Hopkins 4K for Cancer

June 15, 2006

Montgomery City, MO
We went 95 miles today? Wow. Today was one of those days where you get to your destination and simply cannot grasp that the morning preparations before the bike ride was part of the same day. Nonetheless, the ride itself seemed to go by in an instant. With beautiful rustic Missouri scenery all around us, the Ozark foothills only gave more time to enjoy the day. It was hot, but the shade provided ample protection from the sun, making the day even more enjoyable.

After our day off in St. Louis the entire group was very prepared and ready. Many were still tired because of our exhausting trek from Chicago that had ended two days earlier, but with the inspiration we had received from our Hope Lodge visit, we fought through the pain with amazing results. Through the heat, the sun, the hills and the sheer mileage, our near century took the lead groups only around 5 hours. After having dedicated my ride to Sue of the St. Louis Hope Lodge, I felt I had to push that hard. Though in the 4th week of her 8 weeks of treatment, Sue had the energy and spunk to not only get me a drink when I asked where I could get a glass, but to do so with such a fun and upbeat manner that the strength of human will became remarkably apparent.

Drawing from that strength, I pushed myself the entire way. Generally in a long day, especially a long hot one, the last twenty miles seem to stretch forever. Yet today that wall was not hit. I came into the Montgomery City First Baptist Church with all the liveliness of the ladies who were feeding us (which was quite a bit!).

Within a couple hours everyone was showered and ready to eat. (Special thanks to those two guys with the trucks who were kind enough to drive us back and forth from the local high school) I did some work on my bike when we got back. I just nearly missed the beginning of the feast that had been prepared for us as I was screwing in my stem, but I put my stuff down right where I was standing when I realized it was time to eat. The food that was prepared was fit for a king. I had two delectable pulled-pork sandwiches and a whole lot of fruit from the cut-open watermelon that was there. But my favorite (surprising to those who know me largely as a carnivore) was this cabbage, sunflower-seed, ramen mix thingy. It was so good I ended up with just about an entire plate-full.

After dinner it was time to hit the hay. And we slept quite well with our bellies full, knowing we had another hot day ahead of us.

~ Jake

Destination: Montgomery City, MO

Mileage: ~94 miles

Date: 6/15/06


Our two days spent in St. Louis, MO were very enjoyable thanks to the wonderful hospitality of Washington University in St. Louis. Many of the riders spent the day touring the campus and – lucky us – ended up finding swings and hammocks! All the riders were thrilled to have beds (which had clean linens, pillows, and towels on them!) Also, thank you for the wonderful meals provided J

We spent our day off at the Hope Lodge where we met incredible people with many stories to share. I think all the riders would agree that it was very reminiscent of the time we spent in the Baltimore Hope Lodge and that our time with the residents in St. Louis only reinforced our dedication to the 4K and its cause. After our visit with the Hope Lodge, we made our way to the Arch, where we took many pictures and had fun hanging out.

The impact that the residents had on us was greatly reflected during our moment of silence this morning. Many of the riders dedicated their day’s ride to various residents of the Hope Lodge. I dedicated my day to Phyllis (sorry if I misspelled your name!), a woman who has been undergoing cancer treatments at the nearby hospital. While speaking to her she told me in the most assured and positive tone of voice that I had ever heard, “When I get my strength back, I’m going to come back to St. Louis and see more of this wonderful city.” When. I will. It was this positive attitude and strong will that I chose to take with me on the day’s ride and that would help me through many of the tough climbs ahead.

The day brought with it an oppressive heat and continuous rolling hills, many of which I found challenging, but with gorgeous views and wonderful, windy down hills that made the climbs well worth it. I was very thankful to be biking with Emma and Ryan T. because they were a constant source of encouragement (thank you!!). Until today, I had been lucky enough to claim that I had not yet gotten a flat. Well, guess what? Today ended that record. Before we arrived at the lunch site, I had learned three very important lessons that would keep me going through the rest of the day. 1) Sometimes looking at the road directly in front of you works wonders at keeping you on track while going uphill. 2) It’s okay to rest for a quick minute if it means that it will keep you going for 15 more. And, most importantly, 3) Attitude is everything.

Lunchtime brought with it a welcoming shade, a cool breeze, and yummy burgers that had been donated to us by Jack in the Box. Ryan traded for Nicole Silva’s group and we were on our way again. Of course, the endless rolling hills continued but Nicole’s boundless energy kept us going. After twenty miles more, we arrived at the water stop where Ken was there waiting and where we learned that a 400-foot hill lay ahead of us. I must admit that the three of us were feeling fairly drained, but the thought of conquering this last hill and entering the plateau that would hold Montgomery City filled us with a boost of energy that we did not know we possessed.

After climbing “the hill,” we found ourselves bolting through the plateau in a pace-line that took us up to 27mph. Oh!, how ecstatic we were to be nearing our destination, the First Methodist Church in Montgomery City. We were hooting, hollering, and yelling out the words, “We got this!!” as we biked along the last major street. Just as we were less than half a mile away from the church, however, I got another flat! >.< You think that we would just give up and asked to be shuttled that last half mile, but no. Instead, Emma, Nicole, and I performed a NASCAR quality tire change and patch in five minutes flat. Oh yes. We biked into the parking lot of the First Methodist Church triumphantly. There, a wonderful meal awaited the 4K riders that had been prepared by our generous hosts. We absolutely appreciated it!


Susy Grajeda

Day 19: June 15, 2006

St. Louis, MO to Montgomery City, MO

~94 miles


My last morning with duties as leg leader went smoothly. Mary Schindler, the director of Residential Life at Washington University at St. Louis, and the dining hall provided a wonderful breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, fruits, granola bars, and juice. After the vans were packed, tires pumped, sunscreen applied, and key cards collected from everyone, we had our moment of silence in the grassy area across from Koenig Hall, the nice dorms where we lived for the past two nights. Today, I dedicated my ride to Monica, the Director of Volunteer Development at St. Joseph's Medical Center, who is a survivor of cancer and is very supportive of me, both as a hospital volunteer and a Hopkins 4k for Cancer rider.

Raffi, Derrick, Erin and I set out as a group in this 94 mile day. After leaving the urban/suburban areas, we encountered the first of many steep hills that we climbed today. When I saw the first hill, I thought, “Oh awesome, our first hill since the Appalachians, it’ll be a nice climb.” After climbing the hill, another hill appeared, as did another hill after those hills, and so on. I had pictured Missouri as a flat grassy plain with a few cornfields. Who knew steep hills awaited us outside St. Louis? But with the agony of the climb came the exhilarating thrill of the descent. On one of the descents, Raffi experienced his first flat. However, this was not an ordinary flat. A chunk of the tread on the tire was torn off, revealing the wiring underneath. We decided Raffi would be able to make it to the water stop to replace his tire, so Raffi began to replace the inner tube, when he realized the spare tube he carried had a Schrader valve instead of a Presta valve that our bikes use. In fact, Raffi found out later that all nine tubes he purchased for the trip had Schrader vales. We all got a laugh out of that, and left after the van arrived to shuttle Raffi to the next water stop.

Our lunch of Jumbo Jacks, lemonade, and iced tea was graciously donated from Jack in the Box by Kelli Christian, whose aunt Delores Nelson passed away from cancer. We sat in the shade of trees in the yard of a family who was kind to allow us to hide from the hot sun. After lunch, we continued towards Montgomery City, eventually reaching the First Presbyterian Methodist Church. The gentle breeze inside an air conditioned building never felt so soothing. While the rest of the group trickled in, some of us were shuttled to a nearby school for communal showers. The group then returned to the church where members of the church had prepared a delicious meal for us. We ate pulled pork sandwiches, ham, cheese, beans, potato salad, fruit salad held in a bowl made from a watermelon, and an interesting combination of cabbage, sunflower seeds, and ramen noodles. After eating such a wonderful meal and degreasing/lubing my bike, it's about time for lights out and bed.

During the ride today, Derick told me, "You did a good job, you provided us with a place to stay and eat, and that's all we can ask for." Hearing these words sprouted a warm feeling that reverberated throughout me, that I was a part of the Hopkins 4k family. But I could not have organized the first leg of the trip without the generous hospitality of our hosts, the support of others we have met along the way, the residents of Hope Lodge whose stories inspire us whenever the ride becomes difficult, and of the course the rest of the Hopkins 4k for Cancer 2006 family.

-Eric