Day 37: Winnett, Mt - Lewistown, Mt - 56 miles, Daniel Gulisano

This morning we woke up at 5:30, a little later than usual because we had trouble sleeping the past night. It was a chilly night and when we woke up in the morning, none of us were rushing out of our sleeping bags. We packed up slower than usual, due to the cold weather and got going at around 6:15. We had to ride 25 miles to breakfast at a diner through the brutal cold and wind. As the sun came out, our hands thawed out and the fleeces came off. We had breakfast at a small diner, and while at the diner Wyatt thought he forgot his phone at the campsite. He called the general store and was fearful of the worst. After everyone insisted that he check his panniers, he did and to his fortune, found his phone in his handlebar bag.

After the phone was confirmed to be in his possession, we made sure to remind him of his silly mishap. After breakfast, we only had 30 more miles to do. The first 18 went by fairly easy, with only a little bit of Montana wind, something we’re used to by now. After these 18, we began our climb up the first pass of the west coast. The scenery went from grass to trees and we climbed through the “foothills” of the Rockies. At the top, we could see snow-capped mountains in the distance. As we descended we were all excited for the passes to come. We went into town and visited the grocery store, getting a change of pace from our regular gas station chow. After this we went to our campsite, a park with a water park nearby, and they let us take showers for free there- a great feeling! We went to a Mexican restaurant and then went straight back to camp, ready to hit the long awaited hay, after another long day.

Day 36: Jordan, MT - Winnett, MT -75 Miles, Max Hird

Today we had another early wake up at 4:30 to get through as much of our day as possible before the headwinds picked up. We all had an assortment of cereals, drinks, and snacks that were picked up the night before at a grocery store to eat for breakfast. We packed up quickly and hit the road as fast as possible after eating our breakfast.

The morning was freezing and many of us couldn’t feel our fingers for hours. I guess this is a downside to waking up early. We biked 35 miles to a gas station in a small town for some water and snacks. After our quick break, we continued riding and felt the headwinds begin to creep up on us slowly making our day more and more treacherous. After 20 more miles of riding, we stopped at a rest area for some more water and bathrooms.

At this point, the winds were at full blast and many of us were dreading the miles to come. After our break, we had a massive hill to climb to get out of the valley in which the rest stop was located. The final 25 miles consisted of ups and downs that grew harder by every hill. We reached town around 2pm and stopped at a general store for some food and drinks. Then we went to the town pool, which is where we are camping. We were told that the showers were free for us to use, but to our dismay, we found that the showers were closed. Fortunately, there was a hose to wash up with, so everything worked out.

We are thankful for the generosity of the Happy Heifer!

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting under a tree and went to dinner around 5pm to a place called Happy Heifer Bar. I had my 3rd burger in a row for dinner! (just kidding, it’s getting really old). The owner of the restaurant even paid for all of our meals which was awesome! After dinner, we went to the general store to get some drinks and headed back to camp to hit the hay. Until tomorrow...

Day 35: Circle, MT- Jordan, MT - 67 miles - Wyatt Benjamin

This morning, from my recommendation as Patrol Leader, we woke up at 4:30am. Unfortunately after packing up in 35 minutes and getting to the gas station in 45 minutes, we realized that it was not going to open for another 45 minutes (6:00am).

Big Sky Country, Big Wind Country

After waiting for 45 minutes, we finally got breakfast. Breakfast for me this morning was muffins and a Hershey’s bar. This let me stay energized until mile 30. Most of the people did not get much food beyond breakfast this morning. Today, they certainly learned from their mistake. Fortunately I got lots of food beyond breakfast.

After having the gas station stop, we were on the road. Right away we could feel the headwinds zapping away our energy and making us go slower. We took 3 mile pulls which were very hard while we did them, however left us lots of time in between pulls. After what felt like an eternity, we were at the rest stop. All day today, we did not go through a single town - the rest stop was no exception.

After these 31 miles, most people did not have any more food, which was bad for the group morale. We continued to take 3 mile pulls until our stop at 43 miles. As the day was progressing, the  headwind became stronger. Also as the day was progressing, the worse the condition of the road.

After resting (and some people eating), we biked 12 more miles to our next stop. This 12 miles felt like the longest 12 miles I have ever done. From here on out, we did 2 mile pulls. We then took another break.

After our final break we biked a long 11 miles to Jordan, MT. We stopped at a gas station and stocked up for the night.

We then went to the campsite set up our tents. I took a nice 30 minute nap and was ready to go to dinner. Before going to dinner, we stopped at a grocery store and stocked up for tomorrow. We don’t want to make the same mistake we made today. For dinner tonight we are going to Hell Creek Bar.

Until next time...

Day 34: Glendive, MT - Circle, MT -50 Miles - Ryan Murphy

Coming off of a break day yesterday, we had a beautiful 50 mile ride this morning that got us into Circle, where we’re staying tonight, around 10 o’clock this morning. Despite the short and easy ride, 1 mile before the campsite my dad had a flat tire which, after a couple popped tubes, we realized was caused by a crack in the aluminum frame of his back tire’s rim. He rode the mile to camp, but it was quickly decided that he needed to go to a bike shop to get a new rim.

The closest one that is open on Sunday is about a hundred miles away in Medora, and our host from the break day in Glendive generously offered to drive him. They solved the problem and, at the time I’m writing this, they are on the way back to Circle. Other than that, we all slept and watched Netflix the whole day. We went at our own pace to the gas station for dinner and we’re going to head to bed early tonight. Referencing my last post, the mosquitoes definitely got smaller and less abundant. So, thanks North Dakota.

Day 33: Break Day - Glendive, MT - 0 miles - Blake Hird

Today we had a nice late wake up time with Evan as the head chef for the morning making pancakes and hash browns for everyone, which was much appreciated. After a short amount of time, a local reporter came to do a quick interview which went very well. Everyone got to share their insight on the trip and talk about some of the events that made the most impact on them and their favorite moments.

After that we had a short moment of time before Mutt, our incredible Warm Showers Host from Glendive, came to take us to the Makoshika State Park. We drove up the mountains looking at the amazing views all around and took staggered stops to take pictures and be shown some landmarks by Mutt.

After that we headed back to the church to get our dirty clothes go to the local laundromat. We stayed there for quite a while getting some snacks from the gas station and waiting for our clothes to dry. We gathered our clean clothes and went back to the church. Huge shoutout to The Gust Hauf pizza restaurant for donating 12 large pizzas which really hit the spot after a long couple of days. A local, young Cub Scout troop came to meet us and we had some great discussions with them and our older scouts gave them some good take aways. After they left we came to the group decision that we would get up at 4:30 and get out quickly. Everyone packed up quickly and went to sleep early.

Day 32: Belfield, ND to Glendive, MT - 81 miles - Hugh Carbrey

Today we woke up early to avoid storms that would hit at 2:00 pm. To start off our day we had to climb out of our campsite near a lake to get to the interstate, I-94 west. We had 17 miles to breakfast in Medora, the base of Teddy Roosevelt National Park. We were 7 or so miles out from Medora when it started to rain, so we hunkered down under an overpass. This break turned into almost an hour long break, most of which I spent shoveling lucky charms into my mouth. After the rain stopped, we booked it to breakfast. The ride to breakfast was uneventful until the terrain shifted from long, shallow hills of grass to rocky hills with very cool colored rocks. Once this terrain shifted, the ride became a lot cooler and more fun. We saw the Painted Canyons from afar. The interstate followed the canyons until we had a beautiful view of the canyons after a climb.

After this climb, we had a long descent into Medora. This descent was awesome, with lots of cool rock formations on both sides of the road. Most of the people in my group agreed that the road was one of the best of the whole trip. In Medora we ate at the Farmhouse Cafe, suggested by Evan (and my mom). The cafe had hearty meals that were perfect for bikers on the go. Perhaps the most interesting part of breakfast was the mechanical bull outside of the restaurant that both Sean and Wyatt rode.

After breakfast, we rode on West River Rd instead of the interstate. This road was beautiful, but there were some very steep rolling hills that sapped a lot of our energy. We had a Gatorade break in Beach, ND. Then we rejoined the interstate, where we reached the welcome to Montana sign. The faster group had placed a bike loud sticker high up on the sign, so of course our group had to one up them, which we did.

We then rode around 15 miles to a house that we reached just in time to avoid another storm. We spent a while there relaxing and playing with the homeowners dogs. When the storm ended, we left their house, and sped through the last 10 or so miles to the Lutheran church where we will spend tonight and tomorrow. The Lutheran church provided a delicious meal of baked potatoes and ham, and they gave each a pint of ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s!

Day 31: Glen Ullin, ND - Belfield, ND - 69 miles, Daniel Price

This morning the group woke up early to start our 4th day in North Dakota. Packing up was a little longer than usual but we were all on the road by 6:30. We had heard the night before that today we would have some strong headwinds, but no one was ready for what I thought was one of the hardest days so far on the trip. The first stretch of our ride was mostly flat but that quickly ended once we got on the highway. The winds were soul crushing. It felt like we were putting effort worthy of 18 mile per hour speeds, but no matter how hard we tried we could barely reach 10mph. The original plan for the day was an 89 mile day but that as quickly dropped to a much more reasonable 65.

Breakfast was 25 miles into our day, and for me it was the hardest 25 of the trip. Our gas station breakfast was surprisingly good, and some of us even manged to squeeze in a quick nap before we headed out for the slightly easier rest of our day. The winds divided our usual 2 groups into smaller groups of 3. Group 1 mostly stuck to the highway while the other 2 groups stuck to country roads that ran parallel to the highway.

We took a very long lunch break in the town Dickinson. The only option for food in town was a gas station and an Arby's, so naturally no one went to the Arby's, and we all enjoyed our second gas station meal of the day.

Finally, we arrived in Belfield and set up camp at a tiny local park. We quickly realized that there was no where to shower or charge our phones so we headed to a local bar and spent the remainder of the day just loitering and playing pool until we could fall asleep. Tomorrow we are supposed to finally have the wind on our side and we'll hopefully be able to knock out a quick 80 miles with no trouble.

Day 30: Bismarck, ND - Glen Ullin, ND - 62 miles, Cole Malinchock

Today, was a challenging day for a majority of the group. Even before the day started, we all woke up around midnight to a combination of blasting winds, a dreadful rainfall, and some of the loudest thunder I've ever heard, that would shake the ground. Unfortunately, one of my stakes loosened and part of my rainfly was flapping like crazy and got the ground of my tent soaking wet. This made it very challenging to fall back to sleep, even though I was exhausted from riding over 100 miles yesterday. The thunder became annoying when it would seem like it passed over but you would be surprised with a huge bolt of lightning that felt like it was only a few feet from your tent.

This made for a slow start for the crew as we stopped at the gas station for a quick snack before starting the day and we all only had about 5 hours of sleep. We planned that we would do an 80 mile day if we were feeling good, or do 60 miles if we needed to. Sean, Evan, and I began safely riding on the interstate to get to breakfast that was about 16 miles in. There were a couple steep climbs to get there that were challenging because my legs were still sore from the previous day, but Evan pulled the whole way there which made it easier.

As soon as we pulled into breakfast, we got word that the other group had not left the gas station because Max's tire had a huge hole that could not be repaired. We made a plan to let the other group wait in town until the bike store opened, then they would get a new tire and in the meantime, Sean, Evan, and I stayed at breakfast until the other group got on the road. As we waited, I felt my legs starting to relax and cool down even though we still had at least 40 more miles left in the day. This made it really hard to get back on the bike and to leave the air conditioned diner as we headed out towards the rolling hills of North Dakota when we heard the other group started biking.

Cole pointing to “Salem Sue”, a giant cow statue on a hill top in New Salem, ND

The scenery was amazing!! I couldn't stop looking at the huge amounts of green hills that went as far as the eye could see. We hit a couple more steep hills before we made it to New Salem for lunch. My group spent a lot of time there having lunch, drying our tents from the previous night, and waiting for the other group to catch up so we could discuss how far we wanted to go for the day. After discussing together, we decided it would be best to only do about 30 more miles and have a longer mileage day tomorrow. We all made it to the campsite in Glen Ullin and got some dinner before nearly all the restaurants and markets in town closed.

Looking back on the day, it was tough because we had long breaks that messed with our groove for the day and the other group couldn't start riding until around 11:00 AM. We all still pushed on and were able to do 63 miles together. As I biked past miles and miles of fields I couldn't help but realize that the world is so much bigger than I ever thought. This trip has really taught me that you might be small compared to the size of the world, but you can make the biggest impacts just by going on a bike trip, like we are.
Signing off for now, Cole Malinchock

Day 29: Jamestown, ND - Bismarck, ND - 104 miles - Sean Hankins

Some where over a rainbow, under an overpass waiting for the rain to pass…

Today is our first century day! This means that we will be going over 100 miles for the first time in one day. We woke up early at 4:30, but nobody began packing because we all thought that nobody else was up. Max and I had trouble sleeping due to an RV sewage pipe near our tents, but we were still able to get a couple hours of sleep. After leaving our tents about 20-30 minutes later than expected, we hurried to meet at a gas station and get away from the thousands of mosquitoes that followed us in the morning. A small gas station snack prepared us for the long day ahead. Evan, Cole, and I left the gas station first to complete the first 30 miles to breakfast. We all took 10 mile pulls down the interstate while in light drizzles of rain. At one point, we stopped under a bridge to rearrange gear and get an excellent view of rainbows before continuing to Medina for a country breakfast. Once in Medina, we enjoyed a large breakfast covered by some locals at the restaurant. We discussed how we are biking for the Be Loud! Sophie foundation and able to have such an amazing cause to represent while on our trip.

After breakfast, we followed the interstate for a little over 30 more miles to a gas station. We were able to spread word about our cause and take a small break at the station. Leaving the station was the start of the hardest part of our day. Our group faced exhausting winds and hills for the remainder of the day. The day ended at around 1:30 with a stop at subway and some steep climbs. Our campsite was nearby so we had an easy time making our way there. We have showers and electricity at this site, a step up from past sites. We also get lots of perks for being in Bismarck. This includes a nice Thai dinner to end our longest day on the trip. All of us are now taking the time to get some rest for the days ahead of us. Until tomorrow... Sean

Day 28: Fargo, ND- Jamestown, ND- 95 miles - Daniel Gulisano

Today we woke up at 5am, but since there were rain showers on the forecast the night before, we were going to decide whether or not to start early. To my dismay, the rain cleared up and we were up and at ‘em at the crack of dawn. We rode 20 miles to breakfast, but we had to do 9 of those miles on a gravel road. It was difficult to maneuver, but I didn’t fall. Wyatt Benjamin fell on this road, and after I glanced over to check he was okay, I chuckled and kept pedaling.

We did 25 more miles, and they weren’t too hard because the roads were flat and it was overcast. We stopped at a gas station to fuel up and I got the last passion fruit Gatorade (the best flavor). Afterwards, we went on the interstate, because the side roads were gravel. We were close to our Gatorade break when rain clouds struck fear into our legs and we rode quickly to the gas station, only getting sprayed on a little bit. From there, we continued on the highway to finish off the ride. We stopped at underpasses twice because of rain showers, and that set us back a little bit. The ride wasn’t too bad today because of the cool temperature and the low elevation gain. Tonight we ate at a bar and we are sleeping in a small RV park. Yet again, I will be retiring to the Hilton rather early this evening.

Day 27: Fargo, ND, Break Day - Max Hird

Today we all woke up on our own terms and had quite the relaxing morning. I went to breakfast around 9 with Daniel P, Daniel G, and Hugh to a place called Perkins. Others went to Panera, and some had no breakfast at all.

We spent the rest of the morning binge watching Avatar, The Last Airbender and taking naps. For lunch, we went to a nearby mall and spread out in the food court, allowing everyone to get what they wanted. We then explored the mall and bought some cool new clothes. Sean, Cole, Daniel P, and myself all got some new glasses and Hawaiian shirts to wear on the bike rides coming up.

We all were pretty tired from walking around the mall, so we returned to the hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon watching more Avatar and chilling out. We all cleaned our bikes and left for dinner at 7. We went to a Mexican restaurant called Paradiso. We all went back to the hotel, watched some more Avatar, and hit the hay excited for another day of riding.

Day 26: Rothsay, MN - Fargo, ND - 45 miles - Wyatt Benjamin

This morning we had a late wake up of 4:30. Well, I should say that the group had a 4:30 wake up, however I didn’t wake up until 4:45. After hearing Danny screaming outside about the mosquitoes, I decided to pack everything up in my tent. I even brushed my teeth in the tent. After I packed up my tent, I had to put everything away. At this point, there were at least 10 mosquitoes on me. The mosquitoes were so bad here that they would bite through our bibs.

After I got all my stuff packed away, I went to one of the 2 buildings in town. The cafe gave us free cookies, and water. Thanks so much!

We finally got on our bikes. We banged out a really easy and flat 15 to breakfast. At this point, we were averaging close to 20 mph. The diner that we planned on going to was closed, so we went to the closest gas station and got breakfast there.

We got on our bikes, and cranked out a quick 12 miles to a water break. On our ride, we saw a bald eagle flying in front of us. This bald eagle was at eye level. I honestly cannot think of anything more American. When we got to our water break, we found a broken phone. This, along with the stapler  that we saw yesterday, were the most interesting things that we have seen on the road so far.

We then did the rest of the flat miles into North Dakota, and Fargo. For lunch, we went to a Panera and waited for our hotel rooms to open up.

Unfortunately, there are not fireworks allowed inside of Fargo, and the nearest firework show is 5 miles away. So, we will probably not see any fireworks...

Signing off for now...Webmaster Wyatt

Day 25: Sauk Centre, MN - Rothsay, MN - 90 miles - Ryan Murphy

This morning was an early one for the group. We woke up at 4:30 in an effort to beat the heat since we had a 90 mile day. The original plan was to wake up at 4, but we couldn’t find a place to go for breakfast that was open early enough. We ended up biking 25 miles to breakfast at a diner in Alexandria.

Almost the whole day today was on bike trail which is preferable to roads because of the shade it provides and the lack of risk of cars. It was definitely the most conversation-oriented day that I’ve seen from the guys since I got here last Saturday. 

Since we got up early, by the time we got to Fergus Falls it was only about 12:30. We’d done 70 miles and had 20 to go to get to Rothsay, where we’d spend the night. We stopped at Subway for a quick lunch, stopped by a famous otter in the park on the lake in Fergus Falls, and then we were on our way.

Those last 20 miles were hot, but we made it to Rothsay in about an hour and a half.

Our plan for a place to stay in Rothsay didn’t pan out, but luckily we met the sheriff at the gas station and he provided a shaded park for us to camp in. We went to the only restaurant in town for dinner and played pool for a while. 

We are all going to bed early so we can wake up and get to Fargo early in the morning so we have the rest of the day to relax. We’re hoping the mosquitoes are going to get smaller in North Dakota.

Day 24: Princeton, MN - Sauk Center, MN - 75 miles - Blake Hird

Today we started off with a 5:15am wake up time and everyone packed up quickly which felt very routine. After discovering that there were no stops for the next 30 miles we made a group decision to eat breakfast at a diner right up the street from our campsite. We finished up around 7:45 and rolled out to begin the day. The sun was out and we were all prepared to be punished with heat with a forecast of “91 feels like 99”.

We did about 21 miles before we took a quick detour for a gas station break so that everyone could get what they needed to continue the day. After our stop we biked about another 15 to a gas station to stock up before we got on a bike trail the lasted 35 miles which would finish up our day. On the way to the trail, I got a flat tire which caused us to pull over and take a stop and fix that , lucky for us it was a simple fix and we were on our way in less than 30 mins. With a flat paved trail we were flying but the heat beat down on us, which slowed us down a bit and began to take a toll on the group.

After we went about 20 miles on the trail we stopped at a great place called Charlie’s Diner where everyone had great food and a nice rest after the long hot ride. Everyone had their water bottles full and was ready to go, when Wyatt realized that his tire had exploded due to the fact that he left it in the blazing sun which is a bike trip first! The setback was short and we pounded out the remaining mileage quickly traveling around 18 - 19 mph and got to Sauk Center, MN around 4:30pm. We are staying at a beautiful campsite right on the beach of a nice lake and with a swimming area where all the guys cooled off after the ride. Today was quite hot but everyone pushed through and finished strong and we will hit the sack early and be ready for tomorrow.

Until next time ... Blake.

Day 23: Turtle Lake, WI to Princeton MN-81 miles- Hugh Carbrey

Today we woke up early, hoping to avoid the heat. However, packing up took a lot longer than expected so we left the camp site around 7. We had 28 miles to breakfast. These miles started off well, but the last 7 miles were brutal, with lots of long steep uphills. Before breakfast we had a very steep downhill into Taylor Falls, Minnesota. We ate at the Juneberry cafe, and a gas station to supplement our small dinner. We then waited around for a local reporter to interview us. After breakfast we had a climb out of Taylor Falls. This climb led us to a very long and flat stretch which we quickly pounded out until our break at a very nice gas station that had fresh produce. The last miles were very hot, and they felt long because we were on the same road. We are currently camping at a park in Princeton. We ate dinner at the Pizza Pub, but no one got pizza.

Day 22: Thorp,WI - Turtle Lake ,WI - 94 miles, Daniel Price

This morning the group woke up early to start our second over 90 mile ride. I felt terrible because I got very little sleep, but most of the group felt ready to go. We hadn’t decided if we would be traveling 75 or 90+ miles, so everyone was prepared for the worst. We started slow and took our first break 18 miles in at a small diner. We decided we would try and aim for an 80 mile day. We set out happy that our mileage was decreased and glad we finally had a tail wind.

After around 40 miles, that felt surprisingly long we stopped for a long break at a coffee shop in a small town called Chetek, WI. This extremely long break ended up feeling like a very early lunch and would make the rest of the day far more difficult than our last 90 mile day. We set out again and stopped soon after when many of the second group members had problems with pannier clips. Luckily the previously mentioned tail wind created an amazing breeze that had our group averaging 20+ miles per hour for many large sections of riding.

After a few disputes over our pull rotations, we finally decided to let Mr. Malinchock lead the last 20 or so miles because Blake would go too fast and then completely skip everyone in line just to pull again immediately after he just finished. Despite these shortcomings the group pressed on taking breaks about every 15 miles.

Wyatt also had some issues along the way. While we struggled to climb up a difficult deep gravel hill, Wyatt failed to notice that the entire group had stopped to regroup. He then preceded to bike for over a mile without turning around once. It was hilarious for everyone else, who got to watch Wyatt slowly disappear into the distance.

We arrived at a nice pavilion in Turtle Lake, WI, set up camp, and had a great dinner at a local pizza restaurant. Because of the long mileage today, tomorrow should be much more bearable and is currently looking like a 75 mile day. Morale is high and everyone is excited to finally reach the half way point in the coming days!

Day 21: Marathon City, WI to Thorp, WI - 51 miles, Cole Malinchock

WEEK 3!! It's hard to believe we're already 3 weeks in but it also feels like it's been forever since we left. Today was a little different than our usual rides due to weather concerns. The night before, we heard that it was going to rain around 5:30 AM but it was hard to predict because the forecast changed frequently. We decided to wake up around 5:00 AM and take a look at the forecast then to see if we could get some miles in before it started to rain and thunder. Unfortunately, while I was packing up and getting excited for the day I got word that we were going to wait out the thunderstorm that wouldn't pass until around noon which brought me down because I was looking forward to racing the storm.

Together, we decided to move to a pavilion on the other side of town to shelter ourselves during the thunderstorm. We all relaxed, under the shelter with outlets, until the storm passed and we would occasionally make a run to the convenience store to get snacks when there was a break in the rain. As soon as the storm passed we quickly packed up and headed out on the road around noon.

Within the first 5 miles we hit a fork in the road and were presented the options of going on a gravel road or on the state highway. After considering that the gravel would be very wet from the rain we decided it would be more efficient and safer to take the highway. Fortunately, the highway had rumble strips and a very wide shoulder for us to comfortably bike on. We split up into our groups as we rode along the highway and always looked for opportunities to take roads along the highway but unfortunately they were all gravel.

The screw that caused my flat!

After lunch, we set off again to do about 25 more miles until we would get to the town we planned to stay. When we were only 12 miles from town, I hit a long rusty screw that pierced through my tire and tube. It flattened my tire and I realized it almost immediately so we had to stop along the side of the highway. This really ruined my day because I was feeling good, but we had to stop and spend time changing my tube on the side of a highway. Evan and I were quickly trying to fix the tire while Sean directed traffic to avoid us. Luckily, a very kind man stopped his car along the road and volunteered to turn on his hazard so Sean could help with changing the tire. We were able to change the tire very quickly, but it was a faulty tube that wouldn't inflate so we had to do it again. It only took us about 20 minutes to finish and get back on the rode and we gave a huge thank you to the man who helped us by turning on his hazards to protect us from oncoming traffic.

Once we made it to town we got showers at the town pool and went to a diner to get some breakfast for dinner. A sincere man from across the street named Sluggo brought us some water and that helped us stay hydrate before our big day tomorrow. As I begin to drive and bike more, I've come to respect and appreciate cyclists so much more. When I get back to NC, I want to give cyclists even more space when I drive and if I ever see a cyclist stopped I'll offer my help in any way, like the man that helped us on the highway, or like Sluggo and offer any water I have. I hope more people start doing this, because even the smallest actions can make the biggest differences in a cyclist's day. Signing off for now, Cole Malinchock

The park where we spent the night.

Day 20: Shawano, WI- Marathon City, WI - 75 miles, Sean Hankins

This morning I woke everyone up at 5:15 to get an early start for the day. After refilling waters and taking down camp, we started a slow 17 mile ride on empty stomachs. Blake and Wyatt joined us on our morning ride to the diner.

Some Wisconsin locals welcomed us with fun conversation and large servings of diner food. I enjoyed a large pile of hash browns with eggs and toast. Once we ended breakfast, Blake and Wyatt decided to fall back into a group with a more comfortable pace.

The rest of us (Cole, Evan, and I) all began pedaling into a 40+ mile ride to lunch. The roads consisted of large hills that were fun to descend and climb. However, each one was scary and a mental challenge to climb. After a long day without lunch, our group arrived in Marathon City, our camping location for the night.

The other group sadly had technical difficulties on one of their bikes so they did not arrive for a couple hours. To kill time, our group sat outside the library and used their WiFi before we ate bar food from the local pub. Finally, our group set up camp at a local park. A police officer that offered the park to us was there when we arrived and took notes on our group. He asked us some questions and let us set our tents up. We spent the rest of the night using the library’s WiFi and getting another meal from the bar for dinner. We finished the day by running to a gas station for tomorrow’s breakfast. The forecast predicts a lot of rain while we break camp, so we need to ready to go in the morning. I will need to be prepared to wake up everyone tomorrow and ride in the rain to our next host town.

Day 19: Manitowoc, WI- Shawano, WI- 80 Miles, Daniel Gulisano

Today we woke up early and said goodbye to the YMCA that had become our home for the past few days. We left Manitowoc and rode a few miles before hitting trails. After 22 miles, we stopped in Denmark for a gas station breakfast. We then proceeded to ride towards Green Bay, home of the packers. We saw lots of packers hats. We also saw firsthand the potholes of Wisconsin, I was almost sent to the shadow realm. Luckily due to my amazing bike handling skills and quick thinking I saved myself and lived to tell the story.

Green Bay was smaller than we expected-we rode through downtown in about 45 seconds. Ryan Murphy, Mr. Murphy and a friend of Mr. Murphy were meeting us along the way to join us, and they were bringing lunch. In order to get there though, we had to pass multiple huge traffic circles as a group. We all made it to lunch and were treated to cold cuts and bread to make sandwiches. After lunch, it got hot and the miles went by pretty slow. Also, I was bored because I didn’t hear Wyatt and Blake bickering along the way. Tonight we’re staying at a hustling and bustling campsite off a lake. We had dinner across the street at a bar and we plan on checking in to the Hilton early tonight.

Day 18: Zero Day, Manitowoc, WI, Max Hird

Today we woke up at 5:30, which felt like 6:30 because we’ve entered a new timezone, and began to pack up. We then found that Daniel P had a bit of a rough night with a bad headache. Instead of hitting the road this morning, we thought it would be best to take Daniel to the hospital because he was looking pretty bad. We all waited at camp while Daniel and Mr. Malinchock set off to the hospital. While Daniel was getting checked on, everyone else went to a restaurant called Dali’s Cafe. It wasn’t great but we managed.

After breakfast, we got some snacks from a gas station and went back to chill at camp. A bit later, we found that Daniel had a concussion from the accident a few days ago and were told that it was a poor idea to ride today. The icing on the cake was that a big thunderstorm was scheduled to hit us early afternoon which pushed us to call a break day.

We spent the majority of our day in the YMCA playing basketball and napping. We met a cool dude named Gavin who joined us for a 6v6 basketball game. We ate lunch at a place called Shooter Malone’s before the rain hit us. We all then took some naps until 6:30 and set off for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Pizza Garden. We spent the rest of the night playing arcade games and wasting our money on cheap prizes. We all went back to camp around 9 and fell asleep to get ready for a big day tomorrow...