Midwest Ride, Day 2 out 6

Day 2, West Lafayette, IN to New Carlisle, OH, 180 miles (kind of)

The face of... pleasure?  pain?  I honestly can't remember

Ok as promised, I am blogging about day two in a more timely manner than I blogged about day one.  My current goal is write at least one post each week, and if possible, more.

Even though day one had been successful, I knew that day two would be much more challenging for several reasons.  The first reason was the obvious fact that my legs and lungs would not be as fresh or well rested.  The second was the fact that the mileage would be much longer, around 180 miles, from West Lafayette, IN to New Carlisle, OH (near Dayton).  Plus whereas the miles on day one had included a good chunk of riding through Chicago and some good bike paths, I knew that day two would include mostly nothing but cornfields.

Despite these difficulties, I was still optimistic because unlike the 4K, I was heading west to east rather than east to west.  As anyone who has ever biked directly against the wind knows, having the wind on your side makes a huge difference and makes everything much easier.  I’ll never forget Nebraska (for a number of reasons), when at times biking 10 miles an hour seemed incredibly difficult, but as soon as you changed direction and had the wind helping you, biking 25 miles an hour took almost no effort at all.  My hope was that I would have the wind on my side, so maybe I could average at least 15 or even 20 miles an hour comfortably, speeds which would allow me to cover 180 miles in about 9-12 hours.  Start riding around 6AM, and with water and lunch breaks, arrive no later than 8PM.  I concede that it was ambitious and if in the future I go on a similar ride I’m not certain I would be willing to plan it the same way.  But I suppose I was still riding the high from the 4K and at the time thought that it was going to work more or less… I mean come on, the plan was to leave at 6AM on my bicycle and stay on it until 8PM… what could possibly going wrong?

Plus I had an amazing start to the morning because my wonderful Caity Schram not only woke up at 5AM on a SATURDAY to see me off, but also made me a fantastic breakfast.  Could she have been a better host?  I think not.  I nominate that 4K go through West Lafayette, IN next year and some thirty riders pile into her house.

Unfortunately only an hour or two into my ride, I ran into a terrible headwind which would persist more or less through the entire day.  Curious (aka pissed off) that the wind was actually blowing east to west and wondering where it had been during the 4K, I struggled to keep a pace of 15 miles an hour.  Before I left Chicago, I had naively wondered if the abundant cornfields would protect me, but alas had no such luck.  Apparently despite years of genetic modification by Monsanto, American corn is still not tall or thick enough to protect cyclists from the wind.  So now I am issuing my challenge to Monsanto and other American bio-engineering companies to create even taller and thicker corn...

So there I was, probably less than 30 miles into 180 mile day, frustrated and dare I say even feeling defeated.  It's a good thing that I had such amazing people supporting me.  As soon as I vented a bit about how difficult the start of the day was, I received numerous messages of encouragement.  In fact I received so many of them (ooh keep bragging about how popular you are) that my phone battery was being drained and I had to put my phone on airplane mode for a bit.  But the point is that without these messages, it would have been much more difficult for me to continue.  It seemed like at the end of every hour, when the headwind had sapped all of my strength from me, I would look at my phone and see a message that encouraged me to keep my cadence up.

I stopped to stock up on some food in Kokomo, IN.  Maybe it seems a bit silly, but I will admit that part of the reason I love long distance biking is because I get to write sentences like that.  If you were driving from Chicago to Ohio, you would never stop in a town like that, far away from the interstate.  I had a really nice conversation with some ladies who worked at the CVS.  They asked me where I was going, and of course as soon as I answered proceeded to tell me that I was insane.  They were a nice change from the people that I had so far encountered on my trip.  Granted I probably looked really strange to them, wearing super tight shorts with weird padding on my butt and an equally tight cycling jersey and strange blue shoes   But most of the people that I had so far encountered had looked at me like I was some kind of an alien, so it was nice to meet people that realized that I was more or less a normal human being (despite what my friends might claim)

Not from this ride, but the 4K.  I ask you, what about my appearance is so weird?  The untamed hair?  The bright safety vest?  The pirate bandanna around my neck?  My scowl?

I continued, struggling against the wind but doing my absolute best to stay optimistic, knowing that there was a bike path coming up soon.  It was very tough for me to ride over a hundred miles with not much to entertain me besides corn, since it turns out that in addition to not be able to protect cyclists from the wind, corn is equally incapable of being good company.

Unfortunately, just a few miles into the Cardinal Greenway, I had one of the lowest points of the entire trip and a grim reminder of how dangerous cycling can be.  An Indiana park volunteer warmed me that just a couple of miles down the path, a cyclist who had not checked for traffic as he crossed over a road had been struck and killed.

I said I would be very careful, but my mind just went numb because I didn't want to think about it, and the truth is that I more or less repressed it until much later.  Another cyclist killed, another stern warning of the dangers of cycling.   From time to time I think about how insane of a machine a bicycle really is - a bunch of pieces of metal and rubber held together, resting on tires usually less than an inch wide, as you dive down the side of a mountain at 50 miles per hour.  Add to this insanity bad weather and reckless drivers and I can't help but feel like there is something wrong with me for loving cycling so much.

It didn't help that a few miles down the path, as I crossed the road, I saw an ambulance driving away in the distance.  I suppose I can't be certain that it was the ambulance, but to me that seems like wishful thinking.  I know that it's most likely that the ambulance I saw was the ambulance, taking away the dead cyclist.

I just looked at pictures of the accident site.  I won't post the link, but it's easy enough to find with the name Cardinal Greenway.  The first thoughts I have are that the pictures don't look so different from what I remember from Jamie's accident.  The ambulance, the mangled wheel, the numerous emergency responders standing around, for them more or less another day of work.

As if the last few paragraphs don't tell you enough, even now I can't help but wonder if I am some kind of damaged cyclist.  Each time that I end up rerouting or avoiding a road because I feel that it's not safe, I can't help but wonder whether the road is actually unsafe, or I'm just too sensitive.  I see other cyclists riding on roads I would deem unsafe, but they feel perfectly safe and secure.  Of course I've heard of cyclists being killed before, but Jamie's accident and death was the first time it was made so incredibly real for me.  I'm sure in my lifetime I've (unfortunately) seen many photos of cycling accidents, but I know it will never be the same again.  I can't help but wonder if from this point on, every accident photo will take me right back to Jamie's accident.  This is in spite of the fact that I know it might end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Jamie I miss you more than any words could say

At least the rest of the day ended well.  Not at all how I had planned, but even still when I think about it now, I'm grateful for the way it went.  I continued on the Cardinal Greenway, given a bit of relief by the presence of real trees (vs only corn), which blocked more of the wind, as well as provided something a bit more interesting to look at.

Apparently this substitution of trees for corn may have been a bit too much of a relief.  I was supposed to turn off of the Cardinal Greenway about about 25 miles before it ended, but I zoned out and ended up riding it all the way to the end.  OOPS.  By the time I figured out what had happened, I was way off course and had added a bunch of extra miles to the day.  I don't remember the exact figure, but I think I somehow added about 25 miles to the day.  25 extra miles are always tough, but especially tough on a day that is already 180 miles.  Plus now that I was way off course, I really had no clue about the terrain or the most important thing, which was the safety of the route.  So in the end I called my hosts for the night, Brian and Lori "Sunpatch" Byg, the parents of one incorrigible Blaire "Zuccini Blah" Byg (former roommate / fellow avocado enthusiast).

After much texting, they found me on a backroad in the dark, hungry, tired, and simultaneously feeling defeated and angry at myself.  At this point you might be wondering what I mean by "at least the rest of the day ended well."  So far I had gotten lost and forced my hosts for the night to drive out of their way and find me.  Well, yes that part of the rest of the day obviously sucked.  But what was amazing was how incredibly kind Brian and Lori were when they picked me up.

The fact that they had to drive out to pick me up didn't seem to have phased them at all.  Instead of asking me how I could have been so dumb (seriously), they were just happy to see me and that I had made it thus far.  Their kindness and graciousness restored me immediately and I found myself feeling more optimistic.  I know in the last post I already had a rant about how amazing my hosts for the first night were (Caitlin and Jin), but I think it would be unjust to not have a rant about how amazing Brian and Lori are as well.

As all 4K alums know all too well, there is definitely a 4K withdrawl period.  A period of time during which everything in the non 4K world seems less meaningful or perhaps even pointless.  During this time, you lament the fact that you aren't on your bike, constantly surrounded by your teammates.  You wonder if real life will ever be quite as good as the 4K, and if you're a super duper 4K addict, whether you'll ever be happy again.

It's pretty obvious that I fall into that super duper 4K addict category, seeing as I've done everything in my power to avoid returning to normal life.  After the 4K, I hung around Chicago for about 4 weeks, then took off on this crazy bike ride across the Midwest by myself.  Then I couchsurfed with friends up and down the East Coast for two weeks, before flying off to Europe.  However, as glorious and glamorous all that might seem, the truth is that it has been also really tough.  As grateful I am to have this amazing opportunity to continue the adventurous spirit of the 4K, "normal" life has caught up to me.  It turns out that despite what some of us in America might think, even if you live in Europe, you have to lead more or less a "normal" life.

Perhaps you think you can escape normal life by having the most exciting life ever.  Maybe you can work as a skydiving instructor, then a firefighter, then a safari guide, and so on.  Maybe you could figure out a way to keep the adrenaline high at all times.  But isn't there something equally sad about not being appreciate life for what it is, even if sometimes it is simple and not super duper exciting?  Isn't there something really sad about always needing the next fix for adventure and not being able to appreciate and give thanks for what you already have?  This is my post 4K dilemma, of always needing the next adventure fix and yet wanting to fully appreciate daily life.

"Can you tell marketing I'll probably have to reschedule this afternoon's meeting?"

But back to the Brian and Lori.  I've known them for over four years now, and every time I see them or Blaire tells me something about them, I can't help but have the feeling that they have conquered this dilemma.  They seem to be able to go about their everyday lives and yet not neglect nurturing their sense of adventure, something I think at this moment I'm not really able to do.  I always hear from Blaire that they are off at some festival or concert or beer this or wherever they were on day two of my ride that they had a meat pie for me in the car when they picked me up.  And hey, they offered to host me not once, but twice during my ride... that has to count as an adventure in itself right??? Cuz I'm so exciting??!!

Brian and Lori, if you read this, what I trying but failing to say adequately is that the two of you give me hope for my own future, and for the future of everyone else who might suffer from post 4K crises of identity.  I mean it when I say that whenever I feel upset about the fact that I am being forced to resume everyday life, I can always think of the two of you.  I can think of how you not only combine everyday life with an adventurous spirit, but also obtain joy and pleasure from everyday life itself.  When I think about life five, ten, twenty years in the future, I know that if I have your spirit and appreciation for life, I will be okay.  In fact, I will be better than okay.  I will be great, no matter where I am, no matter what I am doing.  So thank you, not only for hosting me for two days, but giving me hope and guidance in life.  As was said between me and your daughter a few days after I finished my ride, you are truly amazing people.

selfie with Lori and Brian, fantastic people

In addition to the previously mentioned meat pie, they had lasagna for me at the house.  And drinks of every kind, including great beer.  And lasagna at the house.  And drinks of every kind, including beer.  Pretty much everything I needed and more, including what was essentially my own apartment, complete with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living area with TV.

 Byg Hotel

 The concierge of Byg Hotel, the very very friendly Ava (sorry about the bad pic but I promise she is the sweetest of dogs)

I hope it's clear what I meant when I wrote earlier that the rest of the day went well, despite nothing going according to plan.  It's funny, during the 4K I realized over and over again that biking was a much smaller part of the journey than the people we met along the way.  I can't help myself from saying the same right now.  I might have been disappointed that I wasn't able to finish the mileage that day, but I take comfort in the knowledge that years down the road, when I look back at day two of this trip, what I'll remember and cherish the most isn't the miles, but the wonderful time I got to spend with my hosts.

Mileage for the day, taken the next morning

  

Midwest Tour Day 1 (out of 6) ... Finally

Ok so I'm in Barcelona... surprise!  At least to those of you who don't know...

Long story short, I found it difficult to find work in Berlin for the moment so I hopped over to Barcelona because work is generally more plentiful there.  I think I have to blog about this (at least according to Tori), so more about all this later...

For now, the ride I did in the Midwest in September... which I cannot believe was over two months ago now.  Something that I've said over and over again, and every 4K alum knows is the paradox of the 70 days of 4K, that the days pass by quickly and slowly all at the same time.   A common saying on our team was, each day seems like a week and each week seems like a day.  So it's incredible to realize that over 70 days have passed by since not only the end of 4K, but this Midwest ride.  They both seem like they took place yesterday... did I mention I love to be nostalgic and reminisce?

West Lafayette, clearly the better of the two Lafayettes... duh doesn't everyone know that?

Anyway... day 1 of the Midwest Ride!

But before... what exactly was my Midwest Ride?  As the impending gloom that was the end of the 4K became more and more of a reality, those of us on the team made plans to hang out post 4K.  Not just those of us who lived close to each other (looking at you lucky people in Maryland...), but all of us for future reunions and parties and celebrations (think New Year's, annual reunion, etc.).  Realizing that one of my buds on the team, Lipsitz, lived only about 6 hours away by car, we figured, hey what the hey, why not she visit me in Chicago?  Of course during the 4K you don't think about school, work, or other worldly obligations all too much.  So when said worldly obligations hit after the ride, Lipsitz realized that she would be far too busy to visit me.  I responded, still riding that high that is the 4K, well... why don't I just visit you at Denison (a college east of Columbus for those of you who don't know).

But of course, unlike Emily I had no car, so my only way of visiting her would be taking a bus or train or renting a car or  riding my 4K bike there.

No fossil fuels needed

For those of you who know, the weekend before this Midwest trip, I rode to Milwaukee and back to Chicago on the same day, for a personal best of 207.67 miles in a single day.  Although none of the days of this trip would have as much mileage, to be honest I was a lot more apprehensive about this trip than the Milwaukee trip.  This is because with the Milwaukee trip, I always had a safety net, the metra train that runs from Chicago all the way to Southern Wisconsin and back.  If I had serious bike problems or was too tired, etc., I could always come back on the train.

For this Midwest ride, however, things were different.  I was going to be a lot more out of civilization, no train to take me to Denison if things went wrong.  In addition, the Milwaukee ride lasted only one day, so I could give it my all and not worry about totally wearing myself out.  With the Midwest ride, I had to be careful to not overexert myself as it would consist of three days of riding, one day of riding, then three more days of riding back to Chicago.

But putting these fears aside, I began preparing for the ride.  I felt much better about the ride precisely because of the Milwaukee ride and what I had learned from it.  I prepared my ultra high tech pannier (aka my shoulder bag bundled up), filling it with exactly one change of clothing, one pair of non-cycling shoes, bike tools, and food, food, and more food.

Despite my concerns about the trip, overall the first day went incredibly well. The ride would be from the neighborhood of Hyde Park in Chicago to West Lafayette, IN, where Purdue University is.  I left around 6AM in the morning, hopping on the beautiful Chicago Lakefront Trail, and it seems for the first time in my life, I had a tailwind.  After being interrupted for a few minutes by a large ship necessitating the raising of a bridge, I crossed into Indiana from Illinois.

I'm pretty sure I could have jumped the gap with my bike... right???

I'm making this picture extra large so you can see where the ship that stopped me is from... CANADA JOCELYN I KNOW YOU SENT THIS SHIP TO STOP  ME FROM GOING ON THIS RIDE

Anyway, after crossing into Indiana I hopped onto a different trail called the Erie-Lakawanna trail, which kudos to Indiana, is really beautiful and frankly maintained far better than the Chicago Lakefront Trail.  Thanks to the tailwind the first couple of hours flew by and I didn't stop for a break until mile 30 or so, at the end of the Erie-Lakawanna trail.

Of course first I had to go through a tunnel.  It was a really short tunnel, but no good 4K ride is complete without one.

Unfortunately I knew that from that point on, I would be riding mostly through cornfields.  I stocked up on some more water from the town of Crown Point, IN, then headed out to meet the corn and the cows.

Wouldn't be a true American bike ride without some corn

Reason #1 that biking is better than driving... it's much easier to moo at the cows.  Ok so it's really hard to see the cows in this picture but you'll just have to believe me that they are there

Actually this was one of the few moments during day 1 of riding that something went wrong, or at least could have gone wrong.  Up to this point, the riding had been incredibly safe.  I rode mostly on bike paths and trails, with a few miles on some low traffic roads.  For most of day 1 after Crown Point, I was on roads that my 4K team would call farmer roads, or corn farmer roads.  These roads are used only by farmers, and are labeled County 1000 W or some other inconspicuous number + cardinal direction combination.  Aside from the one disadvantage of being boring, these roads are great for cyclists because of the practically non-existent traffic, aka very safe.

But as I left Crown Point, I had to take one stretch of US highway 231 to connect to the farmer roads.  While part of my preparation for the ride had been to do everything I could to verify the safety of my route, to be perfectly honest in the end there is almost no way to be absolutely certain that a roads is safe before you get there.  You can look on google maps, but the pictures might be super outdated or maybe they were taken when there happened to be little traffic on the road.  You can contact bike shops or cycling clubs in the areas and ask for their opinion, but of course it's possible that what they perceive as perfectly safe might terrify you.

So I ended up riding on a three or so mile stretch of US-231, with cars zooming past me a bit too fast and the shoulder a bit too narrow for my liking.  I've definitely been on more dangerous and scary roads, but it wasn't exactly ideal either.  And in the aftermath of Jamie's accident this summer, I'm aware that I'm probably more cautious than most cyclists and less willing to ride on dangerous roads.  I guess the litmus test I have is to ask myself whether my 4K team would take the road or not.  With regards to US-231, in the end I decided that while we wouldn't feel great about it, most of us would continue.  So I continued, a bit unnerved, but determined to keep riding.

In case that last paragraph was too grim, here is an adorable picture of a kitty and putty cuddling.

Anyway, after that brief episode, I was fortunate enough to ride almost the rest of the way on the farmer roads.  I suppose they don't really make for an exciting ride or good pictures, but I do love the safety they provide.  Honestly, the next 40 miles or so flew by thanks again to that good tailwind.  The only mistake I made was not bringing a proper lunch (for me at least granola bars are not a proper lunch), but it ended up not being a big deal anyway, because I soon ran into a gas station with a gourmet steakhouse attached to it.  Just kidding, a Subway!  That last exclamation might seem trivial to non-4Kers, but I think the significance is not lost to 4K alumni (and definitely my team).  The truth is up for debate, but I think the food chains from which we ate the most this summer are McDonalds, Jimmy John's, and Subway.

After finishing my subway footlong #9999 of this year and feeling refreshed (nothing like that processed chicken patty to keep you going), I headed out.  The rest of the afternoon went very well.  I supposed I should confess that I forgot that Indiana is actually in the Eastern time zone (OOPS), so I was going to arrive one hour later than I anticipated and WOW I am dumb sometimes.

Maybe one of the few bad things about day one was that I lonely, seeing as I'm rather used to riding with a group of 25 other cyclists.  And of course, all that I had to keep me company was endless fields of corn.  

Ok so there was also this and I had to reroute, but again, would it be a true 4K ride without rerouting?

Thankfully, around 25 miles before I arrived at Purdue, I passed by a lovely family with an adorable toddler riding their bikes around (I think the fact that a family with a toddler can ride their bikes on these roads shows how safe they are).  I chatted with them for a few minutes.  It was a lovely break from the crippling loneliness (ok I am exaggerating, at least for day one).  Maybe the only possibly awkward moment during the conversation was when the dad told his adorable son, "I bet his [referring to me] is Jamie."  He did so because I had Jamie written on my forearms, to inspire me and remind me of why I am riding (definitely more on this in future posts).  It was difficult in so many different ways to correct him, and it reminded me of the fact that almost three months after the accident, I still don't really know how to tell strangers what happened.

Ok so I didn't get a picture of them, but you can imagine your own version of an adorable Indiana farmer family

I'm tempted to write more about this difficulty, which I'm sure my entire team is facing, but I feel that if I do so I will get too distracted from day one of the ride.  I'm going to assert that it isn't a cop out, based on my claims that I will come back to this matter in a later post.

After being encouraged by the family that Purdue was not too far away, I waved goodbye and continued.  I arrived at my host for the night around 6PM, in excellent spirit and not feeling all that tired.  My host for the night was 4K 2011 San Fran Alum Caity Schram and her boyfriend Jin Tao.  To brag yet again about how amazing the 4K is, pretty much all that Caity needed to be told to be convinced to host me for the night is that I was a 4K alum and that I was on a bike ride.  That's right, I had actually never met Caity or Jin before this ride.  So what I'm saying is, Caity and Jin opened up their home and provided a hot shower and GUEST BEDROOM to someone who is essentially a stranger, because we are mutual 4Kers.  See why you should do the 4K (ok there are also other reason obviously)?

4K Hosts don't have to stop just because your 4K is over... thanks Caity and Jin!  A pre-shower picture, in case you needed to know why my hair is sticking up so much

After a much needed shower and a quick trip to the local bike shop, Caity, Jin, and I went out for dinner at their favorite hangout.  It's somewhat of a blur now, but I can remember thinking how wonderfully the first day of riding had gone.  It helped me put aside a lot of my worries and concerns about the trip.  Of course there would be many difficulties to come, but I enjoyed myself, had a few beers, a giant burger, I'm almost positive I ate a second entree I was so hungry.  Thank you Caity and Jin for not making fun of me for eating so much.  Actually I'm pretty sure Caity was egging me onto do it :)

Caity and Jin if you ever read this post, thank you so much for hosting me.  It's truly amazing to arrive somewhere new and strange on your bicycle, sweaty and tired, and be offered a place to stay.  It's one of the most amazing experiences of the 4K to realize that there actually are kind people out there, so Caity and Jin I want you to know that you helped me get back some of that 4K magic.

While I'm thanking people and to finish, I should thank all of the people that sent me messages and encouragements during the day.  Although it was a relatively easy day, the messages made the loneliness feel much more insignificant and I am very grateful for them.

Ok so I spent the last five minutes trying to figure out how to rotate this image.  I give up, but if any of you knows how to fix it, please comment below.  Mileage for the day at 131.75.

That's it for now.  I'm a little concerned that because so much time has passed, my memory isn't all that fresh... but no use worrying now - I promise it will not take me another two months to write about day two!

A quick jaunt to Milwaukee and back...

I'm sitting at a cafe in Manhattan's Upper East Side (swanky I know!) called Cafe Jax.  I have to admit... life is pretty good right now.  I'm still riding some of the high I got from finishing the 4K, I successfully completed my tour of the Midwest (I SWEAR I will actually blog about that once I get a chance), and since that has finished, I went to one of my old roommate's amazing wedding (congrats Peter and Bobby!), flew to Boston where I saw several friends, including two 4K teammates, then took a bus to Glens Falls, NY where I saw yet another teammate, and now here I am in NY, seeing friends and actually staying with a 4Kouch (4K's couch surfing program) host, Rob Keleher (who is incredibly nice, like NEBRASKA NICE and anyone who reads this blog knows how obsessed I am with how people are nice in Nebraska), and after NY I will be traveling down the East Coast even further, seeing friend and teammate after another, and finally to top it all off, I fly off to Germany in a few weeks for new adventures and even more bike rides through the forests of Germany (oh yeah also this thing called working and making money or something), and also as a bonus I just wrote a massively long and run on sentence that takes up the entire paragraph that is totally not grammatically kosher but I'm so excited about all the things I am doing / will get to do that I don't know how else to write it and I don't even care #4kgrammarok.

I guess what I'm failing to mention is that going to Germany to bike (and teach to make money when necessity dictates) requires uh... planning.  So here I am, no ticket yet (oops), no job planned (which is actually not so bad, because in Germany you can only get a job once you get there... it's a very face to face culture), no idea of where I will stay in Berlin (comforted by the fact that Berlin is not as expensive of a city as say London or Paris).  At the same time, while I have this daunting challenge after me, I feel very calm and not nervous about it really at all.  Maybe it's the "wow turns out if I put my mind to it I can do anything!" mentality that completing the 4k gives you, maybe it's just pure laziness, maybe it's just sheer delusion.  Buuuuut in the spirit of those three maybes, I figured instead of doing what I should really be doing and buying my tickets (yikes $$) or working on my resume or cover letter or looking for housing, I'll just blog!  I have so much to blog about and I'm afraid that if I don't start now, I'll get so behind that I won't ever catch up... so here goes... Chicago to Milwaukee and back to Chicago...

So I get to the Milwaukee City Hall and it's under construction...

Why

200+ miles in one day... I think when I told people about this ride, the number one response was... why???!!!! why???!!!! but seriously, WHY????!!!!

To be perfectly honest, I don't have one uniform answer for this question.  I could say that I was doing it to train for my Midwest Tour (which had some crazy mileages as well... not as quite as insane as this one, but still), but that's only a very small part of it.  Doing this ride definitely taught me A LOT about doing long rides by myself, but that wasn't really the main reason.

It certainly wasn't to see Milwaukee, because as you'll read below, I spent only a few minutes there before I had to bike back (fortunately I have visited Milwaukee before with a car so I didn't really feel like I was missing out).

I think the only answer I could really give is... why not?  I had a free day, I'm in good shape from the 4K, I know the roads there and back are safe... why not go for it?  So I kind of have to leave this section seeming incomplete, but I honestly don't know how else to do it... plus I'm hoping that you'll be more interested in hearing how I did it, rather than precisely why.... so here goes...

How (and how not)
I left super early in the morning, around 5:30AM.  Of course it was pretty dark then, but one of the nice things about biking out of Chicago is that because the city is lit so brightly everywhere, you can bike safely in the dark (as in biking in the dark in Chicago is very common).  I also knew that I would be on a path right dby the lake front for a good hour or so at the beginning.  Basically one of the main concerns with such a long ride is that you just need an incredibly long time to do it, so the earlier you leave, the better.

Ok I admit it I stole this picture from one of my friend's facebook page... but it basically shows what I got to see as I left Chicago that morning... sorry and thanks Molly

The morning started really well.  I even had a slight tailwind!  A rarity for 4K riders it seems, no matter what direction we're headed.  The only thing I was TERRIFIED about was my rear rack / pack.  You see, when most people go on long rides and need to bring large amounts of food and gear, they use panniers and all kind of special bags to hold their stuff securely.  But of course here is how I brought my stuff:

Ok this picture is actually from my Midwest tour, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what I had with me.  And yup... those are basically the cheapest bungee cords I could find.   It is pretty jenky, but it did its job.

The pack added a good amount of weight to the bike (it was noticeably heavier to pick it up) and I was terrified that I was going to break a spoke.  Despite the fact that you should really never break a spoke, on our 4K ride we had so many broken spokes (usually the just the spoke nipple actually) that I guess the fear of breaking one lingered in my mind.  I actually have a tool to replace broken spoke nipples and kind of the ability to do it (I admit once I was trying and I broke my teammate Chris's spoke... sorry Chris), but obviously it seriously cuts into the time you have to ride.

Actually about fifteen miles into the ride, my bike started making this awful noise and I was TERRIFIED that I had broken a spoke.  Fortunately the "only thing" that had happened was that one of the bungee cords had gotten loose and gotten wrapped around the wheel and started rattling against the spokes... ok that actually sounds REALLY BAD but you'll just have to take my word for it that it wasn't.  I was able to just pick up the bungee cord and I found a way to tie it around my pack more securely.

Anyway, aside from that brief scare, the morning went really well.  I rode through the north suburbs of Chicago (for the most part very nice to bike through and actually I saw a lot of other cyclists, which was really encouraging and made me feel more comfortable).

Almost at the Illinois Wisconsin border... look at me, so optimistic and not worn out at all

 I made it to the state line with really good time.  It helped that Illinois is flat as a table.  When people think of the Midwest they think flat... but I promise you that is a lie  Maybe it's flat in a car when you're going on the interstate, but when you're on a bike, you feel every tiny gradual change in the grade.  Most of Ohio is really hilly, Indiana is mostly flat but still has some very, very gradual changes in the grade.  And despite what certain 4K alumni tell you *ahem* Iowa and Nebraska are NOT FLAT they are very hilly.  Illinois was really the only truly flat state.  In fact, as soon as I crossed the state line into Wisconsin, I encountered some very gradual hills (much like Indiana actually).

I actually took a selfie at this sign, but turns out I am REALLY BAD at taking selfies so you'll just have to trust that I actually biked here instead of stealing a stock photo from the internet *ahem*

Wouldn't be 4K Portland without going through at least one tunnel, even on a bike path

Also wouldn't be 4K without going through a tiny town.  Although compared to some of the towns we went through I suppose 6000+ is a metropolis

Honestly I have to say the ride to Milwaukee was really smooth and nothing went wrong.  No flats, no broken spokes, parts of the route I took were really bumpy but still overall felt safe (a lot of trail riding too which is very nice).  The only issue I really had was that for some reason when I go on long rides by myself, I have this really weird habit of forgetting about eating meals.  I guess that's what happens when you're introduced to long distance biking with a van that literally delivers meals to you along the route?  As I got close to Milwaukee (close to completing the first century), I became pretty hungry (because it was lunch time duh).  But for some bizarre reason, instead of stopping and getting lunch, I decided it would be smart to just try to eat granola bars and other snacks I had brought with me (including just balls of cooked rice).  Of course that didn't work, and I became weaker and weaker, but couldn't figure out why (sometimes I have very little common sense).  Finally my stomached yelled at my brain loudly enough and I stopped at a Wendy's just outside Milwaukee for a quick lunch.

Again.. it wouldn't be 4K without fast food for lunch.  I'm pretty sure I had a bunch of healthier options available.. but I didn't even think about it and just went for the Wendy's.  In my defense, I went with a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a cheeseburger, which would have been the true 4K choice.

 Feeling much better after that meal (surprise, eating meals is something you should do while biking long distances), I headed into Milwaukee.  Like I said before, I spent a total of about fifteen minutes in the downtown area, snapping just a couple of pictures before getting back on the road.

First century.  I would like to be able to say that I put safety first and stopped biking to snap this picture with my iPhone, but unfortunately my bike computer exposes to the world that I was moving at a speed of 13.9 mph when this picture was taken.  I'm pretty sure I was on a bike trail when it was taken... yes... that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

Didn't know where to put this pic, but I thought the mural of the cyclist was pretty cool... so enjoy

Ok so this picture obviously someone else took for me.  Because of that it should have been a much cooler picture with more of the water behind me instead of this random building, but *sigh*

I think this picture is much better and it should have been more of the background for the picture above

Milwaukee City Hall.  Looks really cool from this perspective but...

this is the base of the building when I was there... oops of course they would be doing construction when I was there

I was in such a hurry to leave Milwaukee that I took this picture of this cool looking building, but I have no idea what building it is.  Bonus points if you find out what it is and post a comment about it.  By bonus points I mean everyone will know that you have no life and spend way too much time obsessed with my blog... just kidding... please read my blog

After snapping these pics in Milwaukee, I headed back towards Chicago.  It was definitely daunting to look at myself on google maps and see that I was so far away from home, that I had a ways to go still.  But I was still optimistic, my legs felt good.  Maybe the only thing was that I could feel myself chaffing slightly but it really wasn't too bad and so I just ignored it.  I mean... what could go wrong with that??? Dun dun dun...

Back in the flattest state in the Midwest... see what I mean by terrible selfies?

This picture is dedicated to Victor, my 4K teammate / son from this summer, who was fond of saying, "it's all good, it's all good"

On the way back, I did encounter some headwind briefly, but honestly it wasn't too bad.  But being as hard headed as I am, I forgot the lesson I should have learned from the ride up to Milwaukee, and didn't eat dinner until 8PM or so.... oops.  In retrospect it was incredibly stupid, because it really the exact same problem I had with lunch.  I felt hungry and fatigued, but instead of stopping for 10 minutes to eat a dinner, I just kept biking and trying to compensate with granola bar after granola bar.  Finally my stomach (which I'm sure was in disbelief that this was happening yet again... the same day...) yelled really loudly enough at my brain and I stopped for a quick dinner at a gas station (oh yeah... what could be better than a nasty gas station sandwich).

By this point it had started to become dark, but I knew that was totally fine because the last 40 miles or so into Chicago are basically a combination of trail and city riding, which are both pretty safe at night.  Even before I left for the ride, I knew this was something that was likely to happen so it didn't worry me at all.  

But what I hadn't anticipated happening was that the little bit of chaffing that started back in Milwaukee would morph into probably the worst chaffing I've ever experienced.  Surprise surprise when you ride 200+ miles in a single day with a high cadence and put butt'r on only once you have problems... in retrospect it's a lesson that I shouldn't have needed to learn through such a painful last 25 miles or so.

For both of our sake's, I do not have a picture of my chaffing.  But I think this picture is a nice substitute.  I would say I was at pain level number 4.

Unfortunately the chaffing was rather crippling because I couldn't ride with a high cadence which is how I always prefer to ride (high cadence = thighs and butt rub a lot against each other, against saddle, etc. = very painful when you have a lot of chaffing).  So I was forced to put my bike in a very high gear and ride with a super low cadence (my 4K teammates are laughing at me right because they know how OBSESSED I am with high cadence.. I mean I guess the rest of you know too, just look at the title of my blog).

But despite all the chaffing and getting too hungry and biking in the dark (again which was safe I promise!), I made it back around 11PM, safe and sound.

Hard to see, but the distance is 199.99 miles.  For some reason I had this terrible fear that my computer would reset to 0 miles once I crossed 200 so I took this picture just in case.

Within one mile of home and way way more tired and sore and chaffed than at the beginning of the day

Double century!  Finished at 207.67 miles

So that's the story of my first double century.  As happy as I was to finish the miles, the more I think about what I did, the more insane it seems.  But of course I regret nothing (except maybe the chaffing) and I'm really really glad I did the ride.  If nothing else it makes a great story and lets people know that I am insane (always a good thing)!

My tips on a double century ride
As I wrote at the beginning of this post, the main reaction I got when I told people that I was going to do this ride was... why?  Having finished now, far as I am concerned not only do I not regret doing the ride, but I want to do more double centuries, and eventually a triple century (I mean.. it's perfectly logical, after two comes three).  Buuuuut having said that, there are some things I might do differently if I did it again... and I thought I would share them with you.  So may I humbly suggest, my tips on doing a double century ride (or any other super long ride) solo... I mean one of the things I would like to do through my own biking is get other people excited about biking and inspire them (if I may use such a word is to go on their own long bike rides!

1. Bring a lot of food... like more than you think you might need.  Riding a double century is NOT the time to be worried about calories or losing weight.  You are not riding a double century to lose weight.  You are riding a double century to ride a double century.  So you will need to eat really often... like around 250-300 calories an hour, which is actually quite a bit.  In fact, it's definitely better to overeat slightly rather than undereat.  There is nothing worse than becoming fatigued because your blood sugar is dropping because you didn't eat enough.  At the same time, I suggest trying to eat moderate quantities often rather eating a huge amount of food infrequently.

Also, it is a good idea to actually carry lunch and dinner with you rather than make stops.  I suggest bringing a couple of sandwiches.  This way, you'll never have to be afraid of not having a place to stop for meals, plus stopping for meals and buying food usually takes longer than just pulling out a sandwich from your bag.

If none of this is convincing, here is a list of what I ate that day (ok I probably could have eaten a lot more healthfully...):

Breakfast of 2 eggs with a lot of rice + vegetables (it was a big breakfast )
11 granola bars
7 oz bag of beef jerky
3 large gatorades
1 large powerade
1 large coke
1 Wendy's meal
1 gas station sandwich
1 large bag of sun ships
5 rice balls
a post ride meal of a giant burger + fries + a slice of of chocolate cake to celebrate

Basically me that day

I calculated the calories, and I think it comes out somewhere around to 7000-8000 calories, and that's just a conservative estimate.  And trust me when I woke up the next morning I was really really hungry.

Also, don't be afraid of sugar.  You really have to work hard to keep your glucose levels up on such a long ride, and even if it's not so good for you, once in awhile it isn't the worst to buy a bottle of coke just for the sugar.  At least that is my opinion.

2. Bring spare bike parts... ok this one is pretty obvious so I won't spend too much time on it, but bring extra tubes, a pump or CO2 cartridges, a patch kit,etc all that good stuff.  I lucked out and didn't have any problems, but obviously it was a good idea to not count on getting lucky.  Also a roll of duct tape can perform miracles if you need it.

3. Try to never stop... ok maybe not never, but in order to complete so many miles, you just have to keep moving.  A lot of times it isn't your speed that makes it impossible to complete so many miles, but rather just how often you stop.  Obviously you have to stop once in awhile.  So my suggestion is to make the most out of each stop.  Whenever you do stop, try to do everything you need to do - so fill up on water, grab snacks out of your bag to put in your jersey pockets, use the bathroom, put on butt'r (very important), check directions, make bike adjustments, etc.

4. Use butt'r... often.  I think I don't need to elaborate on this one.

5. and last but certainly not least... ride with a high cadence.  My teammates are probably either laughing or about to call me and scream at me to stop talking about cadence, but honestly without a high cadence there is just no way to you can completely such a long ride.  If you ride with a low cadence all day, more than likely your knees will hurt like crazy, your legs will be sore, and you will tire yourself out way faster.  Even after 200 miles my knees felt great and my legs weren't that sore, because they never had to work all that hard (plus it is mostly flat).

So that's the story of my Milwaukee ride.  And you know what?  I did take a break from riding for one day afterwards (due to the terrible chaffing especially), but despite what I thought initially, within a few days of the ride, I was ready to get back on my bike.  I'm not exactly sure what it is about biking I am finding so addictive (perhaps it's eating several day's worth of calories by lunch, seeing the land in the most unique way possible, or something else), but hopefully you enjoyed about my adventure, and even more importantly, go on your own adventures...

Til the next ride (hint which took place just six days after this ride)...

4k forever... my beloved teammates...

Hello from Denison (Granville, OH)!  I can't believe I biked out here (well most of the way).  While I would love to write about biking from Chicago to Denison, I won't just yet because the trip is still ongoing and I'd prefer to write about it after it is over.  Also... I have yet to blog about my Milwaukee trip, which... won't happen this post, because I have so much to say about my teammates.... so keep reading!

My teammates.  What can I say.  What can I actually say to explain what it's going to be like between us for the rest of our lives?  Other 4K alum will understand, but even still, how to explain how we feel towards each other?

Well, I think I have a way... and *dun*dun*dun*... it's going to take the form of a confession, which will be quite the surprise for even my own teammates.  Also enjoy some of my favorite pictures with the team (there are SO MANY MORE PICTURES than I have space / time to show here).

Ligonier, PA Day 3... one of the earliest and one of the best

Hmm not sure where this was taken either, but it must have been very early in the trip because my hair is not insanely long yet.  Those of you who are art critics will be able to appreciate the sharp contrast between Taylor's light tone and my mocha tone

On May 30 when I flew into Baltimore, I felt very mixed about the trip.  It isn't that I didn't want to go or anything so drastic, but I had no idea what it would be like to spend 70 days with people who are essentially strangers (oh how that has changed).  And to be brutally honest, I felt uneasy about spending that much time with that many non University of Chicago people.  Let me explain what I mean (I went to University of Chicago in case it isn't obvious by now).

As my University of Chicago friends know all too well, UChicago people... often do not mesh well with non-UChicago people.  I don't know if it's snobbery (on our part that is), whether it's just a different way of thinking about the world, whether it's whatever it may be, but for some reason a lot of UChicago people have the mentality that no one in the world can really understand us except for other UChicago people (hmm yes it is sounding more and more like snobbery).  I'm not joking when I say that when I walk around everyday, I often think about how to better apply Aristotle's concept of the philosophical friendship to my life, what lessons about language I can take from Antony's famous funeral oration in Julius Caesar, what exactly Heidegger means by present-at-hand vs ready-at-hand and thingness and the meaning of being and yadi-yadi-yadi you get the point (wow I am a snob someone stop me).  Above all we're supposed to be intellectual.  The purpose of our education is NOT a job or a career (although those are nice too), but the improvement of our minds.  Every year at UChicago a professor gives a speech called the "Aims of Education."  It's a very big honor and privilege as a professor to be asked to give this speech.  It's funny, every professor has his or her own style and delivery, but in the end EVERY YEAR the speech has the same message: that education's value is education itself, and that everything else is secondary and not as valuable.

At the Navigator's in Columbus

Peter's birthday in Oakwood, OH

Maybe to hammer home this point about UChicago even more, in the early 90s President Clinton offered to come to the University of Chicago to give the commencement speech for that year's graduating class.  Bill Clinton!  The President of the United States!  And you know what UChicago students, faculty, and alum said?  No thank you... you can give a quick speech about policy, but we want our commencement speech to be given by a member of the academic faculty and not a politician.  That is how dedicated UChicago is to pure intellectualism.

The point of saying all this is to try to explain just how much of a culture shock it was for me to start the 4K.  The things that make up the essence of 4K - sharpeeing people's names on your legs, team cheer and dedication circle every day, biking across the country to fight cancer - these things do not belong to the world of UChicago.  We're talking about the school that had a president who wanted to abolish all sports, fraternities, and most extracurricular activities, because he saw them as a distraction to the intellectual development of the students (this place is insane!  although I love it...)..

Not even sure where this was taken but thumbs up.  I think it was Columbus actually

Cancer Hope Lodge in Cincinnati, OH.  Feels like a lifetime ago...

Maybe the final point about this confession will be that as UChicago students, we have a tendency to question EVERYTHING, and especially question things that are intended to be symbolic and gestures of goodwill.  When I told some of my UChicago friends post-trip about what we would do each morning... write people's names on our calves, dedicate our rides to people in our lives and let them know we were riding for them that day, I was greeted with skepticism.  Nothing malicious, but questions like, well what's the point of that?  It's not like riding 120 miles for your cousin who is fighting cancer right now is going to cure him or her of cancer.  I don't want to make it sound like my friends didn't support me during my 4K ride (they definitely did) or that they don't support the program, but again, a lot of what we did on the trip simply does not belong to the world of UChicago.

To be perfectly honest, I was just as skeptical as they were about all of this at the beginning of the trip.  I remember thinking to myself it was a bit odd or maybe even awkward to dedicate your ride to someone who wasn't even there, someone who might not even know that you were riding for them.  But as my teammates can attest to, I don't feel that way anymore.  I don't know exactly when my mind changed, but I can tell you what changed it.

I saw how much it meant to our hosts along the ride when we told them that we would ride for either them or their family who were cancer survivors or had lost their battles to cancer.  I saw how much it meant to Jamie's family that we were riding for her and those for whom had intended to ride.  When I saw all these things, I realized that the things we do on 4K are not only symbolic gestures but real and meaningful ways to make a difference in people's lives.

But most importantly, I saw the example of my teammates, who truly took to heart this coast to coast bike fight against cancer.  I saw them set an example for me as they got up everyday at 5AM (or 4AM sometimes ugh) and cover themselves with sharpie, send text messages to those for whom they were riding, and so much more.  When I saw how riding for someone made my teammates ride that much stronger and helped them finish days that they might not have finished otherwise, I couldn't help but change my own mind about everything on the 4K.  My teammates are the ones who truly made 4K what it is.

One of my favorite from Chicago... my Chicago friends will (or at least should) recognize where this is

Sorry Dorothy, but I don't care what you and your dog think.  We're definitely in Kansas.  Now take Toto and go home before your aunt and uncle get worried.

If it weren't for my teammates, I would never have made this transformation.  If it weren't for them, I would still be stuck in the pure UChicago mentality, wondering if I could ever really get close to non-UChicago people.  They're the ones who helped me break out of this mentality.  Without them I would not be the same person I am today.

with Team San Francisco in Boulder, CO (also for some reason Team San Fran's average height is 2341241 inches more than our average height... although I certainly do not help even out the difference

Not sure what is going on here but I think I need an adult (by the way I'm currently drinking out of that water bottle sitting in Denison's library... I don't think drinking of a cup will ever feel quite right)

As if it isn't incredibly obvious, we are still in contact constantly.  Our GroupMe (group texting app) has new messages every single day, most of us have left our Life360 on (GPS tracker) so we know where we are... I know a bit creepy, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  There have been a number of visits and reunions already (including mine in Denison right now!) and more to come.  In just about a week I start a two week long trip down the East Coast, going friend to friend and visiting so many teammates.  Leaving Portland was truly depressing, but I can't tell you how good it will feel to see so many of my teammates very very soon.

Bend, OR.  Kelsey (right) LOVED licking my shiny sweaty legs.  I mean... the dog, not Kelsey... it went on for a solid 5 minutes.  I wonder if I went back now if it would do it again.  I'm secretly hoping the answer is yes.  Doesn't that dog look so happy?

Beach + champagne + bikes = win

Finally team picture at one of the best hosts, Tillamook.  This is when Jamie's family began riding with us

So that's it for now.  If my words don't tell you how much my teammates mean to me, hopefully these pictures will help.  I can't imagine not talking to them every day.  Sometimes we joke about buying a 4K Team Portland house in Arapahoe, NE (basically the middle point of our trip) and while I know we're joking, sometimes I can't help but wonder... BUT WHAT IF WE ACTUALLY DID BUY A HOUSE AND ALL MOVE OUT THERE AND LIVE IN A GIANT COMMUNE.  COME VISIT US SOME DAY?