Day 14: Chicago, IL to Kankakee, IL

Saturday, June 12

We had a day off in Chicago yesterday when I got to spend time with my best buddy Raghav from junior school. I couldn’t attend his graduation ceremony that was scheduled for today as we had to wake up at 6am in the morning to bike 60 miles to get to Kankakee, IL. So I dedicate this journal to Raghav. My whole body was aching badly and I didn’t feel like biking this morning at all. I drew courage and encouragement from the young guns in the group who seemed full of energy and ready to roll…Once again I end up riding with Henrik, Kristen and Chorong. Charlie was the new rider in our group today. The day started off pretty slow and soon we were around mile 15 when Charlie needed called out for a ‘pee’ break at Dunkin Donuts. Kristen thanked Charlie and Chorong and I followed them while Henrik waited outside. I asked Kristen if she wanted to have a free donut and she told me she had been craving for one for a long time. So I went up to the manger and told him what we were about and he generously donated us a dozen assorted donuts. That was one satisfying ‘pee break’ . Another group of rides went past us even though we offered them donuts. Kieran at the end of the group yelled out in a baby accent, `` I wannnntttt a donuuuuttt”, that was pretty funny!

It started raining at the water stop and the jerk I am, I always forget to keep my rain jacket in the weather bin. I had to scamper through the van to get hold of my bag and felt great to finally get hold of my jacket. Thanks to Chris who made it easier for me to pack those bags in the van again. A few miles after the water stop we were hit by a strong thunderstorm and winds blowing at 30-35 mph that literally shook our bi-cycles. We decided to pull over into the first parking lot and waited for the weather to clear out a little. Well one thing we all learned was that none of us except Henrik had a real waterproof jacket even though they all claimed to be waterproof. I was glad that I had gotten mine from REI so now I could return it back for a real waterproof jacket. Henrik seemed pretty amazed at learning REI’s return policy. I guess the Germans are way behind Americans when it comes to customer service. Hopefully they can do better in the soccer world cup.

We were back on the road after a short break and soon hit the lunch stop. Chris had gotten us some breakfast food and we were waiting for Amelia like hungry wolves to get there with the lunch donations. Apparently she got lost and riders were getting impatient for food. I was in Amelia’s shoes just 2 days ago and knew exactly how it feels to be that van driver who is unable to get the food to the riders in time. It is way more mentally exhausting that riding a bike and I had rather be on the bike than have the responsibility of feeding 28 riders. But she arrived with a big bang! And by that I mean she was loaded with goodies…an edible basket of fruits, rotisserie chicken, avocado, and the usual groceries. The food was great!!! Good job Amelia!

Back on the road and now it was time for the Charlie magic. Rumor runs that whatever group Charlie is riding in has to have at least one fall. Today Kristen fumbled with her bike and though managed to unclip and shoes and press the breaks, she lost balance and took a minor bruise on the leg. Henrik was riding right behind Kristen and also ended up taking his first ever fall on a road bike. The immortal Henrik Blaute was now one of us. If that wasn’t enough, Henrik also got a flat soon after that. Chorong, Charlie and I waited under a shade and reapplied sunscreen as we waited for Kristen and Henrik to catch up.

We got into Kankakee. Another amazing dinner awaited us at the First Presbyterian Church. I have been amazed at the generosity of our hosts. The love and affection that they show us has been eye opening. We made a brief presentation about the 4K and cancer awareness and cancer prevention and ended it with a round of applause for the cancer survivors in the community. Then we headed for Relay for Life at a nearby school. We did a few laps and were back to get some rest. I filled up the water jugs with Adali for the next day. Need to wake up early tomorrow morning (5am) as our group would be doing the closing ceremony for the Relay for Life before we head out to Bloomington for a 90+ mile day.

-Abhishek Gupta.