A New Year, a New Website (coming soon!), and a New Illini 4000!

2008 Co-Directors Nicholas Ludmer and Jonathan Schlesinger present  Steven Derks, CEO, American Cancer Society, Illinois Division, with a check for $50,000.  This money was raised by members of the 2007 Illini 4000 Bike America Team.  (12/21/07)

With the new year only days away, it seems fitting to look back at some of the Illini 4000's achievements in 2007:

1.  $50,000 raised for the research fund of the American Cancer Society! We could never have imagined that we would raise this much money in just 4 months!   Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Illini 4000 in 2007! To learn more about the American Cancer Society, please visit cancer.org

2.  $5,000 raised to support Camp Kesem-UIUC's annual summer camp for children whose parents have cancer.  To learn more about this exciting organization, please visit campkesem.org

3.  The successful completion of the Illini 4000's first 4,300 mile, 72-day transcontinental bicycle ride to raise support and awareness for cancer research.  The 18 college students and graduates who gave their summer to support this cause deserve much credit for their contributions -- we could not have done it without your help.  From the bottom of Eric Mosher's heart, we thank you for all of your work and wish you the best of luck in all of your future adventures.  

4.  The successful launch of The Portrait's Project, a program created by the Illini 4000 to document the influence of cancer on American life in the 21st century.  While riding across America, Illini 4000 rider's interviewed nearly 20 cancer survivors and cancer patients from an array of locales and walks of life as part of this emotional, grassroots, initiative.

5.  Planning is already underway for the 2008 Illini 4000 Bike America Ride!  In only a few months a new group of  selfless and passionate college students will make their way from New York to Seattle.  Stay tuned for more information!

 2007 was a great year for the Illini 4000 for Cancer and 2008 promises to be even more extraordinary.

Be sure to return to Illini4000.org on January 1, 2008 for a preview of what's in store for the Illini 4000 in 2008!  (Sneak preview #1: We're getting a new website!  Sneak preview #2: We're going to post more frequently!)

We've Finished!

Thanks to the incredible kindness of our sponsors, the UIUC Alumni Association, and thousands of donors, and supports across the nation, the Illini 4000 for Cancer has finished its first ever cross country bike ride! Even though the bikes are packed away, our rider are moved and inspired by the people we have met along the way and the effects of cancer in the lives of all Americans. If you haven't already, read some of the blogs to hear the story from the riders' perspectives.

Movin' right along...

We've come a long way since the last website update. The past weeks have put us across the Rocky Mountains and into the Canyonlands of Utah! The scenery is absolutely stunning. The cycling gets harder and harder as the climate moves from the cool, mountain weather of the Colorado Rockies to Utah's scorching, energy-sapping desert heat. Afternoon high temperatures can be as hot as 115 degrees! We get up extra early to put in as many miles in the morning as we can. You can be sure we drink a lot of water and wear plenty of sun screen too!

Flat, flat Kansas

With only 60 miles to go before we reach the western boarder of Kansas, I think this is an appropriate time to recap our experiences in the Sunflower State. Entering from the East, it doesn't take long for the roads to straighten and the hills to shrink. Its amazing to see the landscapes change as we entered western Kansas, where the soil becomes dry and sandy, and wheat fields fill the land.

The set up of small towns are very distinct in Kansas. Most small towns we've encountered have central town squares or main streets with suprisingly wide, often brick streets. Building fronts are almost all preserved in style and labelling- with brick carved markings indicating the building's age, often more than a century old, and the business in which in first housed.

Aside from the sights, we've met a number of individuals who remind us of our purpose in doing this program. In meeting those affected by cancer in towns like Hutchinson, KS, we are reminded that cancer truly does effect all Americans. More and more our team is understanding, through meeting so many individuals affected by cancer, the need for more people to support cancer research and cancer support programs.

Westward!

Reporting in- 60 miles west of the Mississippi from Ironton, Missouri (Miz-ur-ah, as its pronounced locally) as we're still going strong! Its amazing how quickly the roads became hilly once we crossed the river...its a very welcome change from Illinois flatlands. The area is incredibly scenic and the cycling is excellent.

The hilly landscape is reminiscent of Pennsylvania's mountain roads and its incredible to see how strong every rider on our team has become. Climbs which would have been excrutiating and slow 2 weeks ago are nothing for our group now!

Looking ahead, we've got some exciting landscapes, terrain and physical challenges coming our way- any mention of Colorado's Rocky Mountains is usually followed by anxious laughter and talk of high altitude delerium. For now, we take the trip a day at a time, enjoying the scenery, cycling and people we meet.

Cruising to Chicago!

What an amazing week! We past our toughest day of cycling yet in Indiana, as we travelled 115miles from Grand Rapids, OH to Huntington, IN. The distance coupled with a strong headwind made the day's ride extremely challenging. Luckily we had a day off in Huntington, and the great parish of the Evangelical United Methodist Church took amazing care of us- arranging showers at the local YMCA, preparing meals for us, and being geniunely welcoming.

While the wind remained strong for the next two days, it fortunately changed directions, giving our team a great tailwind as we road to Winamac and Chesterton, IN.

Everyone on the team is excited for our arrival in downtown Chicago today- we are arriving at the Cloud Gate in Millennium Park at 1pm today!

Saturday and Sunday are exceptional days, where supporters and friends will be joining our team as we cycle from Homewood, IL to the U of I campus in Champaign, IL. If you'd like to join us for a day or an hour, please click here for more info . A group of riders will even be joining us in Rantoul, IL for the last leg of our ride in Champaign on Sunday, June 10th. If you'd like to join the group, meet us at 1pm this Sunday at the intersection fo Sangamon St and Century Blvd in Rantoul, IL.

H-O-M-E-S

Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior- Erie, at least, we've seen quite a bit of lately- and it is a gorgeous great lake! Not only are the roads friendly for cyclists, the people are too! The hospitality at the First Methodist Church in Perry, OH and the the First Assembly of God in Vermillion, OH have been amazing- our entire team is immeasurably grateful for the support!

We've unfortunately accumulated a backlog of thank you's in Pennsylvania, so I'd like to thank:

• Harlands Family Style Restaurant- home of the original 21 bun salute for the generous meal provided to our team in Wellsboro, PA
• Greg and Caroline Hayes of Edinboro for hosting us in their awesome home in Edinboro, PA

The Chicago to Champaign Ride Along on June 9 & 10 is shaping up to be quite an event! The Alumni Association is taking out all the stops in planning the festivities in Champaign and we're excited for a big turn out. Expect 2 days of fun cycling, new friends, good food and entertainment- you dont want to miss out on this! Check out the details here.

Reports from the road- Day 5! Kane, PA

It's amazing how quickly the first 5 days of our journey have been! We're in Kane, PA right now- in the middle of Pennsylvania. We've just passed the mountain range know as the Endless Mountains and you can guess that the cycling is very tough.

In our first 5 days I'm amazed at the hospitality and generousity of people we have met along the way!

A special thanks to Pastor David Killeen in Tuxedo, Ms. Florence Brown, Pastor Chuck in Tunkhannock, Pastor Dave in Wellsboro and the crew at Costa's in Lord's Valley, PA!

Tonight and tomorrow we're staying at the First Methodist Church in Kane, PA. We're taking the day off from cycling tomorrow to meet with members of the church's parish as we begin field work for our Portraits project. Stay tuned for updates as we cycle to Erie, PA and enter Ohio.

Chicago to Champaign Ride Along!

Join us for 2 days of scenic cycling from Homewood, IL to Champaign, IL on June 9 & 10!

Transportation to/from the ride are easy, and we'll even transport your bike for you!

Look here for more info!

Here we come, America!

Wow! We're only 6 days away from our big departure in NYC! Our team has come a long way and we're all itching to begin the 4000. To all of our donors, thank you for supporting our cause! We are pushing to reach our $100,000 by the time we reach San Diego, California on August 4th!

Check back here for (nearly) daily journal entries and photos from our teammates.