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.