5/21/2014 Kristina Shidlauski
Written by Kristina Shidlauski
On May 25 two CEE students and an alumnus will embark on a 71-day bike ride across the country as part of the Illini 4000 Bike America Team. The ride is an annual student-run event to raise money for cancer research, spread awareness of the fight against the disease and collect stories of those affected by cancer all across the nation. This year, 20 Illinois students will be making the trek.
CEE postdoctoral research associate Blake Landry (PhD 11), recent grad Alexandra (Alex) Knicker and undergraduate Arthur Tseng began training months ago for the cross-country ride that stretches from New York City to San Francisco. None of them has undertaken a long-distance ride like this before, but each has a personal reason for participating and a different role to play in the effort.
Throughout the ride Landry will be conducting interviews with cancer patients, survivors and caregivers as part of the Portraits Project, an ongoing effort by the Illini 4000 to document the American cancer experience. Meeting these people and letting them tell their story is the most important aspect of the ride for Landry, who is riding to support a close friend who has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
“Portraits give the heartbeat of the ride,” he said.
After hearing about the Illini 4000 as a freshman on Quad Day, Alex Knicker knew she wanted to be involved someday. After losing her grandmother to breast cancer she became even more determined to participate and, as a senior, signed up for the challenge. Though she acknowledges that the mental and physical endurance required seems daunting, she plans to use the fatigue as motivation.
“It's certainly not an equal comparison," she said, "but the physical and mental challenges that we're dealing with each day remind us of how it is for cancer patients to face an even more difficult situation every single day.”
While Landry's role during the trip centers on conducting interviews for the Portraits Project, Knicker will be helping the team with various chores like packing the van, cooking and making sure all the riders are up and ready to go each morning. Arthur Tseng, on the other hand, has already completed his extra duties. As a member of the logistics team, he made advance calls to communities across the states seeking out people and organizations willing to provide shelter, showers and meals for the riders. He explained that saving money on food and lodging allows more money to go to the cause.
Though born in Seattle, Tseng was brought up in Hong Kong and sees the ride as an adventure. He is looking forward to the opportunity to connect with people, explore the country and experience American culture in a unique way. He, too, is bracing for a physical challenge that he feels will serve as a daily reminder of what cancer patients go through.
As he put it, “When you’re battling cancer, you can’t take a break.”
The riders will be blogging about their experiences throughout their trip at http://illini4000.org/riders/blog/
The Illini 4000 is a student-run non-profit organization at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Formed in 2006 by Illinois students Anish Thakkar and Jonathan Schlesinger, the group organizes a cross-country bike ride every year in an effort to raise funds for cancer research and spread awareness for the fight against the disease.