Week 3

Day 15:

Ann Arbor, MI-Lansing, MI

Happy Father’s Day! Everyone had a lot dedications today. I rode for Bill who is the father of our teammate, Jen, who had the devastating bike accident on our first day. I rode for Casey and Kate, two beautiful cancer survivors who we met at the center the night before. I rode for Lawrence Antonelli, father of Loretta Whiting and grandfather to John, who passed away from cancer while she was in college.  Finally, I rode for my own dad who has provided me with infallible support in all my adventures.

Day 16:

Lansing, MI-Wyoming, MI

We woke up at 5:30am to stormy, windy weather and we knew we were doomed. It was a 78-mile day and 80% of the day we rode straight into a headwind. I would say that having a constant headwind is the most demoralizing aspects of bike riding. There is no summit or downhill reprieve as there is in the mountains, and the sound is too loud to have conversations. We hunkered down and peddled in silence for much of the day.

As we rolled into the town of Portland, MI, we were greeted by shouts of “hey 4K!” from a garage on the street. It was group one and they were hanging with Ted, extremely generous and kind man who had invited them into this house after he learned about our cross country bike ride. He showed us video clips of the citizen’s arrest he made, and gave us insight into the route we were taking. We also learned that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, but was in remission now. You would never guess that this man had been struck by such a horrific disease as he laughed loudly at our biking stories and made sure we hydrated.

Outside there was storm brewing, and just before we left, Ted told us to head down to the local pizza parlor because he had just ordered three pies for us. Just as the sky opened up and a deluge started, we piled inside the restaurant and gorged on the best pizza we have had all trip. After the thunder and lightly subsided, we turned our bikes back into the wind and left Ted and Portland, MI behind.

Day 17:

Wyoming, MI-South Haven, MI

It was my turn to ride in van, so Matar (Andrew) and I chalked all the routes for the riders, picked up Mike whose derailleur went defunct, and refilled water bottles. The hardest part of being in the water van is keeping the bikers from parking at a water stop for hours. What should be just a quick stop turns into a napultimateFrisbeewindow-decoratingdancepartyyoga break. They are generally the best parts of our day. Today was an exciting day because we caught our first glimpse of Lake Michigan. It was as blue as Hawaiian waters, but without the salt and fear of stepping in sting rays! We stayed in New Haven, an expensive and beautiful summer town, right on Lake Michigan. It was an easy and mellow day until we accidentally sent the riders to the wrong host. Group one pulled off all their shoes and hung out in the church lobby until someone came and asked them who the heck they were. Group one had to put their gear back on and pedal down the road to the next church. They weren’t too pleased.

Day 18:

South Haven, MI-Michigan City, IN

Another state, another mellow ride.

Day 19:

Michigan City, IN-Chicago, IL

This day is tied for my favorite day of the trip. We woke up at 5:30am to overcast and cool weather. After a few scorching days, this was a welcome relief. As happens often, we were approached by people who saw on our jerseys that we were riding for cancer. One women asked if she could take a photo of us for her daughter Catherine who is 21 and her husband, Ed, who are both fighting cancer. Another man for his niece, Emma, who has a Facebook page called: Emma Jane and the Positive Train. They will all have days dedicated to them, and will become a critical part of our journey.

We came through the south side of Chicago, and for the last 10 miles of the day we were on the Lake Michigan bike path. It had been foggy all day, but just as we rolled up to Chicago, the fog burned off, and the city was unveiled! I can’t imagine a better way to first visit Chicago than by biking next to the water, straight into a headwind, and with the Willis (Sears) Tower looming on the horizon.

We also had our first taste of city biking as we navigated through downtown in our little 6-person bike pack. Naturally, we got lost, but we still arrived to our dorms at the University of Illinois Chicago filled with adrenaline at taking on city traffic.

Day 20

Chicago

Service and Rest day. The Ulman Cancer Fund awards scholarships to young adults who have been diagnosed with, or affected by cancer. The running a biking teams then award these scholarships in the cities that we visit.  In Chicago we awarded a $2,500 college scholarship to Kelsey, an 18 year-old who is currently battling cancer. Complete with a jumbo check, her scholarship ceremony was followed with long conversations with her, her mom, and her and two younger sisters. An avid competition dancer for her whole life, Kelsey had a lot of fight and a lot soul in her that made a big impression on all of us. She thanked us for inspiring her, but it is she who inspires us.

After leaving Kelsey and her family, we walked down to the waterfront to take photos of the bean and sit with our feet in the water. You could almost forget that Chicago is bitter cold and windy for much of the year as we laid out in the 85-degree weather and wished there weren’t “No Swimming” signs plastered every 6 feet.

For dinner I met up with Sarah Rose’s parents, her brother Jason, and his girlfriend Jordan. They are from the suburbs of Chicago, and were in the city for a White Sox game. It was bittersweet to talk with them over a delicious dinner from Panera. I love her family, but they all reminded me of just how much I miss Sarah and the Strong Women Household. (Stay tuned for next summer… Strong Women Reunion on the PCT!)

For second dinner the team sat out in front of the fountain on the waterfront and ate what we were told was the best deep dish pizza in Chicago (Lou Malmati’s). It was the golden hour time of day as we talked about our highs and lows of the day, and we all agreed that this was one of most perfect moments of 4K.

Day 21:

Chicago, IL-Milwaukee, WI

Up at 5:00 am to ready for a 103-mile ride. It was a good thing we got an early start because at 8am, the lake front trail was PACKED with people. We must have yelled “on your left” every 10 seconds for an hour and a half. Eventually, we wound our way through the neighborhoods and stopped for second breakfast at Aaron’s uncle’s house who lives three blocks off of our route. He fed us natural peanut butter, bran muffins, and fruit. I was in food heaven, and overindulged in healthy muffins and coffee. After this extravagant water stop, we started off again in high spirits. The rest of the day was a bit of a sprint as we raced to make it to our host in time for the dinner they made for us. Completing my second century ride was a definite high for the day, and a giant, fresh garden salad at dinner was the icing on top.

Week 2: Live Like Jamie

WEEK TWO

Day 8

Warren, OH-Cleveland, OH

Cleveland

Sick. Sick all night long. I had what I assumed was food poisoning, and got to sleep outside the bathroom in the hallway, causing a serious fire hazard.

The next day we circled up in the lawn of our wonderful host, Joan, and most of us dedicated our day to the Cancer to 5K race that was taking place that day. Cancer to 5K is a program put on the by the Ulman Cancer Fund that trains cancer survivors for a 5K race. It is a program designed to empower cancer survivors and strengthen their mind, body, and spirit.

After being sick all night, I was not feeling especially strong in any of those ways, but I was proud to ride in the van and recover in honor of the great individuals who are cancer free and those who volunteer to coach survivors. Our host that night was Case Western Reserve Dormitory. We all had our own dorm rooms, and REAL BEDS! I went to bed at 6:45pm. No joke.

Day 9

Cleveland, OH-Mansfield, OH

June 13^th, 2014 was the day when Jamie Roberts, a 4K for Cancer Portland rider, was struck by a car and killed instantly. According to her fellow riders that year, she was the most caring, genuine, and craziest person they had ever met. What happened to her was a freak accident, but we make sure we follow very strict safety protocol every time we stop on the side of the road. That morning, we donned Jamie Roberts tattoos, and read a eulogy written by one of her teammates that included a checklist of ways to be like Jamie that day.

Advice from a 4k Alum on how to Live Like Jamie:

JR-Jamie Robers temp  tattoos

“The 4k is a whirlwind. You could do the 4k a hundred times and never experience it the way you will this summer. You only get this one chance during this one summer to be on this one team in this one place during this one specific moment in time. Ever. No take backs. No do overs. SOOO sing loud, dance crazy, smile lots, play with dogs, YOLO, moon as many of your teammates as many times as possible on and off the bike (#sorrysashaskylarmaevenicole), don’t shower (you’re just wasting time not doing epic shit), have FUN, jump in lakes, pet horses, flash state lines, learn to bike with no hands, celebrate at the top of EVERY hill (you earned it!), fly down mountains, moo at cows, eat EVERYTHING, climb hay bales, play dress up, be proud of your goofy tan lines (4k farms hard!), hug EVERYONE, take pictures with strangers, take naps in weird places, enjoy EVERY view, remember the first time you looked up and actually saw stars, be kind to others, be kind to yourselves, remember those you ride for, watch as many sunsets and rises as you can (they actually aren’t all the same) learn from your teammates, share with your teammates, help each other through the days, soak in absolutely every last moment this summer gives you. Do these things and so much more everyday this summer. But especially today, live like Jamie.”

-Walt PDX2014

We didn’t come close to fulfilling this entire list, but my ride group made it a point to stop, enjoy the views, take epic photos, talk to strangers, take the slow route, listen to bird calls, and, of course, get lost. Who knew that Cleveland has miles and miles of forested bike trails complete with wild deer and the beautiful Rocky River. At one lookout over a gorge, we talked to a man whose wife has been fighting breast cancer for four years. “She is the strongest person I have ever met. She hasn’t cried a single time.” We had a great talk in a beautiful place about a beautiful person.

Day 10

Mansfield, OH-Columbus, OH

Doug Ulman at his house in Columbus-we found him on
the back of a Wheaties box-fun fact!

Our second rest day. We stayed at the Columbus School for Girls and were very well taken care of by a local bike group called Pelatonia. I saw bike group, but that name is insignificant to what they are. Every year Pelatonia holds a bike ride in Columbus, OH to fundraise for the James Cancer Research Hospital. They raise 100’s of millions of dollars to fund high risk and high reward cancer research. Coincidentally, their CEO is Doug Ulman, the same Ulman who founded the our very own Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

At nineteen, Doug, who played soccer for Brown, was diagnosed with cancer. He found there was a serious lack in support for young adults battling cancer, so when he became cancer free after his third round with cancer, he and his family started the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults.

He then moved on to start Livestrong with Lance Armstrong and served as the foundation’s CEO for 15 years. He now is the CEO of Pelatonia. Doug had devoted much of his life to the support of cancer research and cancer patients through biking.

Pelatonia riders took us under their wing for two days, feeding us, showing us around, and taking me to the urgent care.

I forgot to mention earlier that this was my third day battling what I thought was food poisoning, but seemed to actually be a stomach bug. I had barely been able to eat or drink for 3 days and was still trying to complete all my biking days. By day 4 it was time to figure out what was going on, and we had a rest day so it was perfect timing. Naturally, that was the day the sickness ran its course, so I am fine and back to eating a drinking again. Yeah!

Day 11

Columbus, OH

Rest/doctor’s day while the rest of the team toured the cancer research hospital and did a bone marrow drive.

Day 12

Columbus, OH-Upper Sandusky, OH

Van day. The team needed more chalk to mark our routes and fruit to balance out the excess amount of pasta we consume. My job was to go from store to store and ask for donated gift cards so we didn’t have to spend our precious funds we raised over the year. I walk in with a donation letter, explain our cause to the manager, and talk loudly in case a generous bystander decides to intervene and buy us apples and chalk. About 9/10 times, they say NO. It can be a depressing job, but we did get apples from a very grumpy store manager who seemed like he didn’t care a bit about what I was talking about, and wouldn’t look at me. However, he told me to grab some bags of fruit, and when I went to the cash register he pulled out his own wallet and payed for it himself. He gruffly waved away my thank you and tax ID number, and walked away. Generosity comes in many flavors.

Day 13

Upper Sandusky, OH-Perrysburg, OH

Head winds. Flat. Corn. Ohio. Need I say more? Just kidding.

We had a community dinner put on by some wonderful people. Ben (my co-director) who takes on all the public talking stuff, gave a wonderful speech about the goals and achievements of 4K for Cancer. Some of the ladies from the Church where we were staying at greeted us with lunch, drove us to the YMCA for showers, made wonderful food (including vegetarian options!!), and then Ginger brought her two BEAUTIFUL golden retrievers over for us to play with.

Today I rode for Anne Friedman, a good friend of my Grandma B and Grandpa Bill. She passed away a couple of months ago from cancer in California. I only met Anne a few times, but her warm smile is ingrained in my memory.

Day 14:

Perrysburg, OH-Ann Arbor, MI

Recognize that green sweater, mom?

We are flying through states! For the third time in a row, there was no state sign on the rode we biked in on, and we had to make our own welcome to Michigan sign. Since it was a Saturday morning we were able to fulfill one of my ultimate goals…go garage sale-ing. We ended up meeting Maria, a cancer survivor, and she donated to the Ulman Cancer Fund. Connor bought googley eyes and a green flower sweater (the same one that my mom has, actually), Gino bought a wicker basket that he taped to the front of his bike with neon orange electrical tape, and I bought a high riding denim vest. Liz informed me old ladies’ jean vests are coming back in style. She is in a sorority and knows all. We then continued to dally the rest of the day, making the other teams wait for us as we took photos of lawn art and bought ice cream. We actually met and talked to a few more cancer survivors between ice cream and yard sales stops. This is exactly how I wanted to bike across the country, slowly, thoroughly, and collecting as many inspiring stories as possible.

Aaron-king of flats

Ann Arbor was a special night because we had dinner at the community cancer service center with young adult cancer survivors. We laughed over how weird it was to pick out a wig from a week cataloged, and browsed hundreds of informational pamphlets on how to navigate cancer. Dinner was provided by Gino’s parents who drove from upstate New York to feed us sushi, quinoa, and salad. Thank you Mike and Laurie!