Nobody can say that members of the Illini 4000 aren’t willing to go the distance for their cause. The group of 20 bicycle riders from the University of Illinois—including eight from the College of LAS—has completed a nearly 4,500-mile cross-country journey from New York City to San Francisco, in support of cancer research and patient support services.
Bicycling across the country clad in orange turns out to be a pretty effective fundraiser, as the team raised roughly $93,000 for their cause, according to team members. They raised some $80,000 before their journey even began, with each rider required to raise at least $3,500 through pledges and other means before they even strapped on their riding helmets.
The rest was raised along the way, by simply talking to people and raising awareness for their cause. There was no shortage of conversation out there on the road, explains Kathleen Mammoser, who graduated in May with an English degree.
“When we pull up to places and there’s a big group of us, people see the orange jerseys and they always ask what we’re doing,” she said, during their stop in Champaign roughly two weeks into their summer-long journey.
This is the Illini 4000’s eighth year of doing the cross-country ride. This year’s group began their quest on May 25 and reached the Golden Gate Bridge on August 4. They arose typically at 5:45 a.m. for a 7:15 a.m. departure time. Averaging more than 60 miles a day for 71 days (the longest day was 113 miles), they battled stiff winds, thunderstorms, interminable upgrades (one day they climbed 7,600 feet), territorial dogs (one rider’s advice: one squirt of the water bottle usually thwarts those four-legged pursuers), and dozens of flat tires.
They spent their nights at campgrounds, or churches and community centers that housed them for free, saving money for their cause. They dined on pasta, lentils, and other foods carted by the supply van, unless their hosts provided a meal—which they often did.
Indeed, the daily log on their website, illini4000.org, details the many acts of kindness they received from people across the country sympathetic to their cause, from strangers making a donation or providing shelter from a summer thunderstorm.
Their journey struck a chord with many people they encountered, and the group collected 30 more narratives for the organization’s Portraits Project, which has portrayed dozens of cancer survivors whom Illini 4000 riders have met since the group began fighting cancer.
The portraits include more than 200 people in all, from Russell Wooten, an assistant pastor in Wisconsin who has several family members struck by cancer, including his 10-year-old grandson, to Debbie Richardson, of West Virginia, who described the importance of a positive attitude and knowing your body after she survived a double-whammy diagnosis of breast and thyroid cancers, at the same time.
Since the group started in 2006, it has raised $600,000 for cancer research and patient services. Connor Ramsey, an anthropology major participating in the ride a second time, says the money goes to a variety of worthy causes.
“Every year we fundraise a bunch of money basically to go to a bunch of different organizations, among them Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, American Cancer Society, Camp Kesem, just to name a few,” Ramsey said, during the group’s stop in Champaign. “Our dollars are split between patient support services and cancer research itself.”
Anne Wave, who graduated in May with a dual degree in Spanish and global studies, says her bicycling experience prior to joining the group consisted mostly of crossing campus to class. She was convinced to join Illini 4000 by her roommate, who told her, “This is the only time you’re going to do it.”
With the support of her family, Wave easily exceeded the pre-ride fundraising goal. She was one of the riders when the group launched its journey in New York, keeping in mind that a positive attitude seems to be key in accomplishing—or beating—anything.
“It’s great. It’s so amazing. It’s like nothing I could have prepared for, or anybody could have described to me. Every day is incredible in a different way,” she said, when the group passed through Champaign.
Upon reaching San Francisco, the group dipped the front wheels of their bikes in the Pacific Ocean, and one member symbolically threw a rock he had hit along the journey into the water.
