Today we road from St. Louis to Vandalia, Illinois. It was an 80 mile ride; however, I think the team could agree it felt like a whole lot more! After some recent early ride racks and a day off, 80 miles was enough to wear us out. We crossed the Mississippi River today which was an enjoyable experience but as the day went on the wind started to pick up. We battled head wind for the entire second half of the ride and it made for a tough day on the bike.
I got the privilege off riding past my mothers alma mater in Southern Illinois University and see some of the campus which was definitely a treat!
The team met up 1/2 a mile away from our arrival friendship visit to ride in together. We spent the afternoon interacting with some incredible individuals and we’re even surprised by a bombardment of water balloons thrown our way! It was a hot day so the team enjoyed every second of it! We said our goodbyes and headed to the local YMCA where we spent the night, so a huge thank you to them! Both lunch and dinner were provided to us by Mr. Thomas York, but unfortunately he was unable to make it to either. He did treat us to an all you can eat dinner buffet so THANK YOU, I know the team really appreciated it. Tomorrow we get ready for our 3rd to last century day of the summer as our time on the bike is disappearing rapidly. The team is extremely motivated to finish Strong and to explore the big cities to come in the following three weeks. RIDE ON BROTHERS!
Author: Luke McCauley, Cyclist (Eta Gamma Chapter, University of Colorado Boulder)