Monday, June 7th
The day of our first century. Of course, it was ironic that we were met with the up-and-down roller coasters of Cedar Point the night before which more closely mirrored the hills of Pennsylvania. Thankfully, those dreaded monstrosities were not to be seen the following day. Instead, Ohio’s flatlands would give us our first opportunities to try our trade at pacelining but also enjoying some leisurely conversation and enjoyment of the relatively unchanging Ohio landscape. Of course, the best-looking group – Henrik, Kristen, Kieran, and Adam – sped off into the distance early on as they sought to break the world record for beginner paceliners. Others, however, meandered their way on route 20, and Krystina, Meagan, and Dana’s group found Country Ice Cream a relaxing and calorie-loaded respite from the massive headwinds seeking to destroy all human presence in the state of Ohio. Dan, the dairly-allergic fellow that he is, was nearly driven to consumption of their largest soft-serve cone simply to escape the Sahara-like winds.
In other news, some people found the wind less of a problem than was their own sense of direction…namely, Kristine, who somehow found her way onto every road in a five-mile radius of SR_20 except for the one we actually wanted. Thankfully, her escapades put an end to the ongoing game of Clue the team had begun to narrow down who had been tampering with the team directions for the past six days of riding. The 4K team escaped her traps with their unparalleled common sense, however, and did an amazing job on the road to Fayette: population 1200. Unfortunately, Mariadina’s knee was acting up again, but the rest of the riders were able to close out the day nicely, some of whom went to Amigo’s Pizza: Mexican Restaurant for their first two courses of unadulterated fat and grease upon entering Fayette. As true champions, most of the riders pedaled down alleys and across town beforehand to truly fulfill their first 100 mile day, instead of wimping out at the direction’s pathetic 98 mile total. When the van picked up Mariadina, Jose immediately sped off to reach Fayette (having waited gentlemanly with Mariadina), slicing through and punishing the wind for the harm it did to his team all day long.
After a relaxing shower at the nearby campgrounds, the exhausted but confident and relieved squad enjoyed their home-cooked dinner in the Methodist Church basement, where over time confusion appeared to develop among the residents about what type of pie a host had baked – be it peanut butter or butterscotch? Krystina and Mary delivered one of the most fascinating 4K presentations to date, and the 4K team overall had a great time with the residents of this quaint little town, complete with their stories of trips to other towns and cooperation between the varying Christian denominations in town. What mattered most to our squad, however, were the efforts the people made to welcome us to into their small town and offer us a place to stay, food to eat, and above all else, conversation and company on another night of itinerancy. I believe that on this night, many of us gained a new understanding of the 4K’s purpose, and a thankfulness for the people with whom it continues to bring us into contact.
-Kieran Coleman
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