Venkatesh Srinivas

4K for Cancer Portland 2014 - Portland, OR

A couple of days with 4K Portland 2014

4K for Cancer 2014 Sendoff & Day 1

4K for Cancer Seattle 2013 - Seattle, WA

4K for Cancer Portland 2013 - Cannon Beach

Baltimore to Portland

May 28th, Waynesboro, PA to Bedford, PA

May 29th, Bedford PA

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July 12th, Dubois, WY to Jackson, WY
We crossed Togwotee Pass going from Dubois to Jackson, WY; shortly after the pass, we caught sight of the Grand Tetons for the first time. This was a plenty-of-pictures day; we stopped constantly to marvel at the snow-capped Tetons so near and the Snake River separating us from the mountains.



















July 13th, Hiking in the Grand Tetons (Jackson, WY)















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July 21st, Twin Falls, ID to Mountain Home, ID




July 24th, Boise, ID to Cambridge, ID










August 25th, Cambridge, ID to Baker, OR
We rode from Cambridge to Baker through Hell's Canyon; these fields of view do very little justice to the starkness and majesty of the descent and climb into and out of the canyon.









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July 30th, Bend, OR to Eugene, OR
From Bend we rode to Eugene across the Cascades, crossing at McKenzie Pass.
At the summit of the pass, we were surrounded by an ancient lava flow; we could see the incredible peaks of the Sisters from a small stone observatory building. After the summit, over 5300 feet above sea level, we had a terrific downhill towards Eugene. We descended to under 1000 feet for the first time since central Nebraska over a pretty short distance, across many gnarly curves!























August 1st, Corvallis, OR to Tillamook, OR





August 2nd: Tillamook, OR to Cannon Beach, OR!























August 3rd, Cannon Beach, OR to Beaverton, OR



August 4th, Beaverton, OR to Portland, OR!

Blink and life flies by.

Blink and life flies by. Biking from the Atlantic to the Pacific is in my past now.

Day 68 -- Tillamook to

Day 68 -- Tillamook to Canon Beach. Pacific Ocean, let's go!

Day 67 -- Corvallis to

Day 67 -- Corvallis to Tillamook. We are really that far...

Halfway to Corvallis. After that,

Halfway to Corvallis. After that, only Tillamook separates us from the Pacific.

Before riding to Corvallis, Team

Before riding to Corvallis, Team Portland needs waffles. @4KPortland

Day 66 -- Eugene to

Day 66 -- Eugene to Corvallis. An easy day on the heels of a 116mi day. So close to the Pacific! @4KPortland

Day 64 -- Rest day

Day 64 -- Rest day in Bend, OR; in the shadows of the majestic Cascades.

Crossing Country and Catching Up, part 1

From when I last wrote, on Day 12 of the 4K, through today, we have traveled from Cincinnati, OH, to American Falls, ID. We crossed through Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; through Chicago and western Illinois; through rolling hills in Iowa and seas of corn in Nebraska; and through high desert in eastern Colorado to Denver. In Des Moines, Iowa, six of us stayed with a fantastic member of the community, Shelly Carman. Across Nebraska, we rode along some of the original 4K route -- Fairbury, Franklin, and the little delight of Arapahoe. We experienced brutal heat and headwinds and we enjoyed small-town hospitality. Through eastern and central Colorado, we steadily climbed from the midwestern plain to over a mile above sea level. And in Denver, on the night of July 3rd, we enjoyed fireworks and music in a public park.

On July 4th, we rode north from Denver to Boulder, Colorado. The ride from Denver to Boulder was different from any previous day on the ride -- we were able to ride with a number of 4K alumni and with 4K Team San Francisco! Emma (Seattle 2011), Chris (Portland 2011), Dana (4K 2010), and Terence (4K 2010) joined us on the night of the 3rd in Denver and Team SF met us on the morning of the 4th. It was wonderful to see alumni so dedicated to 4K and it was neat to meet Team SF, folks who've gone through to the same broad experiences as us. It was also neat to see two friends on Team SF again, Peter and Marilyn, most-of-a-country away from Baltimore and send-off.

Into Boulder, I rode with Brad and Andrea, along with three folks from Team SF. Along the route, we climbed and descended some gentle hills while the majestic Rockies loomed through haze.

On July 5th, we had a much-needed rest day in Boulder; Boulder was a hip, active town, a good place for a rest day.

What do we do on a rest day? Most of the time, we sleep in, catch up on blogging and calls, do laundry, and generally take it easy.

On this particular rest day, however, Brad, Yoshi, and I had other plans. We woke up at a "luxurious" 6 AM to bike up Flagstaff Mountain, one of the Flatirons. The mountain was an incredible challenge, with stretches hitting over a 17% grade in the thin mile-high atmosphere. Brad, Yoshi, and I each climbed at our own pace and met at a few rest points along the way; the highest point was 7,800 ft above sea level, roughly 2,000 ft above Boulder. I was and am so glad that I challenged myself at Flagstaff and that Brad and Yoshi were able to lead me up the mountain. It still floors me what physical trials we are able to overcome with the support of our teammates.

In Denver, CO. Veiled mountain

In Denver, CO. Veiled mountain majesties call in the distance.

Something is hidden in the

Something is hidden in the Colorado haze... @4KPortland

@4KPortland 200mi in 2 days,

@4KPortland 200mi in 2 days, Colorado already put me in such a good mood!

Welcome to Colorful Colorado!

Welcome to Colorful Colorado!

The country from Franklin, NE

The country from Franklin, NE to Arapahoe, NE is gorgeous at sunrise!!

#4kportland Cheers from Arapahoe, NE!!

#4kportland Cheers from Arapahoe, NE!!

#4kportland Day 33 -- To

#4kportland Day 33 -- To Arapahoe, land of 4K legend. Lets go!

#4kportland Iowa is not flat!!

#4kportland Iowa is not flat!! :)

#4kportland Day 28 -- Atlantic,

#4kportland Day 28 -- Atlantic, Iowa, to Omaha, Nebraska.

#4kportland Day 25 -- Wheatland

#4kportland Day 25 -- Wheatland to Marshalltown, with a pass by Cedar Rapids, Iowa!

#4kportland Day 24 -- Iowa

#4kportland Day 24 -- Iowa here we come!

#4kportland Day 23 -- 120mile+

#4kportland Day 23 -- 120mile+ day out of chicago, a TV appearance in the cards!

@4kportland Day 21 -- Chicago

@4kportland Day 21 -- Chicago here we come!

@4kportland winning

@4kportland winning

#4kportland -- Cincinnati to Lexington,

#4kportland -- Cincinnati to Lexington, KY!

Intro & Twelve Days

Hi! I am Venkatesh Srinivas; this summer, I am cycling over 4,000 miles, from Baltimore, MD, to Portland, OR!

I am riding with the 4K for Cancer, a program of the Ulman Cancer Fund; there are twenty-six riders headed to Portland and twenty-nine riders each on two other routes, to Seattle and San Francisco. Each one of the eighty-four riders raised at least $4,500 to ride; in total, we raised roughly a half-a-million dollars for the UCF.

Before the ride, I raised over $9,000 for the 4K; I'd like to thank my unbelievably generous donors for helping so much and making this ride and the programs it supports possible. Each donor has their own reasons for supporting me and the 4K; together the power of all these reasons and all these contributions help good work 'get done'.

This is the eleventh year of the 4K for Cancer; the program started as a student organization at my alma mater, Johns Hopkins, called the 'Hopkins 4K'. It expanded to a standalone non-profit in 2010 and merged with the Ulman Cancer Fund this year. The original program only had a Baltimore to San Francisco route; the Seattle and Portland rides were added last year.

On May 27th, all of the riders lined up in McKeldin Square in Baltimore's Inner Harbor and dipped our back tires into the Chesapeake Bay; we will dip our front tires into the Pacific Ocean at the close our journeys. On the Portland route, we will reach the Pacific on August 2nd, at Canon Beach, OR.

The first day of the Portland journey took us from Baltimore to Waynesboro, PA. This was part of the original San Franscisco route, so many alumni of earlier 4K incarnations rode with us.

Each team split into riding groups of four to six cyclists; on the first day, I rode with Nellie Honan, Jasper Curry, and Sophie Jin. Also riding with us was 2011 Baltimore-to-Seattle alumnus Elan Hourticolon-Retzler, a long-time friend and former co-worker. We rode out of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, up Calvert Street, and across University Parkway, along a route I had rolled along and trained on so many times. From there, we turned north along Roland Avenue, then Falls Road; and then into terra incognita.

Today is day 12 of our ride, a rest day; we are staying at Vineyards Westside Church in Cheviot, OH, a suburb of Cincinnati. We have only been riding for twelve days, but as a team, we have already faced new physical and mental challenges; we crossed the Appalachian mountains early in our route, we faced a twelve-hour day of solid rain. We have to figure out how to ride together; how to spend our time together. And how to draw support from and to provide support to each other.

First week of #4kportland!! (@4KPortland)

First week of #4kportland!! (@4KPortland)

#4kportland Day 8 -- Canton,

#4kportland Day 8 -- Canton, OH to Mansfield. Words a cyclist never wants to hear, early start.

#4kportland at the host in

#4kportland at the host in Canton, OH after a fantastic day riding.

#4kportland Day 7 -- Youngstown

#4kportland Day 7 -- Youngstown to Canton.

Reached host in Youngstown! _So_

Reached host in Youngstown! _So_ glad to be here.

#4kportland Day 6 -- Pittsburgh,

#4kportland Day 6 -- Pittsburgh, PA to Youngstown, OH!

#4kportland Day 4 -- Ligionier,

#4kportland Day 4 -- Ligionier, PA to Pittsburgh, PA. Great riding out with Kathy and Valerie from Ligionier!

4K day 2: Waking up

4K day 2: Waking up in Waynesboro, PA in a gym to "Good Life". Hills are in the future, today should see us reach Bedford. #4KPortland

@4KPortland group 4 is in

@4KPortland group 4 is in Waynesboro PA

My last night in Baltimore.

My last night in Baltimore. Thank you so much everyone who has played a part on this stage and in this act.

An alumni's thoughts on 4K;

An alumni's thoughts on 4K; https://www.facebook.com/4kforcancer/...

For the close to 100 riders we have leaving Baltimore in two weeks, I want to just leave you guys a few notes and some of my thoughts:

Reflect on yourself now. Really just look at yourself and say goodbye. Not in a bad way either. I mean it in the best possible way. Your life is never going to be the same, you are about to embark on the most important journey of your life. The 4K is something you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

Slow down. This is not a race across America. I made the mistake of pedaling hard every single day and racing from water stop to water stop. Slow down and smell the roses. America is a beautiful country, so be sure to stop at the small store in the middle of nowhere.

Your teammates are probably going to be some of the weirdest people ever. But then again, it takes 90+ crazies to decide to spend 10 weeks on a bicycle to ride over 4000 miles. Cherish them. There are going to be days where you love each other, and LOTS of days where you will be at each others throats. Remember this: you're a family. At the end of the day, your team is all you have on the 4k.

Try something new. You're going to be going through some pretty remote places and cities you aren't familiar with. You're going to encounter cultures that are different than you, but take it all with a grain of salt. Give in and try the Elk burger, or enjoy the huckleberries that the random homeless guy gives you.

Don't stop talking about the 4k. Every city you go to, its going to be 25 or more riders coming in with matching gear and people are going to be wondering who you are. Be friendly and spread the mission. Explain the 4k and give them more information. The wider we cast our blanket, the better.

Remember why you are riding. There were MANY days where I wanted to just throw my bike and not ride anymore (it happened, team seattle can tell you about it) you just have to remember why you are riding. I guarantee to you that whatever you're upset about at the time is much smaller than the reason why you ride. When things start to go sour, just remember who you ride for and take a minute to decompress. The cause is much more important than the fact that you've eaten peanut butter and jelly on smashed bread for 6 out of 7 days that week.

Share your story. All of your friends who are at home will be looking forward to seeing your trip across America. Be sure to broadcast your story for everyone to see. Let them know you're alive and let them know about the people you meet. You will be amazed at how many strangers you will meet who have been touched by cancer. You are going to be a huge source of inspiration for all the people you meet.

Prepare to see the best and worst in each other. Prepare to become stronger in every sense of the word. Mentally, physically and emotionally. Welcome to the 4K for Cancer, you're in for the wildest journey of your life.

I am very proud of you all... and most importantly, THANK YOU for what you are doing. You won't hear it enough in my opinion. This is a huge undertaking. Thank you.

Cycle. Inspire. Unite.

Ali Samadpour
Team Seattle 2011