Support Illini 4000's Cross-Country Ride for Cancer

Hello! I am Yuncong, a PhD student from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This summer, I will be joining Illini 4000, along with 16 other riders, on a cross-country bike ride spanning about 4,800 miles from New York City to San Francisco, from June 2 to August 17, 2025. Below is our route:

The goal of this ride is to raise funds for cancer research and raise awareness for the cancer experience.

Throughout the year, we raise funds for cancer research and patient support services. Last year, we raised $80,000! All that money will go directly to beneficiaries, which are the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, The Andrew McDonough B positive Foundation, Prairie Dragon Paddlers, and The Cancer Center at Illinois. We hold a lot of fundraising events all year around. Below is me cycling on a stationary bike in our 24 hour bike-a-thon fundraiser:

As we bike across the country, we will also document the stories of cancer survivors, caretakers, and family members through our "Portraits Project," building a collection of stories that offer hope and support to others affected by cancer.

We've been preparing for this cross-country ride for a year, through tons of midweek and weekend training sessions. This photo was taken during our 70-mile weekend training:

During the ride, we will encounter harsh weather like this:

But we will persist on the journey, because, to us, the ride symbolizes standing in solidarity with those battling cancer—sharing in their struggles, celebrating their triumphs, and proving that together, as a community, we can overcome even the toughest obstacles.

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Potential questions you may have:

Q: Is Illini 4000 legit?

A: Yes, it is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and you can check all our tax documents from past years here: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/68-0640777 We also have a website: https://www.illini4000.org/ It contains a lot of information, including a blog which will be updated (almost) on a daily basis during our ride!

Q: Since all donations go to your beneficiaries, how do you guys get money to support your ride?

A: For stayover, we rely on the generosity of churchs/YMCA/community centers to host us for free. Some days we also camp. For food, we receive donations from our stayovers or businesses, or make food by ourselves (oatmeal for breakfast, PB&J sandwich for lunch, and pasta for dinner -- all very cheap food). Therefore, we don't spend a ton of money on eating and sleeping. Below is the photo of us practicing stayover in a local church:

Q: Cancer research & patient support services seem to cost a lot of money. Do you guys really make an impact?

A: Yes. Since the founding of Illini 4000 in 2006, we have raised more than $1,302,500. Our current beneficiary Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named one of their fellowships after Illini 4000, and our donations has directly supported the work of Dr. Edie I. Crosse on precision therapeutics for hematologic malignancies! We directly support the research work of a graduate research assistant at Cancer Center at Illinois. We are also the platinum sponsor of Prairie Dragon Paddlers, a breast cancer survivor dragon boating team in Champaign-Urbana. Below is our photo with Prairie Dragon Paddlers (I sat in the front row!):

Q: How does your typical I4K day look like?

A: We get up at 5:45 am. The breakfast chore boil water and cook oatmeal for us. Other people go to bathrooms & pack their stuffs. We roll out at around 7:00 am. We have a rest stop about every 20 miles, typically lasting 15 minutes. The lunch break is a bit longer, and we make PB&J sandwich. On average we ride 70 miles per day. We arrive at our stayover in the afternoon, and then rest. The dinner chore boil water and cook pasta for us. Then we all chill out until the light goes out at 9:45 pm.