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
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Day 6 and 7: Youngstown to Cleveland, Ohio
Friday, June 4rth; and Saturday,June 5th
Well, despite a few bumps we finally made it into Cleveland, and our first day off. Day 6 started off great, with a wonderful breakfast in Youngstown. The whole team made it to the first water stop in about an hour, a record time. And we were all riding along enjoying the beautiful Ohio countryside, the cool weather, and the fact that the road was flat as far as we could see. This was a welcome change from the Appalachians and Pennsylvania. Then as we left the second water stop, my riding group got our second flat of the day. We pulled over, changed it, and kept enjoying the flatness of Ohio. We got a third a couple miles later, but still thought nothing of it. Then suddenly, we went down a hill, and Kevin and Kieran both yell out simultaneously to stop. As we pulled over, we realized that Kevin had gotten his second flat of the day, and Kieran had somehow managed to pop both his tires at once, a difficult feat, to say the least. And as we’re sitting by the road, changing their tires, we realize that we no longer have any spare tubes without holes in them. So we bring out the patch kit, and are sitting there patching and changing tires. Meanwhile, we see every single other riding group, all twenty other riders for the day, ride past us to get first crack at lunch. At this point, the day had passed the point of annoyance, and just turned to comedy. We started joking about attempting to set the 4K record for most tires popped in a day. Finally, after about half an hour of tire patches and changes, we get back on the road and follow Jose and his rubber ducky socks to lunch. The rest of the afternoon went fine, although both Kevin and Kieran each managed to get an additional flat tire. And all the groups still managed to get to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in record time, where we settled into private rooms in the Phi Delta Theta house, preparing for our day off.
Everyone enjoyed the welcome break from our 5:30 am wakeups to Natalie’s iPod, and got out to explore the city. I was able to visit with a friend from Hopkins who is a Cleveland native, and got to see parts of the city that I would never have experienced otherwise. And the team was able to make those much needed trips to Target and the bike shops, buying supplies and bike gear we hadn’t realized we’d needed. A group made a trip to Lucky’s Diner for lunch, featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, where they enjoyed the Reuben, supposedly made with homemade bread and real corned beef. And now I think I’m the only one still awake, it’s almost ten thirty and we are waking up at five am tomorrow so we can get our sixty miles done early and head to Cedar Point Amusement Park for the biggest roller coasters in the United States. Spirits are still high, and people’s legs are slowly getting less sore. It amazes me that a sixty mile ride is now a short day, barely a week into the trip. Hopefully that will prepare us for our first century coming up in a few days. Well goodbye Cleveland, the rest of Ohio, and rumors of a scavenger hunt, await.
-Dan Crankshaw
Well, despite a few bumps we finally made it into Cleveland, and our first day off. Day 6 started off great, with a wonderful breakfast in Youngstown. The whole team made it to the first water stop in about an hour, a record time. And we were all riding along enjoying the beautiful Ohio countryside, the cool weather, and the fact that the road was flat as far as we could see. This was a welcome change from the Appalachians and Pennsylvania. Then as we left the second water stop, my riding group got our second flat of the day. We pulled over, changed it, and kept enjoying the flatness of Ohio. We got a third a couple miles later, but still thought nothing of it. Then suddenly, we went down a hill, and Kevin and Kieran both yell out simultaneously to stop. As we pulled over, we realized that Kevin had gotten his second flat of the day, and Kieran had somehow managed to pop both his tires at once, a difficult feat, to say the least. And as we’re sitting by the road, changing their tires, we realize that we no longer have any spare tubes without holes in them. So we bring out the patch kit, and are sitting there patching and changing tires. Meanwhile, we see every single other riding group, all twenty other riders for the day, ride past us to get first crack at lunch. At this point, the day had passed the point of annoyance, and just turned to comedy. We started joking about attempting to set the 4K record for most tires popped in a day. Finally, after about half an hour of tire patches and changes, we get back on the road and follow Jose and his rubber ducky socks to lunch. The rest of the afternoon went fine, although both Kevin and Kieran each managed to get an additional flat tire. And all the groups still managed to get to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in record time, where we settled into private rooms in the Phi Delta Theta house, preparing for our day off.
Everyone enjoyed the welcome break from our 5:30 am wakeups to Natalie’s iPod, and got out to explore the city. I was able to visit with a friend from Hopkins who is a Cleveland native, and got to see parts of the city that I would never have experienced otherwise. And the team was able to make those much needed trips to Target and the bike shops, buying supplies and bike gear we hadn’t realized we’d needed. A group made a trip to Lucky’s Diner for lunch, featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, where they enjoyed the Reuben, supposedly made with homemade bread and real corned beef. And now I think I’m the only one still awake, it’s almost ten thirty and we are waking up at five am tomorrow so we can get our sixty miles done early and head to Cedar Point Amusement Park for the biggest roller coasters in the United States. Spirits are still high, and people’s legs are slowly getting less sore. It amazes me that a sixty mile ride is now a short day, barely a week into the trip. Hopefully that will prepare us for our first century coming up in a few days. Well goodbye Cleveland, the rest of Ohio, and rumors of a scavenger hunt, await.
-Dan Crankshaw
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Day 5- Butler, PA to Youngstown, OH
Thursday, June 3
I’m starting to realize that right when things are at their smoothest is exactly when things seem to fall apart. Today when my group first left Butler, we jokingly said we would be the first group out and last group in. Oh, how I wish it hadn’t come true. But I’ll get to that in a minute. My group was mostly riders I’d ridden with before, including Andrew, Charlie and Krystina. Terrence was back again as well, with his chain restored for the second time (talk about some bad luck). I also had the chance to ride with Kieran for the first time, which was nice because he’s one of the more experienced riders on the team and he gave us some good tips on how to make the ride a little smoother. I had been experiencing some knee problems from the climbs on the previous days, and some of Kieran’s tips about keeping cadence and saving energy really helped alleviate some of the pain. He also taught us how to paceline, and I started to understand how some of those professional teams can make it across the country so quickly just from working off each other.
Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the drawback of pacelining until it was too late: you become oblivious of the world around you (especially road signs). We powered through the first water stop, patting ourselves on the back on being halfway done without doing much of any work at all. Then we made the choice to keep on plowing on through until lunch, having misread the directions and thinking we didn’t have to turn for almost ten miles. It was only after we’d crossed all that terrain that we realized we’d missed a turn right out of the water break. What was originally supposed to be one of the easier days on the trip turned into one of the more frustrating days so far. Getting lost is never a great feeling- especially when you’re on a bike and you have to make up all that ground with your own legs (and slowly). I really have to give some props to my group for pushing on through despite our little setback. We managed to get in not too long after the last of the groups had rolled in, even after adding 20 miles to our trip. I’m just happy that this wasn’t a 100 mile day, and that the rain held off for the most part. The cloud cover was actually a bit of a relief in light of the blistering heat of the previous few days. I’m really looking forward to biking through Ohio; as much as I love Pennsylvania, I can’t say I’ll be missing the Appalachians or the bumpy roads. It’s crazy to think that a week ago I was graduating from college, and now here I am chilling in a church right across the border in Ohio, having biked the whole way. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
-Chris Tait
I’m starting to realize that right when things are at their smoothest is exactly when things seem to fall apart. Today when my group first left Butler, we jokingly said we would be the first group out and last group in. Oh, how I wish it hadn’t come true. But I’ll get to that in a minute. My group was mostly riders I’d ridden with before, including Andrew, Charlie and Krystina. Terrence was back again as well, with his chain restored for the second time (talk about some bad luck). I also had the chance to ride with Kieran for the first time, which was nice because he’s one of the more experienced riders on the team and he gave us some good tips on how to make the ride a little smoother. I had been experiencing some knee problems from the climbs on the previous days, and some of Kieran’s tips about keeping cadence and saving energy really helped alleviate some of the pain. He also taught us how to paceline, and I started to understand how some of those professional teams can make it across the country so quickly just from working off each other.
Unfortunately, we didn’t realize the drawback of pacelining until it was too late: you become oblivious of the world around you (especially road signs). We powered through the first water stop, patting ourselves on the back on being halfway done without doing much of any work at all. Then we made the choice to keep on plowing on through until lunch, having misread the directions and thinking we didn’t have to turn for almost ten miles. It was only after we’d crossed all that terrain that we realized we’d missed a turn right out of the water break. What was originally supposed to be one of the easier days on the trip turned into one of the more frustrating days so far. Getting lost is never a great feeling- especially when you’re on a bike and you have to make up all that ground with your own legs (and slowly). I really have to give some props to my group for pushing on through despite our little setback. We managed to get in not too long after the last of the groups had rolled in, even after adding 20 miles to our trip. I’m just happy that this wasn’t a 100 mile day, and that the rain held off for the most part. The cloud cover was actually a bit of a relief in light of the blistering heat of the previous few days. I’m really looking forward to biking through Ohio; as much as I love Pennsylvania, I can’t say I’ll be missing the Appalachians or the bumpy roads. It’s crazy to think that a week ago I was graduating from college, and now here I am chilling in a church right across the border in Ohio, having biked the whole way. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
-Chris Tait
Day 3: Bedford to Gettysburg, PA
Tuesday, June 1
Today, we had a 65 mile ride through the Appalachians. It was slightly different from the past two days since riders of different levels were put into the same group. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, all prepared by the church we were staying at, we set out. Our group was able to make it up to Bald Knob, which was at an elevation of 2906 ft., at a decent pace and had a chance to stop and take some pictures. Thanks to Gayatri, who was driving the water van that day, we had a water stop just before we reached the top so we had a chance to catch our breath. After lunch, we continued on to another climb up to Laurel Hill Summit. Despite its name, it was a challenging climb but it was well worth it once we saw the view.
This ride was especially tough since we had two mountains to conquer. However, w e did have a pool party to look forward to that night. After we all arrived at the Greensburg YMCA, we went to an alum’s home, where they had amazing food that we especially appreciated after a grueling third day.
-Angela Chang
Today, we had a 65 mile ride through the Appalachians. It was slightly different from the past two days since riders of different levels were put into the same group. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, all prepared by the church we were staying at, we set out. Our group was able to make it up to Bald Knob, which was at an elevation of 2906 ft., at a decent pace and had a chance to stop and take some pictures. Thanks to Gayatri, who was driving the water van that day, we had a water stop just before we reached the top so we had a chance to catch our breath. After lunch, we continued on to another climb up to Laurel Hill Summit. Despite its name, it was a challenging climb but it was well worth it once we saw the view.
This ride was especially tough since we had two mountains to conquer. However, w e did have a pool party to look forward to that night. After we all arrived at the Greensburg YMCA, we went to an alum’s home, where they had amazing food that we especially appreciated after a grueling third day.
-Angela Chang
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 2: Waynesboro, PA to Bedford PA
Monday, May 31
Word of the day: Grueling
It is said that the first three days are more challenging than the Rockies. On top of the sleep deprived 73 mile of yesterday many of us could not imagine peddling…well perhaps ever again. All riders rose to the occasion with admirable zeal…at 5:30 in the morning! (different than my normal schedule to be sure) Packing the bags and stuffing our faces with a generously supplied breakfast went smoothly with everyone contributing a hand. Our first dedication circle came and went leaving everyone inspired and “ready” to get back in to the saddle. The first 30 miles went relatively well, rolling hills and a sprawling landscape escorted us to the dreaded “3” hills…in quotations because there were definitely more than 3 and they were definitely 2 mountains. As we passed a memorial parade I was entertained by relaxing memories which fled my mind immediately upon accenting the first hill. I can say in full honesty that I wouldn’t have been able to summit if I had known how long this deceiving hill would stretch on. After the first hill many team mates have share the sentiment that there should be a gear smaller than “granny gear” which seems like top gear on tough assents. Screaming muscles quieted in a super fun decent we all fully deserved…two hills to go…dun dun duuuun. The second hill came, and, traumatized by the first it was a pleasant surprise when what was sure to be more hill around the corner was down hill, then there was ANOTHER hill, atop which we finally ate a nourishing meal found by Adali. Unfortunately the break to a little too long and I felt my muscles practically atrophy which was a frightening state to go into the looming Mountain! Remembering some advice to be understanding and compassionate, allowing myself to get off and walk for the first time which gave me a new lease on life. All walking considered every peddle felt like the last one my body could handle. Finally, upon reaching the top we all were greeted by a well deserved water station and the satisfaction of our first SUMMET!!! Unfortunately we all had 20 more miles until true relief, Bedford PA. I won’t elaborate on the 20 mile haul except for the epic decent from the mountain we had just conquered. Finally upon reaching our wonderful hosts nestled in the cozy town of Bedford PA we were shuttled to one of the best showers I have ever had and then back to an incredible meal from which I was stuffed…it seams we are all metabolizing alarmingly fast. After fascinating dinner banter with the worldly townies Jose and Kristine led our first ----meeting—with additions from a particularly witty spectator. Now that I’m digesting and settled In I can barely keep my eyes open, but I feel sure of an incredible summer to come!
-Amelia Lindbergh
Word of the day: Grueling
It is said that the first three days are more challenging than the Rockies. On top of the sleep deprived 73 mile of yesterday many of us could not imagine peddling…well perhaps ever again. All riders rose to the occasion with admirable zeal…at 5:30 in the morning! (different than my normal schedule to be sure) Packing the bags and stuffing our faces with a generously supplied breakfast went smoothly with everyone contributing a hand. Our first dedication circle came and went leaving everyone inspired and “ready” to get back in to the saddle. The first 30 miles went relatively well, rolling hills and a sprawling landscape escorted us to the dreaded “3” hills…in quotations because there were definitely more than 3 and they were definitely 2 mountains. As we passed a memorial parade I was entertained by relaxing memories which fled my mind immediately upon accenting the first hill. I can say in full honesty that I wouldn’t have been able to summit if I had known how long this deceiving hill would stretch on. After the first hill many team mates have share the sentiment that there should be a gear smaller than “granny gear” which seems like top gear on tough assents. Screaming muscles quieted in a super fun decent we all fully deserved…two hills to go…dun dun duuuun. The second hill came, and, traumatized by the first it was a pleasant surprise when what was sure to be more hill around the corner was down hill, then there was ANOTHER hill, atop which we finally ate a nourishing meal found by Adali. Unfortunately the break to a little too long and I felt my muscles practically atrophy which was a frightening state to go into the looming Mountain! Remembering some advice to be understanding and compassionate, allowing myself to get off and walk for the first time which gave me a new lease on life. All walking considered every peddle felt like the last one my body could handle. Finally, upon reaching the top we all were greeted by a well deserved water station and the satisfaction of our first SUMMET!!! Unfortunately we all had 20 more miles until true relief, Bedford PA. I won’t elaborate on the 20 mile haul except for the epic decent from the mountain we had just conquered. Finally upon reaching our wonderful hosts nestled in the cozy town of Bedford PA we were shuttled to one of the best showers I have ever had and then back to an incredible meal from which I was stuffed…it seams we are all metabolizing alarmingly fast. After fascinating dinner banter with the worldly townies Jose and Kristine led our first ----meeting—with additions from a particularly witty spectator. Now that I’m digesting and settled In I can barely keep my eyes open, but I feel sure of an incredible summer to come!
-Amelia Lindbergh
Day 1: Baltimore to Waynesboro
Sunday, May 30th
May 30th,2010 will be the day that I will always remember vividly as each and every memory associated with this day is unique in one way or another. The 72 miles that each of the 28 riders rode their bicycles was made somewhat easier with the love and the support of awesome and wonderful 4K alums.
It all started at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, when most of us would normally be sleeping away to glory. Instead we gathered behind Shriver Hall to pack the vans and see the sunrise. I heard someone saying, we will be seeing a lot of sunrises this summer. I thought to myself, every single one of them except the 11 rest days we will have on the trip. Soon after some eeee…haaaaaaa… we headed to the Inner Harbor for the send-off ceremony. We formed a caravan, with one van at the front and one at the back and the 28 riders forming a double file behind each other. It just seemed so grand; the reality of each of us being a part of something historic dawned on me for the first time. We arrived at the Inner Harbor to an arousing welcome by the friends and
family members of the 4k riders. Jose and Krisitne, the co-directors for the 2010 gave a brief introduction about the 4K, how it was started by Ryan Hanley and Leah Bloom in 2002 to honor Ryan’s father who died from cancer in 1995. They talked about expanding the 4K and having three different cross country rides in 2011. Representative from the two main beneficiaries of 4KforCancer, Baltimore Hope Lodge coordinator Karen Seaberry and Dr. Jean Ford of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center gave brief speeches acknowledging the great efforts of the riders over these past 9 years in helping further cancer research and providing quality care to cancer patients at the Baltimore Hope Lodge.
Soon the riders dipped their back tires in the holy waters of the Baltimore Inner Harbor
and after some final goodbyes and hugs to friends and family headed in the NW direction towards Waynesboro in groups of 3-6 riders. I was riding with Kieran, Henrik, Sara and Kristen- some of the strongest riders in our team. Henrik and Kieran are the only two in the group that have some professional biking experience and I learned a lot on Day 1. Just watching Kieran glide down on some of the down hills was amazing and I soon incorporated that biking posture in my ride. Henrik and Kristen started pace lining and it was an absolute treat to watch Kristen follow Henrik so closely, separated by no more than a couple of inches. I was also inspired by Sara's rock steady cadence on the first hill towards the end of the day...there is so much to learn!!!
At mile 15, we made our first water stop at a fire station.
It made me really happy to see a jar of Nutella on the table as I had mentioned at one of our team meetings how I hated Peanut Butter and loved Nutella. The 4K alums who were riding with us were truly epic. Needless to say they took care of everything from driving the vans on Day 1, to arranging all the logistics of the water and lunch stops and shuttling the bags to our destination. What really impressed me was the chemistry that the 4K alum shared and I only hoped for a special bond with our group of 28 riders. At mile 35, we did our lunch stop and again the 4K alum were just ready to feed us nicely crafted sandwiches that just melted in the mouth of the riders…it was like a p…p...party in my mouth!!! kinda feeling. At the lunch stop I ended up getting some `gyan’ (knowledge) from Rob, a 4K alum. He mentioned how we need to force feed ourselves and that we would develop rock solid legs by the end of the trip, something that I was really looking forward to.
After the lunch stop we would encounter the first hill of the trip that was a 3 mile steep ascent that I did at 4mph average speed. Our group finished first and Jeff, one of the support staff at the church showed us the showers and snacks. The other groups started flowing in at regular intervals and after a fabulous feast the 4K alums wished us good luck and headed back to Baltimore.
Just when everyone was ready to crash down and start snoring, we were told that we are having a team pow wow!!! Wasn’t too excited at the idea of keeping awake for another few hours...but what soon followed was truly inspirational and heart moving for me. Each rider shared something close, something personal about their lives and their reasons for being on this trip. After a lot of tears and laughs, it felt as if we were already starting to bond together as a group.
-Abhishek Gupta
May 30th,2010 will be the day that I will always remember vividly as each and every memory associated with this day is unique in one way or another. The 72 miles that each of the 28 riders rode their bicycles was made somewhat easier with the love and the support of awesome and wonderful 4K alums.
It all started at 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, when most of us would normally be sleeping away to glory. Instead we gathered behind Shriver Hall to pack the vans and see the sunrise. I heard someone saying, we will be seeing a lot of sunrises this summer. I thought to myself, every single one of them except the 11 rest days we will have on the trip. Soon after some eeee…haaaaaaa… we headed to the Inner Harbor for the send-off ceremony. We formed a caravan, with one van at the front and one at the back and the 28 riders forming a double file behind each other. It just seemed so grand; the reality of each of us being a part of something historic dawned on me for the first time. We arrived at the Inner Harbor to an arousing welcome by the friends and
family members of the 4k riders. Jose and Krisitne, the co-directors for the 2010 gave a brief introduction about the 4K, how it was started by Ryan Hanley and Leah Bloom in 2002 to honor Ryan’s father who died from cancer in 1995. They talked about expanding the 4K and having three different cross country rides in 2011. Representative from the two main beneficiaries of 4KforCancer, Baltimore Hope Lodge coordinator Karen Seaberry and Dr. Jean Ford of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center gave brief speeches acknowledging the great efforts of the riders over these past 9 years in helping further cancer research and providing quality care to cancer patients at the Baltimore Hope Lodge. Soon the riders dipped their back tires in the holy waters of the Baltimore Inner Harbor
and after some final goodbyes and hugs to friends and family headed in the NW direction towards Waynesboro in groups of 3-6 riders. I was riding with Kieran, Henrik, Sara and Kristen- some of the strongest riders in our team. Henrik and Kieran are the only two in the group that have some professional biking experience and I learned a lot on Day 1. Just watching Kieran glide down on some of the down hills was amazing and I soon incorporated that biking posture in my ride. Henrik and Kristen started pace lining and it was an absolute treat to watch Kristen follow Henrik so closely, separated by no more than a couple of inches. I was also inspired by Sara's rock steady cadence on the first hill towards the end of the day...there is so much to learn!!!At mile 15, we made our first water stop at a fire station.
It made me really happy to see a jar of Nutella on the table as I had mentioned at one of our team meetings how I hated Peanut Butter and loved Nutella. The 4K alums who were riding with us were truly epic. Needless to say they took care of everything from driving the vans on Day 1, to arranging all the logistics of the water and lunch stops and shuttling the bags to our destination. What really impressed me was the chemistry that the 4K alum shared and I only hoped for a special bond with our group of 28 riders. At mile 35, we did our lunch stop and again the 4K alum were just ready to feed us nicely crafted sandwiches that just melted in the mouth of the riders…it was like a p…p...party in my mouth!!! kinda feeling. At the lunch stop I ended up getting some `gyan’ (knowledge) from Rob, a 4K alum. He mentioned how we need to force feed ourselves and that we would develop rock solid legs by the end of the trip, something that I was really looking forward to. After the lunch stop we would encounter the first hill of the trip that was a 3 mile steep ascent that I did at 4mph average speed. Our group finished first and Jeff, one of the support staff at the church showed us the showers and snacks. The other groups started flowing in at regular intervals and after a fabulous feast the 4K alums wished us good luck and headed back to Baltimore.
Just when everyone was ready to crash down and start snoring, we were told that we are having a team pow wow!!! Wasn’t too excited at the idea of keeping awake for another few hours...but what soon followed was truly inspirational and heart moving for me. Each rider shared something close, something personal about their lives and their reasons for being on this trip. After a lot of tears and laughs, it felt as if we were already starting to bond together as a group.
-Abhishek Gupta
Monday, May 3, 2010
Relay for Life
Friday, April 16th
I enter to a deafening roar – support for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at JHU. Unfortunately I missed the opening ceremony, but as one Hope Lodge resident who marched in the Survivor Lap put it, the overwhelming compassion and encouragement brought her to tears.
As I walked into the gymnasium and looked down upon the proceedings, one event immediately caught my eye: the Miss Relay Pageant. But don’t let the name fool you. This was a contest where men dressed as drag queens paraded themselves in front of an audience in order to elicit donations from the crowd. Of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to stuff a few singles down my friend’s bra (acknowledgements to Larkin Luo).
After the commotion died down and I met up with my fellow 4Kers I noticed that our very own Craig Sadler had been cycling on the trainer since I had arrived. In fact, Craig ended up cycling for seven hours straight, during which, at one point he had someone bring him a bag of ice to sit on. Kudos to you Craig for showing us one of the reasons we take water breaks during our trip across the country.
This was simply the start of a very long night, however. As I waited for my chance to jump on a bike, Abhishek Gupta suggested we try out the American Gladiator style fighting arena. After only three rounds (I won two of them) of bashing each other’s heads in with foam pads, we were exhausted. Thank God cycling isn’t as hard as that, or else it would take us half a year to get to San Francisco.
The night wore on as fellow 4Kers had to go home and sleep, and soon only Jose Medina, Kristine Casey, Erica Lai and I were left. With most of the crowd dispersed the gymnasium soon took a turn towards arctic. Jose was keeping warm on the bike, I stole Casey’s blanket and Casey and Erica kicked Craig out of his sleeping bag. As the cold and sleep deprivation sunk in the conversations took a turn for the weird. Erica and Casey spent half an hour wondering if a white canister on a table was a salt shaker or not until I garnered enough energy to get up and check (it was a donation jar). There were talks of Erica’s disgust of men’s unkempt, hairy feet, and tales of Casey’s adventures with her Gluten allergy.
But we persisted. Soon it was 7am and the Relay for Life was, sadly, over. The 4K For Cancer team had had at least one person biking at all times from 7pm, April 16 to 7am, April 17. We were able to show our support for cancer victims and raise money for cancer research as well. And for those of us who stayed the entire night, it was definitely worth it: tons of free bagels!
Adam Ammar
I enter to a deafening roar – support for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at JHU. Unfortunately I missed the opening ceremony, but as one Hope Lodge resident who marched in the Survivor Lap put it, the overwhelming compassion and encouragement brought her to tears.
As I walked into the gymnasium and looked down upon the proceedings, one event immediately caught my eye: the Miss Relay Pageant. But don’t let the name fool you. This was a contest where men dressed as drag queens paraded themselves in front of an audience in order to elicit donations from the crowd. Of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to stuff a few singles down my friend’s bra (acknowledgements to Larkin Luo).
After the commotion died down and I met up with my fellow 4Kers I noticed that our very own Craig Sadler had been cycling on the trainer since I had arrived. In fact, Craig ended up cycling for seven hours straight, during which, at one point he had someone bring him a bag of ice to sit on. Kudos to you Craig for showing us one of the reasons we take water breaks during our trip across the country.
This was simply the start of a very long night, however. As I waited for my chance to jump on a bike, Abhishek Gupta suggested we try out the American Gladiator style fighting arena. After only three rounds (I won two of them) of bashing each other’s heads in with foam pads, we were exhausted. Thank God cycling isn’t as hard as that, or else it would take us half a year to get to San Francisco.
The night wore on as fellow 4Kers had to go home and sleep, and soon only Jose Medina, Kristine Casey, Erica Lai and I were left. With most of the crowd dispersed the gymnasium soon took a turn towards arctic. Jose was keeping warm on the bike, I stole Casey’s blanket and Casey and Erica kicked Craig out of his sleeping bag. As the cold and sleep deprivation sunk in the conversations took a turn for the weird. Erica and Casey spent half an hour wondering if a white canister on a table was a salt shaker or not until I garnered enough energy to get up and check (it was a donation jar). There were talks of Erica’s disgust of men’s unkempt, hairy feet, and tales of Casey’s adventures with her Gluten allergy.
But we persisted. Soon it was 7am and the Relay for Life was, sadly, over. The 4K For Cancer team had had at least one person biking at all times from 7pm, April 16 to 7am, April 17. We were able to show our support for cancer victims and raise money for cancer research as well. And for those of us who stayed the entire night, it was definitely worth it: tons of free bagels!
Adam Ammar
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