Stage 6-Kankakee to Chicago

Ride Stats:

Distance: 83.17 mi (133.94 km)
Ride Time: 6:30.25
Avg: 12.78 mph (20.57 km/h)

Today's ride from Kankakee to Chicago was a celebratory ride much like the last stage of the Tour De France.  It was nice and easy with very little climbing and picturesque views of the Chicago skyline.  It was a reward for all of the hard work we put into this journey.  There was lots of laughter (and a tear or two from your humble blogger).  It was a fitting end to a terrific six day odyssey through the state of Illinois.  Just like last year, I started feeling sad as we approached Northerly Island knowing once we reached our destination, Bicycle Illinois 2010 would be over.  I tempered those feelings with the great memories I have of the tour-memories I will carry with me for a lifetime! 

Here are my total stats for the week:

Distance: 553.17 mi (890.24 km)
Ride Time: 41:53:20
Avg: 13.30 mph (21.40 km/h)

Pictured from left to right are Cole Bates, Bicycle Illinois Staff member, Rob Layton, Bicycle Illinois Owner and Ride Director and Bill Watson, Bicycle Illinois Staff member.  These three gentlemen oversaw the entire Bicycle Illinois operation and in my opinion did a FANTASTIC job! 

Bill, thank you for the great rest stops.  The food available for us, the music selection and the daily trivia question and/or surveys you conducted were terrific!

Cole, thank you for the route markings, especially the ones when a detour was necessary.  They were very clear and easy to follow.  And also thank you for the smiley faces and other messages you left for us.  You don't know how much they meant at the end of a long stretch of road!

Rob, thank you for for another great adventure through Illinois.  I am honored to have participated in this adventure for two straight years and I have had a BLAST both times because of your hard work!

A toast to my fellow participants.  When this adventure started back on July 10th, we were, for the most part, strangers.  Leave it to the power of a bicycle to break down those walls and allow us to learn a lot about each others lives, hopes and dreams.  It was an honor and a privilege to ride with each of you during the week.  I am proud to call all of you my friends!  So to Jim O., Lauren, Liz, Lisa, Leo, Tim, Peggy, Donna, Amelia, Gloria, Mary, Bruce, Ray, Jim & Fran and Kathleen, I love you all!  CHEERS!

I would also like to express my thanks to the following people:

--Peter Barson at Campbell Street Bicycle Shop in Arlington Heights, IL for getting my bike ready to traverse the state of Illinois.
--Rachel Erlichman of Able Bodies Training in Buffalo Grove, IL for getting my body ready to ride the entire state of Illinois.
--Susan Sheffer for getting up at 3:15 AM to have me down at the starting point by 5:00 AM and for picking me up at the end of the event.
--My sister Deborah and great nephew Kyle for coming to the Kankakee ending point and getting a glimpse of my cycling world and understanding why I spend soooo much time on a bike.

And a special thanks to Lem & Charlaine, my mom and dad.  I am appreciative, honored and humbled at all of the love and support you have shown me throughout all of my cycling adventures.  Thank you soooooo much from the bottom of my heart! :)

Finally, to all of you who read this blog.  Thank you! I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

And with that, Bicycle Illinois 2010 has come to a close.  I'll see you out on the road.  Hopefully on a bike!

Keep the rubber side down!
Gary

"Cycling is the spot of usefulness." --Fred DeLong

Stage 5-Champaign to Kankakee

Ride Stats:

Distance: 101.30 mi (163.02 km)
Ride Time: 8:37:44
Avg Speed:  11:74 mph (18.89 km/h)

Stage Highlights:
--IT'S FREAKIN' HOT!
--Good Samaritan
--Bicycle Illinois Family Day

This is in front of our hotel, the Illini Union as we started out this morning on the way to Kankakee.  From left to right is Donna, Peggy, Lisa, your humble blogger, Gloria and Amelia.  Folks, it was HOT today!  The thermometer reached 100 degrees while we were out on the road.  Unfortunately, Gloria was not able to finish the ride due to the heat.  Don't worry, she's fine now.  As for me, It was a loooong day.  It's been a while since I've ridden in this type of heat.  But I survived and completed my second consecutive century on this trip.

Today proves how kindhearted strangers can be.  This afternoon, my riding partners at the time Mary and Amelia, were taking shade breaks at every opportunity due to the heat.  In one, we just happened to be under a large tree in front of a home when we heard a voice say "Are you all right?  Do you need some water?"  As it turns out, the voice belongs to Laura pictured to your left.  She lives in Chebanse, IL.  She brought out ice for us to add to our water bottles, offered the use of her pool and chairs for us to rest.  We declined on the pool and chairs (because if we didn't, we'd never leave) but did take her up on the ice for our water bottles. Thank you sooooo much Laura for your hospitality.  It was very much appreciated! :)

My family decided to come down to our ending point today in Kankakee to celebrate my Bicycle Illinois adventure.  This is my sister Debbie who made the trip despite returning from Las Vegas at 12:30 AM this morning!  Thanks for the support, Debbie! :)

This is my great-nephew Kyle who also made the trip down.  It's never too early to start 'em on the joys of cycling!















Tomorrow sees the final stage of Bicycle Illinois take place as we ride a "victory lap" from Kankakee to Downtown Chicago.  It will be bittersweet as this is the final stage of the 2010 tour.  It's been tremendous and I wish it wouldn't end.  Oh well.  Once can dream and hope! :)

Stopping!
Gary

"There is nothing, absolutely nothing, quite so worthwhile as simply messing about on bicycles." --Tom Kunich

Stage 4-Effingham to Champaign

Ride Stats:

Distance: 100.72 mi (162.09 km)
Ride Time: 7:27:53
Avg: 13.49 mph (21.71km/h)

Stage Highlights:
--The Kid is Back!
--Blow Out!
--We're Famous!

As bad as I felt yesterday, that's how good I felt today in completing the 100 miles from Effingham to Champaign.  Although the hills still got to me today, I had more energy and strength to attack and successfully complete them.  And a 10 MPH tailwind from the south didn't hurt either! :)

I had more fun with my rear tire today.  I was riding with Amelia and Gloria as we were approaching the second rest stop.  We turned the corner and all of a sudden we heard BANG!  My back tire had blown out.  It sounded like a gunshot and scared the H-E-double hockey sticks out of us!  I was able to control the bike and bring it to a stop without falling.  The force of the blowout popped the tire almost completely off the rim!  I'm thinking the tire is shredded and I'll need to get a new one.  However, when I checked it and had Gloria eyeball it as confirmation, the tire was intact!  The tube however didn't fare as well.  There was a four inch split in the side of the tube which to me indicated a pinched tube which caused the blow out.  So I popped a new tube in, used my CO2 inflator and I was back in business.  I hope all of my bad bike karma has been used up, OK? :)

Bicycle Illinois was featured in local papers in Decatur and Mattoon.  Here are the links:

http://www.herald-review.com/news/local/article_fb95f6ce-605d-5368-b997-25884fe5364a.html

http://jg-tc.com/news/collection_d7bfd03c-8ee1-11df-97d7-001cc4c03286.html

Tomorrow's stage see us leave the sleepy college town of Champaign and head towards the bustling metropolis of Kankakee.   It's mandatory century day as the distance between Champaign and Kankakee is 100 miles.  So we're all going to do one.  Whether we want to or not! :)

Slowing!
Gary

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." --H. G. Wells

Stage 3-Centralia to Effingham

Ride Stats:

Distance: 86.61 (139.39 km)
Ride Time: 6:54:09
Avg: 12.55 mph (20.197 km/h)

Today's stage was a tough row to hoe as we traveled from Centralia to Effingham.  First of all, we were drenched by a torrential downpour about 20 minutes after we left our hotel this morning.  We got soaked!  There was no lightning or thunder, just rain which was a good thing.  We waited at the first rest stop until the rain dissipated and then continued our journey.  Secondly, once the clouds gave way to bright sunshine, it was HOT!! Not only hot but very humid.  I went through nine bottles of sports drink and/or water today.  However, the day got the better of me as I didn't reach my goal of doing a century.  I was really feeling down and disappointed when I remembered a similar situation at the 2006 America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMBBR).  I was riding with the Illinois Cycle Team for Team-In-Training (TNT) when I had to end my ride day at 84 miles because I was so severely cramped, I couldn't get off my bike.  If I had never done that ride, I would have been OK with 84 miles.  However, I had completed that ride in 2004 and 2005.  I was devastated!  I didn't want to go to the post ride victory party nor accept my 100 mile pin from TNT because I did not complete the 100 miles.  My friend Nicole made me go to the party and had the foresight to get my 100 mile pin and give it to me.  Our head coach Dan knew of the situation and pulled me aside for a chat.  He said everyone is entitled to a bad day and you just happened to have yours today.  Don't worry about it and revel in what you have accomplished.  As soon as I remembered that day, my whole attitude changed and I was fine with today's events.  I had a BAD day today.  So what!  I will climb back on my bike tomorrow and try it again!  WOOHOO!

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom.  For the second year in a row, the route went through my county today.  This is actually a cardboard cutout of me warmly welcoming people to my county.  I also have a cutout of me shaking my fist at riff-raff I don't want in my county.  Like carnies.  Circus people.  They scare me! :)

Stage 4 will find us on the campus of the University of Illinois tomorrow as we travel to Champaign-Urbana from Effingham.  It's gonna be hot and humid tomorrow so I'll make sure to keep very hydrated!  See you tomorrow! :)







Keep the rubber side down,
Gary

"Ride lots." --Eddy Merckx

Stage 2-Carbondale to Centralia

Ride Stats:

Distance: 107.33 (172.73 km)
Ride Time: 7:10:11
Avg: 14.97 mph (24.09 km/h)

Stage 2 topics:
--Riding with the tandem couple Fran & Jim
--Gary's eventful day
--A personal oil well

This is Fran and Jim of Deerfield, IL.  I met them last year when they joined our Bicycle Illinois group midway through the event in Champaign and completed the last three days into Chicago.  I ran into them again this past May at the Bike The Drive starting line when they informed me they would be doing the complete Bicycle Illinois this year. 

Because of construction in Carbondale, our route had to be detoured this morning and as a result, we all rolled as a group.  As the group stretched out, I found myself next to Fran and Jim on their tandem.  I wound up riding with them for the entire main route today.  If you EVER have the chance to draft off a tandem, DO IT!!  We were done with by 1:00 PM (Jim, the check is in the mail :)).  Even though I still had the loop to complete today's century, I figured I'd be done really early.  While we were riding, we started chatting and I found out Jim has had a number of medical issues over the years.  Although he followed his doctor's advice and stuck to their prescribed regimen, he said he still didn't feel good.  Until he started cycling.  He says the physicality of cycling has allowed him to feel like his old self again.  He and Fran ride 35 miles every morning.  And now he says because of cycling, he has his life back.  So to all of you non-cyclists out there who tell me you can't do it.......YOU CAN! :)  Start small and keep at it and the sky's the limit!

I had a very interesting ride day.  While riding with Fran and Jim, I was daydreaming at one point and the next thing I know, I'm off the road and IN A DITCH!!  Luckily, I was able to keep control of the bike and did not fall.  I calmly unclipped, walked my bike out of the grassy ditch back to the road and continued my ride.  Not five seconds later, I dropped my water bottle trying to put it back in the cage.  So I had to turn around and retrieve it.  It was at this point Jim accused me of being a slacker and holding up progress.  I told him if you looked up the word 'slacker' in the dictionary, he'd see my picture! :)  Then, while I'm on the loop to complete the century, I get a flat tire!  A piece of glass punctured my tire and tube.  No problem.  I've changed tubes before.  I took the old tube out, found the spot on the tire where the glass had punctured it and removed the shard of glass.  In order to "patch" the tire until I could get a new one, I took a $5.00 bill and placed it inside the tire at the spot of the puncture.  For all of you young cyclists out there, the paper used to make money is stronger than regular paper and will make a tire puncture resistant.  So I put the new tube in, whipped out the CO2 inflator and reached in to pull out a CO2 cartridge and discovered I HAD NO CO2!! I never put the CO2 back in my saddlebag when the bike cam back from the Tahoe ride. Female Parental Unit Fornicator!  So I had to sheepishly call the ride director Rob and ask him for  some air.  He zipped on out to my location and pumped up the tire and I was able to complete the century.  So to you young cyclists out there, DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING!! CHECK YOUR EQUIPMENT BEFORE YOU RIDE!!  DON'T BE LIKE ME TODAY! :)

I was riding in a neighborhood today when I came upon this oil well in somebody's backyard.  Let me repeat this:  AN OIL WELL IN SOMEBODY'S BACKYARD!!  Hope they're not affiliated with BP! :)


Tomorrow's stage will see our peleton travel approximately 85 miles to Effingham, IL.  I will talk to you then!



Hole!
Gary


"The best rides are the ones where you bite off much more than you can chew, and live through it." --Doug Bradberry

Stage 1-Cairo to Carbondale

Ride Stats:

Distance: 74.04 mi (119.15 km)
Ride Time: 5:12:58
Avg: 14.19 mph (22.84 km/h)

I was thinking of having a different title for today's post. I had many choices to choose from: "The HHH Ride-Hot, Humid, Hilly", or "The Two Flats and a Tire Ride", or even "Where Did All These Blankety-Blank Hills Come From Ride". But if I had to give it a title which embodied the day I had on the road (with apologies to the "Hubble Gotcha" Guy on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), I would title it "WEATHER GOTCHA, AGAIN!" For the second straight year, bad weather prematurely ended my ride day. I had completed the 70 mile main part of the ride and was ready to complete the 30 mile loop to get me my century. But as soon as I got to the finish point, the skies got dark, the lightning and thunder started and the heavens opened up and poured their raindrops on my dreams once again. Shazbot! Oh well. I will live to ride another century. Like tomorrow! :)

This is my friend Lauren.  She is from Montana and decided to celebrate a life changing event by participating in Bicycle Illinois.  Given we just happened to leave Cairo High School at the same time, we rode together for the early part of the stage.  I was able to keep up with her on the flats, but she dropped me like a bad habit when we got to the hills. So as I am meandering about the southern Illinois countryside, I come upon Lauren on the side of the road with a flat back tire.  So I stop and help her change the tube and we start rolling again.  Not five minutes later, Pssst!  Another flat back tire!  This time we checked the tire and discover a slice in the tread.  Luckily, Lauren carried a new folding tire with her so I helped her change the tube and the tire.  She has now used up all of her bad karma and will not have anymore flats the rest of the ride!  She thanked me profusely and I told her it was no big deal and I was glad to help.



To "Hill of Death" or not to "Hill Death"?  That was the question for me today.  The "Hill of Death" is a 26% grade incline at mile 60. Last year being new to the ride, I chose the "EZ" route you see to the left.  Today, with much forethought (and prodding from some of my fellow participants) I chose "H".  OMG!! It was like the Serendipity hill in Barrington on crack!  But I conquered it!!  Although I stopped three times, I never walked my bike up any part of it.  So what I didn't get a century today.  I rode the "Hill of Death"!


All in all, it was a great day.  Tomorrow, stage two has us leaving Carbondale for the little hamlet of Centralia.  I'll talk to you then.

Gravel!
Gary

"The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind." --William Saroyan

Prologue-Part 2

Fun with hotels!! That was our theme for today as a potential snafu made an otherwise routine travel day extremely interesting. The hotel we usually stay at in Cairo was all booked up with a family reunion. So we were shipped off to a hotel in the state of Missouri. Hey wait a minute! I thought this was Bicycle Illinois? Maybe it should be called Bicycle Illinois, Side trip Missouri! :) Anyway we get to the hotel and there are three of us left to check-in. We find out that our three reservations held with a credit card have been cancelled because we did not check-in by 6:00 PM. WHAT? Furthermore, since the hotel was booked up, we would be shipped to another hotel for the night. IMHO, it was a REALLY interesting way to start the trip! In talking to the front desk person, she discovered a Rob had booked 17 rooms at this hotel. Funny she should mention Rob because our ride director's name is Rob. Would his last name happen to be Layton? "Yes" she says. OMG!! One quick call over to Rob at the high school where the campers are staying and presto, changeo, WE GOT ROOMS!!! The frond desk person was so apologetic, she gave us a reduced rate for all of the trouble. Crisis averted and the trip has started with some excitement.

Well kids, it's bedtime for me. The rubber meets the road for Stage 1 of Bicycle Illinois at 7:00 AM!

On Your Left!
Gary

"It's about morale. With weak legs and a good head, you can go a long way. With good legs and a weak head you go nowhere." -Paul Kimmage