive change around cancer treatments with his emotional story.

At this point, the miles were blurring past and some of us just needed an idea or activity to latch onto, so one of the groups started taking pictures at the kabooses they found along the way because there seemed to be many along the rail trail that continued bringing us Westward in Ohio.  Eventually, Dayton came and passed and the riding was getting very difficult.  The temperature was in the mid-80s (°F) and the fatigue from the day was setting in.  We knew that if we made the rest stop at mile 111 in time, 130 was going to happen and that is what we set our minds to.  This was hard.  Regardless of the cycling background of anyone on the team, this was a major day.  Sometimes the communication paused while we each focused on our efforts individually, sometimes words of encouragement were passed between riders.  

The two groups rolled into the mile 111 rest stop at the same time and before 6:00 pm, so we knew that 22 miles was achievable before the end of the day. However, achievable and easy are two very different things. Despite a rough and tiring day of riding, the team was determined to finish, so we all loaded up our pockets with as much sugar as we could get our hands on and rolled out for the last 22 miles. With the thoughts in our heads of “20 miles, that is  just a midweek training.” (During the spring for training we would have a 20 mile ride in the middle of the week). The whole team made a final push towards stayover. Both ride groups today even met up around 3 miles away from the stayover so we formed what we like to call a mega-group! This was an amazing experience to finish a very hard day altogether as a full team. 

Parker, Vedang, Lauren, and Cole at the Indiana border (listed from left to right).

When we finally made it to the rest stop, there was a sense of relief, joy, triumph, and wanting to sit down desperately.  We had done it!  It was hard-fought and many miles through the day were grueling to each person because of mental and physical battles with the riding.  Nevertheless, we persevered and overcame.  Time to see how we feel tomorrow!

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Parker Bledsoe

How are you feeling today?

I am feeling proud of myself, tired, and reflective. I am both proud and tired because we biked 130 miles today, which is the furthest I have ever ridden the bike. It feels a little weird to be the one getting interviewed instead of being the one asking the questions. But yeah I have seemingly no thoughts in my head right now after biking for 10 hours today. 

What was your favorite part of today's ride? 

Okay so, usually I am anti bike path/trail as most of the ones on the ride so far have not been paved. However today I really enjoyed the nice shaded 90 mile long bike path that we were on. Even though it was a super long ride I felt that it went by quicker than I thought I would. I was just super excited to hit 100+ miles as the furthest I had biked previously was 94 miles. 

And what motivated you to join Illini 4000?

Originally when I first heard about Illini4000 I was very intrigued by the aspect of biking across the country. However, soon after I signed up my mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. This gave me a lot more reason to care about the cause and I am riding in honor of her. 

Before joining Illini 4000 how much bike training had you done? What other athletic background did you have that you feel would help for the ride?

Before Illini4000 I had bought an old used road bike and used it for two local short triathlons, but I definitely would not have referred to myself as a cyclist before I started Illini4000. I was more of a runner. I joined cross country and track in my senior year of high school. Also I have run quite a few races, most notably I ran the champaign marathon last year! 

What is your bike's model, and does it have a name?

My bike is a 2025 Trek Domane SL5, and currently it does not have a name, but I do need to figure one out. I hope that the name will come to me as I bike more. 

What are you most excited about and nervous about? 

I am nervous mostly just about the amount of miles in a row, especially as I have been dealing with some hand pain during the beginning of the ride. I believe I have fixed the issue though after changing my saddle a little bit. Also I am slightly nervous about the mountains when we get further west. I am excited mostly about exploring the country, especially visiting the national parks. I have never really been to that side of the country before so it will be an amazing experience. 

Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter?

I definitely prefer creamy peanut butter. Not really sure even why, I just know I always have been and I always will be. I also just don’t like the crunch. 

Day 11: Rest Day in Columbus and Visit with Past Damon Runyon Fellows at The Ohio State University

Waking up in a climbing gym really was a novelty we were not expecting to have throughout the Summer.  Something was just really neat about waking up in a place that feels like it holds some of the same adventure and outdoor motivations as we do being on this cross-country ride.  Everyone was up and out of their sleeping bags around 8:00 am this morning.  This is an early rise for most of us in normal times, but today it felt like a luxurious sleep in.  In our ever persistent search for calories, we decided to bring the van, with all 12 of us here, over to a Bob Evans for breakfast before the bigger events of the day were to unfold.  We certainly got some energy and probably a bit more stuffing than we were hoping for when we were trying to pack in the van again.  As it turns out, 12 people do fit, and we make it work quite well, but along with 8 bikes it can be difficult.  

The whole team packed in the van!

Breakfast then proceeded into our next short drive over to The Ohio State University.  We were greeted by Professor Vladislav (Vlad) Belyy who immediately made a great impression on us by joining in the crowd in the van to help find us a parking spot.  That was pretty bold!  He then gave us a quick walking tour of the buildings leading up to the Pharmacy Building and Biological Sciences Building.  We observed the strange crossing out of “M”s on any written signs and learned about some thermal engineering where a heating pipe was built in a meandering pattern to change the way it expands with heat from purely lengthwise to some in length and some in the side to side axis.  Maybe this was more information than you needed to know, maybe this was more information than we needed to know, but alas.  Inside, we sat down with Vlad and discussed some of his connection with Damon Runyon, our mission, and some about us personally.  We found out that he was a Damon Runyon fellow for his postdoctoral degree which gave him the opportunities to work freely on projects of his own inspiration.  Since Vlad is a great teacher too, he gave us a quick lesson on some of the mechanisms inside eukaryotic cells and some of the methods through which cancer treatments are targeting these pathways to stop uncontrolled growth of cancerous regions.  Although we could not explain it all for you here, his research essentially focuses on the messages that are sent within cells telling them to go into cell death (apoptosis) and how they can be read and controlled in normal and cancerous cells.

Visit to Vlad’s lab.

We toured his lab spaces and looked at a $400,000 laser imaging setup, then met some of his students during pizza lunch (our favorite).  Next, it was onto a visit with Professor Maria Mihaylova and her lab group.  She was also a Damon Runyon fellow during her postdoctoral degree and has studied how cell aging influences cancer.  While definitely a slightly different field from what Vlad looks at, this has some similarities.  After hearing a few different scientists talk about cancer and related treatments over the Summer now, we are all picking up on some patterns here and there of the techniques trying to be developed to solve this disease.  The reality is that many solutions will be for very specific scenarios and that there will likely never be one catch-all solution since cancer in itself is not all the same.  In Maria’s lab, we had a demonstration of how they look at and sequence mRNA to try to uncover patterns in the messages being sent by the cells (see a pattern even in these two labs?).  We also met some of her students and the whole time were in the Pelotonia Research Center which is neat because it is also a cancer fundraising organization based on cycling.  Pelotonia has been around since 2009 and has raised over $300 million dollars for cancer research.  We now have one of their magnets attached to our van!

Visit to Maria’s lab.

After an amazing tour of the facilities, with stomachs full of pizza and brains full of knowledge, the team was definitely ready for a much needed afternoon nap. Despite our stayover being a climbing gym we were much too tired from yesterday to think about climbing or really any other physical activity again until tomorrow. As it was such a nice day more than half the team decided to bring their sleeping pad outside and rest in the shade. (Maybe some of the best sleep of my life) As we gradually woke up, the team decided it was time for dinner. We all piled into the van once again, with 12 bikes this time! It was a tight fit as we all fell into our seats like tetris pieces and headed towards downtown to get a bite to eat. Most of us went to get poke bowls, but a few of us split off and got subway and one person even got persian food! After we had all eaten we decided to make our way altogether to a restaurant named Tasty Dawg. While primarily a hot dog establishment they also had ice cream which all the team was excited to eat.

After a long day the team all piled back into our van and made the venture back to our stayover to prepare for the long day of biking ahead. We made sure to prioritize our time well and get some necessary things done that come with a bike trip across the country. The first of these being taking out all of our bikes, backpacks, and numerous other random items that accumulate so we could deep clean the van. While half the team was cleaning, some others either took the opportunity to shower or do some needed bike maintenance. While nothing was catastrophic, accumulating this many miles on a bike in such a short time means that small issues are bound to occur, so we took advantage of our rest day to fix these problems that arose. While we ride our days usually blend together, so it is very refreshing to have a day to relax and (mostly) not have to follow a rigid daily schedule. This however can not last forever as our team is gearing up for a big ride tomorrow, but we made sure to try and get as much rest and do everything we can to prepare ourselves for the days ahead. The team is very excited as we are getting nearer and nearer to Champaign with every day of biking.

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Max Zhu

How are you feeling today?

Feeling good! The rest day was really good, feeling really strong on the bike recently. I was super sore at the last rest stop at Penn State or State College, but I'm feeling a lot stronger now.

What was your favorite part of yesterday's ride?

There were a couple standout points. Yesterday was 67 miles, so it was a lighter day, and it went really, really fast, which is really nice. We stopped by apparently the world's largest basket, which was cool. It was on the side of the road, I think it was a big headquarters for a basket company at some point. I believe since then they've moved out, but it's just like on the side of the highway, and you could see it for literally miles coming in. So that was cool. There were also a lot of bike paths yesterday, and the weather was really good, so it was good temperature. The sun was out, and we had tailwinds on the last 20 plus miles, so we were just booking on the way back. So that's really fun.

What motivated you to join Illini 4000?

I think my motivation to join Illini 4000 is kind of two part. I think it's both for myself and to be able to give back. For the first part, for myself, I've always been really active. I like to play just  pretty much any sport I can get my hands on. A lot of intramurals, I think I was on seven new intramurals at one point in like one semester. I enjoy playing sports outside, just getting outside, lifting, doing whatever. So, Illini 4000 posed like a new kind of challenge that I thought would be interesting to kind of test myself with. I ran track in high school, but it was really short sprints. Doing cardio and stuff is not as fun as I thought, but it's alright, and it's a good time for sure. And then the second part is just really giving back, you know? I know a lot of personal family and friends that have experienced, or been affected by cancer, and I'm fortunate enough to be in a position where I can do something to give back. So, I think it's good that I take the opportunity to do so,

Before joining Illini 4000 how much bike training had you done?

For bike training specifically? This is my first road bike. I've owned a bike and ridden a bike around before, maybe in middle school, but for cycling I've never clipped in or out until I applied to Illini 4000. I found out the hard way, I had fell probably like five times at a complete stop. So pretty new to cycling, but yeah, generally otherwise pretty active with other stuff.

What is your bike's model, and does it have a name?

My bike is a Giant Contend AR four. I don't know what year it is, but I bought it new this year, so I assume it's 2025/2026 or something like that. You put me on the spot for the name, but me and Tada have been calling each other little Jit, which Jit is just like Florida State slang. I think, for just kid. So basically we're calling each other little kid, and because my bike is a giant I'm gonna name my bike Giant jit. 

What are you most excited about and nervous about? 

Oh I'm really excited to get out west for a lot of the scenic stuff. Generally, I'm just really playing it day by day. I think thinking too far ahead is gonna get stressful, for sure, especially thinking about the mileage and what really is ahead or lies ahead. So, I'm taking it day by day, but I'm really excited for the West Coast. I think there's a lot of natural beauty out there, which would be cool, but we got to get through a lot of miles of flat midwest first. And then what I'm nervous about is, I guess, similarly, just like the sheer amount of miles that we continue to put in. I've ridden every mile so far, and I would really, really like to continue that streak, but obviously I'm gonna listen to my body, and if I need to rest, I'm gonna rest, so we'll see. But also, we have the 130 mile day tomorrow, so that'll be a test for sure. 

Anything else you want to say to the world?

I don't know, again, put me on the spot. I think with something like this, something so unique, I guess my mindset going in, and I think what I want to tell everybody else is: continue to challenge yourself, have fun with things, and just take things one step at a time.

Are you on Team Sprinkles or Team No Sprinkles?

Absolutely no sprinkles. I want that on record, bang.

Day 10: Hallmarks of the Midwest - Zanesville, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio

This Tuesday was a fairly routine one on the road, but we had some fun after ride activities and a new type of location for a stayover.  Tailwinds propelled us at the end of the ride into Columbus which was a great way to kick off a period of rest!

Ride Overview

Mileage: 67.8 miles

Elevation: 2,591 ft.

Tales of the Trail

In Zanesville, Ohio for the morning, we had a pretty normal schedule: wake up at 5:30 am, breakfast at 5:45 am, morning circle (the organizing meeting before the ride everyday) at 6:45 am, roll out at 7:00 am.  Everything was on time and we had some very good breakfast at the Bethel Community Center. Even a fresh package of donuts was dropped off at our door right when we woke up!  This was another morning of having some of the ride groups meet up by virtue of hitting or missing traffic lights and variable speed through different sections.  Always fun, but we did break up as always to not create such a huge conglomerate of riders on the road.  

Anthony followed by Vedang on one of the winding bike trails of the day.

Our first rest stop outside of a Dollar General was lighthearted and easy going.  It felt like everyone was in pretty good spirits after having survived the challenge of the day before and looking forward to the rest day tomorrow.  Also, we had a large contingent of us, possibly everyone but the van driver if I am remembering correctly back on the road.  More riders always equals more fun for the whole team.  As the day kept rolling, we were seeing more of Ohio and also more bike trails!  One of them rode right past what must have been the world's largest basket:

View of the basket building in the distance.

We found out from a local on the trail that this was a landmark building and actually under review for what is next since the original company has left its premises.  This bike trail brought us all the way to our second rest stop of the day where we found out Tada, our valiant van driver for the last couple of days would likely be leaving us that evening to go pick up a bike that will be his ride for the rest of the Summer.

Tada has had a tough time over this first week and a half with his, frankly beautiful, vintage Klein bicycle from the 80s being a speed machine on the flats, but tough to get up hills with only 6 gears working at the rear and 2 on the front.  Unbelievably, he made it to the stayover in Pittsburgh!  That just shows how physically and mentally strong he is.  Anyways, with these troubles and a bit of a nagging injury, he has spent some time driving the van for us which has been a tremendous help to the team.  Tonight though, he left with his mother from Columbus to go reset and adjust his setup.  The team has since seen a picture of what will be coming back and we truly cannot wait to have Tada with us on the ride again.  Our first day out of Columbus will be different without him.

The end of the ride brought us through Westerville which is where we found a bike shop to do some repairs for us on our day off and then to Vertical Adventures where we would be staying.  Before I get to that, I must talk about our dinner.  We had food donated by a local Mexican restaurant, Dos Sabores, which was really neat.  They hosted us at their restaurant with fajitas and enchiladas and all the chips and queso we could ask for.  Just when we thought we were leaving, churros came to the table and we didn’t know what to do with ourselves again.  The generosity of others is truly incredible.  

Now, for the stayover.  The church we had stayed at in Columbus years prior is undergoing renovations this year so we needed to find somewhere new.  A full team effort went into finding where might host this team of 13 riders and a climbing gym called Vertical Adventures agreed.  I am writing this from their building right now and it is so fun to be sitting under the rock climbing walls and bouldering facilities.  Even though we were tired from riding, it didn’t stop us from getting a little bit of vertical action in.

Sam conquering a boulder problem!

We’ll see you tomorrow on our rest day! (Don’t worry, the next Cyclists’ Corner will come then too!)

Day 9: Last Glimpse of the Mountains - Wheeling, West Virginia to Zanesville, Ohio

The team had been hyping this day up for the last couple of nights at stayovers because looking forward at the expected route, there was over 5,000 ft. of climbing combined with almost 90 miles of riding!  Although we are all going to sleep well tonight at the Bethel Community Center in Zainesville, Ohio, the mental attitude we started the day with propelled us to a lighter emotional state despite all of the climbing and riding we did go through. 

Ride Overview

Mileage: 91.4 miles

Elevation: 5,433 ft.

Points of Interest: Ohio River, Climb up Kirkwood Heights Road, West Virginia/Ohio Border, many horses

Tales of the Trail

Although the day was littered with hills, the most intense climbing came right up front.  Instead of getting hit again right at the end with the toughest climbing like we were in Pittsburgh, it was a relief to do some of it with fresher legs only 5 miles into the route.  The first climb was 1.2 miles long climbing 593 ft. which averages to a 9.0% grade!  To put this in perspective, it took our riders between 8 and 20 minutes to reach the top, all of which was nearly a maximum effort.  Taking an average, that’s 14 minutes of putting in all of the physical exertion you can!  We all did it, but I can feel the effort and toll this put on my body even writing this right now.  The view at the top of the climb was truly spectacular!  All of the riders caught up to each other and took a picture looking out over Wheeling with the beautiful sunrise.

Riders from the day appreciating the beautiful view over Wheeling that they climbed to! (from left to right: Aadit, Nishk, Anthony, Maaike, Max, Vedang, Ehsan, Cole)

Had we not had some of the “training” from Pennsylvania, there would have been no way this was possible; certainly not during our actual training rides in Illinois.  Now that our legs had become tired right at the beginning of the day, we were lucky to have some small extra hills and then descending.  There was one descent that really worked our grip strength (don’t think we’re just lower body muscles!).  That hill had the team either exclaiming at the wild rollercoaster ride they had experienced or feeling slightly terrified at the road surface underneath them for such a steep road when they got to the bottom.  Soon enough, we had the first rest stop and some much needed rest and fuel at the van.

From here, the day progressed relatively smoothly.  The rest of the elevation was nowhere near as intense and mostly was covered over rolling hills.  This isn’t to say it’s not difficult, actually on the contrary, rolling hills can be some of the most frustrating and difficult type of riding to complete because you are always shifting and measuring your effort; however, the concentration of effort is lower.  We caught some nice long slight descents too where we were able to fly as groups pushing into the 17-20 mph range while not going straight down.  This feels so fun when drafting off of riders in front of you and today was no different.  

Aadit followed by Vedang and then Max all giving big efforts on the hills.

Between the first and second rest stop, the team also met a fun Ohio character: George!  Showing the kindness that strangers can have, we walked across a footbridge where the usual bridge was out and onto the driveway of who we now know as George.  He was curious about how far we had gone, where we were coming from and going to and even offered us water or tea if we wanted any.  Both of the riding groups ran into him which was so fun!  George even gave us the quote, or maybe joke, of the day:

“Which is closer, the Moon or California? … Well I can see the Moon!”

— George

This felt so fitting given as we are heading towards California and that feels like a lifetime away at the moment.  The reason for sharing this interaction is because it is a microcosm of many of the interactions that we get daily along our rides that are not always shared in teh journals.  People can be so kind and caring and we certainly see that a lot while supporting good causes.

Before our third stop of the day, we were able to get back on bike trails which is always lovely.  This one was short because we knew another was just 10 miles out (for a reason you will know soon).  Nishk and Maaike had another kind interaction with a stranger who paid for some snacks from a dollar store for them while in New Concord, Ohio.  Overall though, the ride was beginning to flatten out and the Midwest atmosphere kept on building.  This was all building to Dairy Duchess (also in New Concord, I guess we love it here).  I believe this counted as our first on the road ice cream stop and it was a good one!  Shakes, floats, cones, even some burgers and grilled cheeses were ordered and fueling our team for the final stretch.  Illini 4000 teams of the past have always been raving to us about the ice cream stores, stops, and stands they found throughout the country and this was a great one for us.

Vedang (left) and Max (right) enjoying the bike trails together.

We rode just a bit of highway coming into Zanesville, but shortly turned into neighborhoods and made our way to the Bethel Community Center.  Our hosts, once again, were so lovely, had dinner waiting for us, and even the mayor of Zanesville was there to greet us.  There were two individuals who also shared there cancer stories and the team ended a fantastic day settling in for bed all in the same room; a first since New York City!  It’s nice to have everyone together.

Nishk with the little friend that followed along his ride today. (Oh, and Maaike in the background.)

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Lauren Faber

How are you feeling today?

I'm actually feeling really good. I think this stay over had really nice people, and it definitely, for me, brought the mood up. I mean, obviously my mood was pretty good at the end of the day, because I had finished the day, and I don't usually finish the day. Nice stay overs made me feel better, because I was a little bit nervous, especially in a smaller town in the middle of Ohio, but these people were very welcoming and nice, so I feel good.

What was your favorite part of today's ride? 

Favorite part of today's ride? Oh, definitely the trails, because they're flat, and you don't have to watch cars, and you can just talk to your buddies. I grabbed leaves from the trees above me, and then threw them at people behind me.

What motivated you to join Illini 4000?

I heard about it because my sister's friends had done it many years ago, and I didn't have any plans for the Summer. It was like the last day to apply, like the extended last day, and I was like, “might as well just throw this in there, and I can decide if I don't want to do it later.” It was good timing for me to find out about it, because you know my grandma passed away from chemo. I won't say cancer, because I think she died from a port infection during treatment earlier that Summer, and now I don't have any grandparents, and it was just kind of crazy to conceptualize that.  So many people are gone, and she was so active and so happy, and bubbly, and talkative, and I feel like she would have been super duper impressed if I had told her that I was doing this. She would have told everyone in her living space that I was doing this. She would show me off. I think she's my main motivation for joining, because I'm not an experienced cyclist, so the cycling wasn't really what I was thinking about. I know how to ride a bike, but that wasn't like my main motivation to join. Of course, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I didn't know that there's only a few schools that do this. I'm very impressed that people who are graduating and are in grad school are doing this, because I feel like for me this might be my last chance to do this before entering the professional space. I also joined it because it's something that I literally could never see myself doing. It's such an out there experience that I would have never expected myself to do. I don't think other people expected me to actually follow through with it. It's kind of motivating that I'm doing something really hard and I'm really pushing myself.

Before joining Illini4000 how much bike training had you done, if any, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?

Well, I would say I'm generally an athletic person. I've done sports. I did like soccer and volleyball in my life. The only biking experience I have is just like biking around my neighborhood on a standard mountain bike. I've never ridden a road bike before. I don't actually know anything about bikes and I hadn't ridden a bike in like a year before joining this, because we had to get rid of our bike, so this was just kind of the first time I touched a bike in a while.

What's your bike's name, and what's the model of your bike?

Actually, someone's lending me their bike, so I do not have a name, because I feel like it just feels off to name someone else's bike if I'm going to return it. And no, I actually don’t know the model.

(Journalist input here… it’s a Jamis Renegade with cool pink bar tape.)

What are you most nervous/excited about?

Well, I would say that biking is the only thing that makes me nervous, for the most part, just because I've never worked any of my muscles this hard before. I think it's very much a mental challenge for me to get on the bike every day and try. I’m also nervous to crash, because I haven't crashed yet, or got a flat. I'm also nervous if  our team ever gets annoyed with each other because we're spending so much time together, but I also think we're pretty mature and would be able to work things out pretty quickly.

I'm very excited to see the country because I don't even know what states I've been to, what states I haven’t. I'm very excited for Oregon, and I'm excited for my birthday and Nishk's birthday, because he has the same birthday as me. I also get very excited arriving at every new stay over because you kind of get an idea of what the community is like, and everyone has just been so kind and welcoming. Meeting someone new from every state that we go to is very exciting.

Anything else you would like to tell the world?

To sag or not to sag, that is the question. I like to say, you can do anything you put your mind to. I say, listen to your body and listen to your mind, and be kind to everyone, because you don't know what they're going through, and and try hard things,

Are you pro sprinkles or anti sprinkles?

I'm neutral sprinkle, but I think I've been put on the anti sprinkle, just because I think they're unnecessary.

Day 8: Wheeling to Wheeling - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Wheeling, West Virginia

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.

Day 7: Trail Riding, Flats, Hiking, and Exploring - Ebensburg, Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Get ready for what may be our most adventurous day of the ride so far!  The one-week marker of the Illini 4000 Summer 2026 ride was scheduled to be an 86 mile route mostly along a bike trail from Ebensburg to Pittsburgh, but it turned into a 95 mile expedition that was filled with all of the hallmarks of our typical rides and much more.  Everyone is sleeping safe and sound at Temple Sinai now, so not to worry, but it certainly was an eventful day.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 94.7 miles (from what was supposed to be 86.4)

Elevation: 3,832 ft.

Points of Interest: Ghost Town Rail Trail, Conemaugh River overflowing

Tales of the Trail

Today the title “Tales of the Trail” is a lot more accurate as a majority of our ride today was on a trail! We started out the ride by saying goodbye to the community members of the Ebensburg Presbyterian Church. They were very gracious and came into the church to start making breakfast at 4 in the morning. (And I thought we woke up early) After a group picture we rolled out onto a very nice and shaded 30 or so miles of the  Ghost Town Rail Trail. 

On our ride today we recruited two new members to Illini4000 (temporarily). We got two community members: Charlene, a friend of the church, and a local commissioner to join us for the first 10-20 miles of the ride. Incidentally during the first 5 miles, one of us got a flat so we could really show them the full I4k experience. This unfortunately brought our 2 day no-flat streak to a screeching halt. After replacing a tire (because it had gotten a puncture from a shard of glass a few days before and finally decided to quit on us), we quickly got rolling onto the beautiful bike path once again. As the path was plenty covered by trees and it was early in the morning, it was quite a chilly start to the day.

Most of the day was quite normal, as it was in the 60s and sunny for most of the morning. It was amazing to start the day off with 30 miles all downhill on the trail. It was quite refreshing to be able to just chat with everyone without having to worry about watching for cars or climbing mountains. We hit the rest stop at mile 40 with a very positive outlook about the rest of our day. 

Just after this however is when things took a turn for the worse. Or a turn for the fun depending on how you look at it. After getting on another bike path the route began to be filled with many sticks and fallen logs that the team had to be careful to path around. About this time on the ride I began partially wishing that I had brought a mountain bike for this trip. Once a group of us got past all the fallen logs we quickly realized why there was so much debris on the path. As we looked in front of us the bike path merged with a lake that had gotten so much rain that it flooded the entire path.

At this point the team faced a tough decision. Try to hike the side of the hill by the bike path and find a road, or completely turn around and definitely add at least 10 miles. The team was feeling brave and decided to try and hike up the steep and wooded side of the path. Even with a heroic effort, we were stumped and were forced to turn around. This adventure surely was not the most time efficient, but was surely a great way to make memories to look back on. With all of our random adventures and mishaps throughout the day it turned into quite a long and strenuous day of biking, more than we had previously thought. 

All of us really locked in at this point as we were very much in need of a warm dinner. Everything went well as we fought a few last steep hills making our way into Pittsburg. We made good time (considering all that had happened today) and rolled into the Sinai Temple around 7. After a very long day of biking which turned into us biking 95 miles with the detour instead of the originally planned 85 miles, we arrived to a warm welcome at the stayover. There was already a big spread of warm food (my personal favorite being home-cooked corn muffins) and we were able to fill up on food right away. We even got to have ice cream for dessert after!

After being fed and our spirits lifted it seemed like the whole team was brought back to life a little bit after the tough day. Some of the team braved a hose shower (with very cold water), and afterwards everyone was fairly wiped from the long day. We got a “midnight” snack of cold pizza, then headed to bed to get ready for whatever adventures await us tomorrow.

One crew in the van at one of their stops.

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Nishk Patel

How are you feeling today? Physically? Mentally?

Feeling good. Feeling a lot more tired than I think most days, but it was a longer day today, 95 miles, and I think there were a lot more fast, steep hills that we had to take, especially when we got here closer to the city in Pittsburgh. The legs are a little sore. The cold shower was really nice out of the hose. I honestly thought it would be way worse. We all came into it being like, oh, we're gonna be freezing, but it was fun!

What was your favorite part of today's ride?

As unfortunate as it was to have to reroute, I think it was really cool when we were taking the Ghost Town Trail, and we hit a patch where, because of the rain last weekend, there was a huge flood that came onto the trail, and you could like see the river and the trail just become one. As unfortunate as it was that we couldn't go down that route, and we were made to turn back and add like 12 miles to our route total, it was just really cool to see. We had a little fun adventure going through that whole area and hiking up the side of a mountain to see if we could get over onto a real road. Yeah, things like that. That was a little fun detour.

What motivated you to join Illini4000?

I originally found out about Illini 4000 through an Instagram ad, but I realized that someone I'd known prior had been a part of it. I think it was just something that seemed like a really cool experience, because it's twofold: not only do you get to have this really cool trip with a bunch of people as you bike across the country (which is this totally awesome feat to say you've done, it's like some of the best dad lore you could possibly have), but on top of that, it's done for a really great cause (you get help a lot of people through your fundraising and through sharing the message that Illini 4000 brings). Every place we meet people, every place that we go to, people are super excited and eager to talk about us, talk to us about our journey, and talk to us about the things we fundraise for. It feels very impactful, and it looks like it's changing people's perspective on helping fundraise, and fundraise for cancer research and patient support services.

Before joining Illini4000 how much bike training had you done, if any, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?

Not much athletic background that I would say specifically helped for this ride. This past Fall I hadn't ever actually ridden a road bike before, or done any sort of formal training on a bike. I would say I maybe have some general athleticism and play sports with friends pretty often and things like that. This semester was really like a “lock-in” semester because I was training for both a half-marathon and doing training for Illini 4000 plus a lot of the same sports I do with my friends and roommates. So a very physically active semester, and I think that helped a lot with the endurance training because I was basically doing something every day when it comes to physical activity this past semester. When it comes to biking 70 miles every day, it kind of translates a little bit. The biggest thing was just practicing getting comfortable on the bike, getting used to a very different style of biking than when you're riding around in the afternoon with your friends back in middle and high school.

What is your bike's name/model?

My bike is actually Cole’s old bike. It's a giant Defy 5 Aluxx from 2015 and I do have a name for it. The name is “Rim-othy Breaks” because my rim brakes had a little slight issue at one point during the ride, so I had to sit in the van for one day until I could get it fixed, but it is fixed now. So Rimothy Breaks is not currently broken and let's hope Rimothy Breaks survives.

What are you most nervous/excited about?

Nervous for day 9… 1.2 miles at a 9% average grade is a tough, tough climb. Overall, it's the general nervousness of, I don't want to get injured or wear myself out, and then, have to deal with an injury during the ride. So trying my best to keep myself going, keep pacing myself but not push too, too hard, and super excited for when we get out West. I feel like once we get through these these hills and once we get through the corn fields, we'll be in some really cool western states, Colorado, and then we'll hit the whole like Yellowstone tour, basically through Wyoming, and then Montana, and Idaho, and then out West when you get to Oregon, and down through California. All of those states just seem to be super beautiful, and I think those will be a really fun time. We'll probably be stopping every 30 minutes to see some cool view!

Anything else you would like to talk about?

Max ate it today. Max ate it today, but he's doing well. Trooper, trooper.

Are you pro- or anti-sprinkles?

My nickname is apparently “Sprinkles” on the team, and I'm very pro-sprinkles. Anyone who's anti-sprinkles, go home, go home. I’m pro-sprinkles.

Day 6: Feeling Like We Are On Top of Pennsylvania - State College, Pennsylvania to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania

With stomachs full and legs refreshed from our time in State College it was time to keep moving.  We do still have to make it over 4000 miles, don’t we?  Sometimes we joke in the team about ending the trip where we are and heading right on back to our homes.  Today was certainly one of those times because of how nice the stop was.  Nevertheless, onward and upward (emphasis on upward!). 

Ride Overview

Mileage: 64.4 miles

Elevation: 4,764 ft.

Points of Interest: Spruce Creek, Altoona, Sugar Run Road

Tales of the Trail

This morning we had an upbeat start stemming from a surge in overall energy for the team gained during the rest day.  As we rolled out from our second longest stay of the whole journey, the weather was beautiful for riding.  Some of Cole’s friends who visited even cheered us on as we went the first few miles down the road!  Speaking of that road, the first 20 miles of this bluebird Friday leading up to the first rest stop were some of the most fun and gorgeous of the whole trip.  Riding alongside Spruce Creek, the team enjoyed a mostly descending elevation profile and a winding road that followed the contours of the creek to give great scenery along the way.

The rest stop was at a church that had river access and Parker helped an older gentleman down to the water to go fishing (just another unexpected way in which Illini 4000 spreads positivity).  At any rest stop, you will find our team eating as many snacks as they can consume before rolling again, talking amongst each other about the day, doing pushups (an internal challenge to do one pushup for every mile biked), filling water bottles, or applying sunscreen.  When it comes time to roll again, group members are always looking for each other and asking about how long everyone needs before starting up.  This day was no different.  Really, it was the perfect representation of an average rest stop.

Out on the road again, the action today was relatively subdued.  We were riding through more of the Pennsylvania roads and places that we have become accustomed to over the last couple of days and the rolling hills continued on and on.  These climbs and descents certainly made us all tired, so much so that I, writing this journal, have very few photos to share!  The team was really dialed in on their riding today.  The one place where things did get exciting was on Sugar Run Road, a 5.8-mile climb averaging 5.6% grade!  This one road felt like it took forever and had everyone who made it to the top huffing and for some taking a breather under a shady tree.

Don’t be concerned that a lack of riding stories will limit your Illini 4000 journal content though.  The Ebensburg stayover just may have been one of our favorites.  Also, if it feels like we keep saying each and every stayover is our favorite, that is because this statement is totally true.  Every place we have had has been incredibly welcoming with amazing people.  Ebensburg felt special in its own right from the time we first saw the Ebensburg Presbyterian Church where a banner welcoming the Illini 4000 could already be seen on display from the outside.  We were welcomed with open arms to places to store our bikes, snacks, dinner, and even dessert.  The team ate and ate until our stomachs were full, which was well before the food had run out.  Sometimes it really is tough to understand the generosity being shown to us, but we really, truly appreciate it.  During dinner, we received a call from the mayor of Ebensburg, Randy Datsko, who shared his appreciation for our mission and journey.  There should be no doubt that Ebensburg will find its way onto many an Illini 4000 route in the future.  After dinner, we organized with two local community members to record a Portrait (stories of journeys through and with cancer to help foster a community of perspectives from which those who feel alone and isolated can relate) and heard the inspiring yet very raw stories of how each had battled through their diagnoses and were dealing with the after effects today.

Anthony (left) and Vedang (right) posing like the gods.

Nishk claiming his road.

Vedang taking a selfie with his group of Nishk, Sam, and Lauren.

Anthony on the road leading strong.

Nishk at lunch.

Maaike gaining flower power.

Sam and Lauren looking comfortable on the open road.

Inside of the Ebensburg Presbyterian Church.

A phenomenal breakfast to be mentioned again in tomorrow’s journal.

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Vedang Mahajan

How are you feeling today? Physically? Mentally?

I'm feeling phenomenal. I'm a little sore, but I'm very motivated for the next day, and I just cannot wait to see what tomorrow has for me.

What was your favorite part of today's ride?

My favorite part of today's ride was just the scenery. It's been lush green rolling hills. It was some challenging climbs, but I feel like that's just part of it, and that really ties it all together. It's like nothing good comes without anything, no good reward comes without hard work. That's why that's what I felt like today. I was also with a really great group, so I really enjoyed the company I was with. Also, the food today. The food today was amazing!

What motivated you to join Illini 4000?

I was really inspired by the fact that as a college student you can have a really meaningful impact on society by raising money for cancer and I think that I really enjoy challenging myself physically. In the past, I found that through mountaineering, and I thought Illini 4000 was something that was similar in the way that you’re able to challenge yourself and do something that sounds wild, like biking 4000 miles. At the same time, you’re doing it for something bigger than yourself and that was super appealing.

Before joining Illini4000 how much bike training had you done, if any, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?

Yeah, I feel I wasn't… I don't really have any biking experience as such, but I ran a little bit of track in school. Mainly, I was a basketball player in high school. I played for my school team and club. I was also extensively involved in mountaineering. I'm an amateur mountaineer, and I just like to keep myself fit, so I was prepared physically; also with the Illini 4000 trainings. I just generally like to stay in shape.

What’s your favorite mountain you’ve climbed?

My favorite mountain I've climbed is Lobuche East in Nepal. It's a 6100 meter mountain, and it's very close to Mount Everest, so you see on the climb all the big mountains in the Everest region, of course, including Everest, and it's one of the most beautiful places in the world.
What is your bike's name/model?

So I have a Cannondale Synapse Carbon Four, and it is nicknamed “The Ferrari.”

What are you most nervous/excited about?

I'm nervous about being able to keep going for 77 days. I think the sheer duration and length of this challenge, or this endeavor, is a little intimidating, but at the same time I think it's just going to be really fun with all the side quests and just the things we see across the entire country. 

I think I'm very excited about going out West to places like Wyoming and Colorado and California, and seeing the mountains and the Pacific Northwest, and National Parks. That's what I'm most looking forward to.

Anything else you would like to talk about?

I think the words of wisdom: it's very important to challenge yourself and do something difficult and meaningful, I feel for everybody. It doesn't have to be biking, but anything that challenges you, like even scares you a little bit, definitely contributes to a lot of personal growth. I think experience, like experiencing hardships, is what prepares you for life in general, and when you look back, you feel like you've done something that you're proud of, and want to have. I think everybody, everybody should have that feeling at least a couple times in their life, that they've done something that seems incredibly difficult at first, but they went through it and got it done.

Crunchy or creamy peanut butter?

Crunchy. All day.

Day 5: A Much Needed Rest Day in State College, Pennsylvania

Aptly named, our rest day was full of relaxing and also getting a few important things done that we hadn’t had the chance to do in the days previous. The team was very glad not to have a specified wake-up  time, although only a few of us really got to sleep in as by this point we are so used to waking up early. 

Tales of the Trail

We started our day with a breakfast consisting of eggs and blueberry oatmeal bars provided by UUFCC. After breakfast one group went to get coffee from a local coffee shop and get random groceries that we needed from Walmart. Another group stayed at the stayover and decided to have fun on the playground behind the church. They had an amazing time making up random games and being kids again. It was one of the most fun activities they’ve done on the trip so far. After this we all piled into the van to go to get lunch. Not everyone could decide on what exact place to eat, so after talking it over we all decided to get our own different foods and bring it back to the stayover to eat together. A few people got pizza slices bigger than their head, while some other groups decided on Thai or Chinese food. (I personally got Pad Thai and it was delicious).

Largest pizza slices i’ve ever seen! (Sam left) (Tada right)

Most of our day after lunch was either spent relaxing at our stayover or out running errands. A few of these being most of the team going to a local laundromat while a few others went to a bike shop to get a few bike problems straightened out. One of our teammates even got a great deal for $20 bike shoes! After all of our random things we had to do the whole team settled in and got cozy for the evening and tried to get some valuable relaxation after the hectic and busy start to the ride.

Ren (left) after putting new parts on her bike! Ved (right) getting ready in case we ever have to switch bikes (although it would be quite small)

During the evening we invented a new game that I am sure will be played by us many more nights to come. The game is pretty simple, one person plays music and whoever guesses the song name first gets to play the next song. As simple as this is, some of our team played for at least 2 hours and it never got old. I think it is awesome to hear other people’s music taste and get introduced to lots of songs that I ended up adding to my own playlists to listen to later. The team would soon head to bed a little early  as we definitely needed to get as much sleep as we can now to prepare for the days ahead.

There is no cyclist corner today as there wouldn’t be too much to talk about seeing as we didn’t ride today. Stay tuned though, there will be plenty more interviews to come.

Day 4: Taking a Break from Traffic and Riding to State College - Milton, Pennsylvania to State College, Pennsylvania

The roads are finally opening up and some of our riding feels more like we can focus on the nature surrounding us as opposed to when the next car back will be approaching.  Today was a beautiful day of weather, riding, and bonding between teammates!

Ride Overview

Mileage: 61.6 miles

Elevation: 3,440 ft.

Points of Interest: Sand Bridge State Park, Raymond B. Winter State Park, Halfway Lake, Bald Eagle State Forest, Amish country, Penn’s Cave, Penn State University

Tales of the Trail

Starting the day off with breakfast that was donated by Trinity Lutheran Church in Milton, we huddled in our usual pre-ride circle to discuss the road ahead.  Today, we also paid our respects to our ride leaders Maaike and Vedang by having everyone give one compliment to each of them because they deserve the love!  While yesterday we were riding for Leslie, the ride today was dedicated by the team to Eve, Cole’s grandmother.  Saying some final goodbyes to the church organizers, the team rolled off heading slightly South and mostly West on the way towards some state park roads here in Pennsylvania.  

A beautiful view of the roads to come!

Teams of riders on the road were slingshotting back and forth past each other and coming up with new ways in which to try to intimidate the others as they passed (jokingly, of course!).  One was a chant of “hooka-chaka, hooka-chaka, hooka-hooka-hooka-chaka” that was especially funny.  Turning first into Sand Bridge State Park, which eventually connects with Raymond B. Winter State Park, the team really got its first taste of the type of bike riding we had all been hoping to make it to: quieter roads with more time to look up, look around, and be social during the ride.  Somehow, whether by road choice or population, it felt as if we had not escaped entirely the New York City traffic until today.  Here, however, the road was clear and everyone could ride in formation as opposed to in a pace line which is what has made up most of the previous days’ riding.

One group on the road gets lined up for a picture. (from left to right: Anthony, Vedang, Ehsan, Aadit)

The greenery was gorgeous!  Trees lined the road and purple and white flowers speckled the hedges.  The surface was tar and stone, but it was worn enough to be totally solid.  The team of Vedang, Anthony, Ehsan, Aadit, and Cole even spotted a black bear in the forest on their way to the first rest stop.

Although not quite fitting in name for the route planned this day, Halfway Lake was a lovely stop to make with the riders and the van.  We all paused for snacks and ate them on a stone wall overlooking the lake.  Everyone wished, just for the time that we were resting, that the temperature outside was 20 degrees warmer and the lake water bearable because a swim looked oh so enticing.  

After consuming snacks to their heart’s content, the team smiles for you at rest stop 1: Halfway Lake. (from left to right: Aadit, Anthony, Cole, Ehsan, Sam, Vedang, Ren, Lauren, Maaike, Nishk, Max)

On the road once more, we rode the extra half-way through the state park and made it into the farmland of Pennsylvania.  These little, rolling, punchy hills were doing a number on our fatigue for what was supposed to be a relatively much shorter and easier day of riding.  You would look from the top of one incline and think that you could carry some momentum to get you over the next.  This was, unfortunately, far from reality.  Instead, the momentum you had only carried across the flat and by the time the next gradient in the road hit, the air resistance had sapped most of your energy.

Despite the miles being someone frustrating from a varying effort standpoint, we got to see a whole new side of Pennsylvania which was very neat!  Instead of towns in the mountains or rolling hills through forests, there was now farmland and small shops.  We saw people plowing fields with horse-drawn plows, farm stands, family-run businesses, and an awesome looking scooter bicycle that everyone wanted to try.   Eventually, the signs for our second, and final, rest stop of the day started coming reminding us that we were closing in on our destination with every pedal stroke.  

The team eating lunch and resting in the shade before the last stretch of road between them and a day of rest.

At the Penn’s Cave campgrounds and visitor center, we pulled out the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and enjoyed some time under a shady tree hanging out with each other.  On the remainder of the ride, the rolling hills continued and so did the enjoyment of being out in the open and mostly alone.  Rolling over the hill into State College was the welcoming we all were looking forward to.  The end of a ride before our first rest day of the trip.  But first…!

An impromptu tour of Penn State’s campus by Cole was decided as a “go” by 6 members of the team.  This meant tacking on an extra 5 or 6 miles after already riding 60, but seeing a massive university like this and one that has connection to our team felt worth it.  “What connection” you may ask.  The reason that Cole gave this tour is that he actually attended Penn State for 4 years as an undergraduate student before moving to Illinois for his graduate studies.  

I (Cole) will speak a little about this as the ride today felt very special.  Bringing the team over roads and through places that feel so much like a home to me was really neat.  I think of all the rides we have over the Summer, this and Day 6 when we leave will be some of the most memorable because of the connection I have with this place.  Thank you to those who joined me in riding through my old stomping grounds because it was fun to show you the places that got me to where I am today.

Riding up the hill past the Bryce Jordan Center and Pegula Ice Arena, the team could see Beaver Stadium.  As we meandered through campus, we also passed the HUB, Old Main, the Pattee and Paterno Library, and stopped to take a picture at The Lion.  We took a quick break at The Bicycle Shop where a couple of minor repairs were done and finally headed up the other side of the valley towards our stay at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County.

A Penn State moment! (from left to right: Max, Vedang, Cole, Nishk, Anthony, Aadit)

We all feel ready for the day of rest coming tomorrow and the best way to start that rest was with a fantastic dinner.  A huge thank you must be extended to this church and community surrounding it who brought us food for dinner that will not leave our minds soon: gochujang chicken, salad, macaroni and cheese, and green beans.  Yum!  We also snuck in a trip to Berkey Creamery on the Penn State campus and played catch on one of the lawns as we watched the sun set on another enjoyable day.

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Sam Gerstein

How are you feeling today? Physically? Mentally?

I definitely have been feeling a lot more confident with riding. I think that things look a lot scarier than they are. I know there are some people on the team that see the amount of miles and the hills and they’re like “I’m so excited for this!” I see that and I’m like “how am I gonna do that?” Sometimes I need to go in the van. I’ve really been pushing myself a lot more today and unlocking the physical fitness that I’ve been building since the start of training.  The more you push yourself, the better your endurance gets and the more confident you are as a rider. 

I’ve never had so much happening and even though I’m seemingly extroverted, it takes me a lot  to recharge that battery.  Being around the same people 24-7 is new for me to learn.

What was your favorite part of today's ride?

I was pleasantly surprised by the countryside of Pennsylvania. I also found it interesting to think “okay, if I was someone with cancer living here, how would that affect me?”

What motivated you to join Illini 4000?

Both my parents have cancer. My dad has chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It's also known as CLL. My mom has stage 4 colon adenocarcinoma,  stage 4 colon cancer. I think that cancer research is really important. My mom is on a drug that was developed from clinical trials back in, I want to say, 2021. It's a relatively new drug called a KRAS inhibitor. Having these new drugs is something that makes a huge material impact in the lives of people with cancer.

Before joining Illini 4000 how much bike training had you done, if any, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?

I was very sedentary and starting with Illini 4000, I really got into the swing of things. At first it was really difficult, but over time with team trainings and on my own I’ve definitely become a lot more physically fit all around. Bike training for me was pleasantly surprising for how quickly my body adapted.  I did a 90-mile ride with no sagging and kept a good pace which I was not expecting at all.

What is your bike's name/model?

It's “Chain Guevara,” you know, like, Che Guevara, a Cuban revolutionary during the Cuban Revolution. It is a Trek AL5 Gen 4.

What are you most nervous/excited about?

I’m excited about seeing a wide variety of different communities. Having the perspective of how other people live, what their livelihoods are like, what their communities look like, and what cancer looks like in those communities is a really good experience for anyone to have.

I’m nervous about completing full ride days. I’ve come to test sitting in the van and it just feels like you’re not actively part of it. You feel a little withdrawn from the whole experience, so the new goal is to try and stay out of the van as much as possible.

Anything else you would like to talk about?
I wish that people understood cancer not just as an individual problem, but predominantly as a social problem, especially as an environmental justice problem.

Day 3: The sun came out to join us! - Lehighton, Pennsylvania to Milton Pennsylvania

The main theme of today: climbing. Something that I, Parker, totally forgot about when I first signed up for this. In my mind I somehow had this too optimistic image that it would be flat and downhill the whole way. (News flash, it is not) This only being our third day on the road means that we haven’t quite come to grasp how large mountains and hills can be, but today gave us just a brief taste of what is to come. I am sure that at the end of the ride we will look back on these early rides and appreciate them for preparing us.

Ride Overview

Mileage: 74.7 miles

Elevation: 4,939’

Tales of the Trail

The team rolled out bright and early at 7 am in the most beautiful weather the team has ever seen yet. This combined with the early morning Pennsylvania mist covering the mountains in the background provided us with some very wonderful scenery to start our morning. The sun rejuvenated us in a way that is almost indescribable, and the team made a few goals for the day. The first being, as always, is to have fun and enjoy the day. The second was to decorate the van. With all the busyness and rain of the first few days we hadn’t had a chance to write on it yet, and it was looking quite bland. Special shout-out to Nishk for drawing a near-perfect outline of the U.S. and for all the other van crew and contributors to making our van look much more lively. This even led to quite a few in person donations! I am always very appreciative of the van crew, always helping when and wherever they can, even if they are quite tired! The team also dedicated our ride today to Leslie, who we did a portrait of the previous day in Lehighton. 

Nishk’s amazingly accurate map of the United States

As the team started biking, vibes were high, and of course one of us got a flat just 5 miles into the ride. Luckily one of our resident team mechanics happened to be in the group and was able to get the glass out of the tire and assist with swiftly repairing the flat and getting back on the road. Besides this, the first 20 miles until the rest stop went swimmingly. The area in Pennsylvania that we are in, as we heard from some locals, is as they say: “coal country”. This being said is evidence that we are not quite in New York anymore. A fun fact about this is today we brought out Zoleos for the first time. For those of you who are not familiar, Zoleos basically connect to satellites and let us connect our phones to them to be able to send messages to the support van in case we have an emergency and have no signal. 

Days since last flat: 0

Despite the wonderful weather, today was a tough day for many. The main reason for this was on our route today we had 5 or 6 significant climbs. One climb is usually not so bad but after being tired from the first, and another one coming up rather quickly your legs can get quite fatigued. The fun thing with a tough climb though is that usually most of us pull off the road for a little rest and get a drink of water. On the ride today this gave us the chance to meet up with the other groups during the ride which was very fun and also encouraging! The main tough climb today is a 1.6 mile long climb consisting of a constant grade anywhere between I believe 6-13%. For my legs this was a great shock, as I have never had to pedal so forcefully to go so slow. However I think many people on the team discovered they were actually better at climbing than they gave themselves credit for. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I have heard someone doubting themselves saying something about needing to walk up a hill, me included, but then being able to make it up perfectly fine. (Not that there is anything wrong with needing to walk. One of my personal favorite days consisted of being on a team where we named ourselves “Hikers not bikers,” as we walked up a couple hills) I personally believe however that most people are a lot stronger than they give themselves credit for. 

““Wow Ehsan you look so strong on this climb.” -Cole
”Yeah. I changed my diet to... sugar!” - Ehsan”

On the route after this climbing the team was then rewarded with some big descents, which many riders were looking forward to. (I have a tiny friendly competition everyday with a few of the riders to see who gets the fastest top speed, today mine was 45.1 mph). As the day got hotter some of the riders in my group were passing around water bottles to share with others who ran out. This felt fun for me as I envisioned myself as being in the tour de France and passing water bottles like they do in the support vans. It also doubled as a fun "exercise" to help us work on our balance on the bike. 

Some beautiful Pennsylvania views

After a fulfilling but tiring day in the sun the team rolled into Trinity Lutheran Church in Milton Pennsylvania. We were greeted by the wonderful church staff, including Chuck who we actually did a portrait of last year. We also were greeted by a local reporter who was able to do an article on the Illini4000 in a local newspaper. After a long day in the sun the team was definitely in need of a shower, which the church set up for us at a local pool. For the first time, but definitely not the last,  all 13 of us piled in and got cozy in the van to go shower. When we got back, the church had graciously made us dinner filled with sloppy joes, mac n cheese, and many more. After being clean, getting food, and gradually getting tired the team went about their nights. Whether journaling, relaxing, working on various chores, the church started getting quieter as the team slowly began making their way to bed in preparation for the activities of the day ahead.

Getting cozy in the van

Cyclists’ Corner

Rider: Aadit Kolar

How are you feeling today? Physically? Mentally?

Tired, but very grateful for the opportunity to do this ride and to see such beautiful parts of the country. Even though it's so tiring, it's easy sometimes to just fall into, “oh my god, this is so hard.” But also, just to look up and be like, “wow, this is beautiful.” That is something I'm very grateful for. The first day was actually the worst day physically. After the first day, my knees were hurting. And then the second day, in the morning. But now, now I'm good. Surprisingly, today was pretty rough, but we worked on it. Tomorrow's [ride] should be more chill though. Fingers crossed.

What was your favorite part of today's ride?

That's a good question. Ooh, the descent after the really steep 12% hill!

Do you remember how fast you were going?

I know my top speed over the whole ride. Wait, don't tell Maaike… 45.5.

What motivated you to join Illini4000?

Let's start with the cancer side of things. As with most of the writers on the team, I've been touched and my friends have been touched by cancer. I've lost a few people to the disease. And especially hearing about, when we spoke with B+ [Foundation] and hearing about the kids that get it, it just seems so unfair. We spoke to someone, who was driving us to showers nearby at their house. And, you know, they had a six month old that had cancer. I was like, “what do they do to deserve that?” You know? So that's kind of why I was motivated to help the fight against cancer. And also just personally, I had a few friends who were doing it and that made it less intimidating to sign up for it. So that helped.

Before joining Illini4000 how much bike training had you done, if any, and did you have any other athletic background that you feel prepared you for this ride?

Since halfway through freshman year, I've been part of the cycling club. I was vice president this year, which was fun. I've been a fairly active cyclist and part of the cycling community. So that part of the ride was slightly less intimidating for me which helped for sure, but definitely people (the team) are very, very strong. I've been blown away by how strong all of our team has been.

Cycling is your sport, right?

Cycling is cycling because there's so many like cycling races all the time. It's hard to keep up with anything else, but it's great.

What is your bike's name/model?

I unfortunately do not have a name for my bike and I don't think that's going to change. It is a BMC Road Machine X 2019. With awesome bar tape. Bright yellow.

What are you most nervous/excited about?

What I'm most nervous about is honestly not the riding. This is the first time I've been, apart from living with my family, is the first time I'm living closely with a group of people. Obviously cycling makes people tired and tired people get upset, including myself. So that's probably what I'm personally most worried about is the interpersonal aspect of things or the team aspect of things. But it's worked out in the past and I'm sure it will for us too. The vibe has been great with the whole team. For that, I'm very glad. As for what I'm excited about, the next few days in Pennsylvania I'm sure are going to be absolutely beautiful. Going through Champaign and Chicago, meeting alumni, riding along with people, in both cities, I'm looking forward to that too. And then Utah, Colorado, Yellowstone. Oh my gosh! It's the whole second half of the ride. It's going to be amazing!

Anything else you would like to talk about?

I really love neon. I really love neon. I'm sad that there's not more neon on this year's kit but that's why I'm joining the board next year: to get more neon on the jersey. That's my fun fact.