ROMP-a-thon Shifts from Event to Program Chicago, IL 9/25/2008

I regretfully returned to Chicago for family affairs. But, my drive to reach my goal has not wained. I will continue to ride and fund raise. I will organize more weekend rides where I will be able to visit more church communities and raise awareness. I am also planning on departing rather soon to Eugene, OR to prepare for my first semester as a transfer student at The University of Oregon. When I arrive in Oregon, no doubt will I continue to seek out ways to help ROMP’s cause. It will be especially nice to ride in a new and mountainous landscape.

My ride is not over. Rather I hope to make my ride for ROMP a ride of my life, whether it be this cause now, or many others in my future. I hope that I can take this success and interweave it into other ideas I have. The ride continues! I will have updates of new places I go and people I meet and of course money and miles gained. Below is a list of current stats on the odometer.

I hope that ROMP will continue to prove to be a integral part of developing prosthetic and orthotic treatment where it is most needed. I hope that the people I met along the way enjoyed me as much as I did them. I hope that we all can realize our deep connections as humans across this global world we all share. I hope for a more just government that governs not only for the gains of a few rich capitalists and its constituency, but rather for the good of all mankind. I hope that we can continue to see the good, but also seek out the bad and change it. I hope that people will continue to be so generous and kind.

Thank you all for being involved in the ROMPATHON, for donating, for taking time out of your day, for sharing your stories and for listening to mine. I hope to meet more people just like you all.

Every mile I ride will continue to be added. I am still collecting donations, and hope to see more.

Ride Statistics:
Average Speed: 14.49 mph
Total time spent riding: 54.57 hours
Total Distance Covered: 791 miles

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 14: Milwaukee, WI to Madison, WI 9/15/2008

After an exciting weekend in Milwaukee, I finally left this morning and had a long ride (84 miles) to Madison. The day was cold but not rainy, so I managed to keep a solid pace. I spent most of the ride on a scenic and well-managed Wisconsin State trail. The Dunhill Glacial Trail.

In regards to this weekend, I ended up having a heavily hurricane themed weekend. First, Saturday after a golf outing a post golf outing party was organized with a Crawfish Broil theme. The Crawfish had been shipped overnight from Louisiana, so I couldn’t help but think about Hurricane Gustav. Second, I went to the Chicago Cubs vs. Houston Astros game in Milwaukee of all places. Hurricane Gustav had prevented the Astros from hosting the game themselves so it was relocated to Milwaukee. Big benefit of the game, I saw Carlos Zambrano pitch the first no-hitter that the Cubs program has had in 32 years. So, safe to say I had a great weekend.

My next move will be straight south on a few other bike trails back into the Chicago Land area.

The odometer reads 741 miles since Kansas City.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 11: Kenosha, WI to Milwaukee, WI 9/12/2008

Starting the day off slow I eventually worked my way over to the Church after eating breakfast with the Ericksons. I met with the Kenosha Bible Church staff, from the senior dean on down. I rolled out of Kenosha around lunchtime and went through various bike trails. Many of the trails abruptly ended and I was always left to find my way with no predetermined destination, just the lake to the east and Milwaukee to the north.

I arrived to the Marquette campus at 3:15 and rolled towards the college housing to find my high school friends Ted Collins and Frank Moroni warmly waiting my long over-due arrival.

I now plan to meet with several church bodies to promote ROMP’s cause. Tomorrow will be my first day of rest after 11 consecutive days of riding. I also have a chance to see some friends for the first time in over a year.

My odometer reads 657 miles since Kansas City.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 10: Forest Park, IL to Kenosha, WI 9/11/2008

Riding through the city (of course I am referring to Chicago) was both exciting and eye opening for me. I felt like a tourist in my own city today. So much time has passed since I have been in a major American city that I was awe stricken by the sheer magnitude of the downtown area. It is nice to appreciate where you are from in such a different way.

The ride went well today, yet it was difficult leaving home after only arriving the day before. I ended up leaving the downtown area in the early afternoon and arriving in Kenosha at 6:30 pm after utilizing various bike trails and lake shore roads along the way. I am now in Kenosha with the Erickson family. They are involved with the Kenosha Bible Church and kindly offered to feed and house me for the evening. I just finished dinner with their family and feel very welcomed into their home. Tomorrow is forecasted to rain, but my ride to Milwaukee is not an extremely long one, so I figure I will be able to handle the hazardous conditions for the several hours it takes to get there.

I now have travelled through four states, and my opinion of each one has changed. I have waged against the sun, the rain, the wind, long distances, and my own will power, but it has all been worth every pedal of the way. I have experienced American life and culture in a way I have never been privy to before, and have more positive to say than negative. I hope that my ride continues to be as fruitful and educational as it continues to prove to be.

The odometer reads 601 miles since Kansas City.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 9: Ottawa, IL to Forest, Park IL (Chicago) 9/10/2008

Well, I made it! My ride today was exceptional on many levels. I had company for the last 35 miles, I used mainly bike trails, and I ate at Walter Payton's Roundhouse for lunch, thanks to the Naafs. Although I have arrived successfully and feel a sense of accomplishment, my body denies these feelings because it knows that at 8 am tomorrow morning I will be starting the same routine that I have done for the last nine days, riding. I have organized an extended leg to my journey and hope to continue the success the ride has had up to this point.

I am very pleased to have gotten this far and to have raised so much money for ROMP. But, I still feel the need to continue riding, so I will. I have nothing holding me back, except perhaps sore muscles. So, tomorrow evening I will be in Kenosha, WI, the fourth State of my ride.

A special thanks to Terri and Wally Naaf for riding with me today and helping support ROMP. I hope to see them next year for the second ROMPaTHON.

I also want to thank everyone that has been involved in this event and cannot wait to see some of those new faces sometime soon.

The odometer reads 530 miles.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 8: Chillicothe, IL to Ottawa, IL 9/9/2008

Riding for the first time with an additional rider this morning was an exciting change. My company was 53 year-old Pastor and fellow bike enthusiast Bob Hentrich. Bob rid half of my ride with me this morning. Bob would have more than gladly ridden the whole length, but his Church duties called and he had to turn back and race home, literally. After a great day of riding and even descending through a hole along our route due to a road closing, I feel great and feel some much needed effects from the sun, thankfully!

The Christ Episcopal Church of Ottawa has been very welcoming. Secretary Fran Gibson helped orchestrate a stay for me and helped get donations through the bulletin.

I have been continually impressed by the graciousness of each and every person involved with the ROMPaTHON and cannot express how thankful I am to every church and person involved in this event. It has taught me a lot about American character and its giving spirit.

A special thanks to Pastor Bob Hentrich for being so exceptionally helpful and understanding of my biking needs. Hope to see you next year for the second ROMPaTHON.

Tomorrow I will meet two special ROMP friends and bikers Terri and Wally Naaf. I meet Terri and Wally while traveling in Nicaragua. They will ride with me from The Illinois Prairie Path in Aurora to my home. I look forward to riding with them and hope that they are as excited as I am.

* The new extended ROMPaTHON ride route will be updated soon. I am currently organizing the extended ride and everything is going smoothly.

The odometer reads 445 miles since Kansas City.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 7: Lewistown, IL to Chillicothe, IL 9/8/2008

After today’s tough ride a flat tire is now probably on my list of most undesirable things to do. I learned the hard way that replacing a tire and re-pumping the new tube with a small hand pump is an exercise in and of itself. Today’s ride was not one of my better days. It started off with light showers but quickly developed into heavy downpours. When you’re riding in heavy downpours and trucks are racing by you at speeds exceeding sixty-miles and hour, the rain doesn’t only come from above.

I left Lewistown at 9:00 am and arrived in Chillicothe at 4:30, drenched and shivering. Luckily for me, I was received with immediate care. Bob Hentrich of The Chillicothe Christian Church arranged for the local bike shop to tune up my bike, which it needed, and also another interview with a newspaper. Both went well, the ride is smoother and all the initial glitches of a new bike have been worked out. I just finally got a chance to warm up a bit, hot shower, and now am trying to continue my research into my extended ride. I have decided to head north into Wisconsin. Traveling through two major cities, Milwaukee and Madison.

The odometer reads 380 miles since Kansas City.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 6: Rushville, IL to Lewistown, IL 9/7/2008

After finishing my day’s ride in just under two and a half hours, I felt so anxious to ride more that I decided to ride 4 miles out of the city to see the church. Their service had just ended so I came to an empty house of worship, but the ride there and back was probably one of the most scenic and soundless rides I have had until now. The day has been a laid back one, but now I am in the Bryant home working on new routes beyond Chicago. I am looking into the Wisconsin area, perhaps Chicago to Milwaukee then onto Madison and back around to Chicago. I am hoping to use bike trails for the extended part of my ride.

The Waterford Church of God has been a great help to the ride. The church put me up in a hotel for the night and plans to have me over to their evening services. Pastor Deb Bryant is also helping me with other church stays in the Wisconsin area.

The odometer reads 318 miles since Kansas City.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 5: Quincy, IL to Rushville, IL 9/6/2008

The morning was plagued by an intense fog, so thick that visibility seemed to be no more than 25 feet. It made for an interesting ride. Then once I got out of the fog, I cycled into rolling hills through farmland and the occasional untouched swampland. The ride was probably the best I have had so far. First, the roads I used were truly country, I generally only saw a car pass every ten minutes or so. Second, I didn’t pass a single town between Quincy and Rushville, which made for interesting water stops (people’s homes). Third, the landscape was incredible.

I left today at 9 am and arrived at 1 pm. I accidentally went out of my way a little so the ride was 60 miles. The Cahill family (Church of Christ) has shown exceeding generosity and offered me to stay at their home. I just finished a homemade meal (in ever sense of the phrase) and now am starting to look at routes and churches for my continued ride beyond Chicago.

Yesterday, St. John’s Episcopal Church went the extra mile. From giving me a hotel accommodation to putting forward serious fundraising efforts. A special Thanks to St. John’s!

The odometer reads 272 miles.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 4: Moberly, Mo to Quincy, IL 9/5/2008

My legs burned and my skin sizzled under the hot Missouri sun as I pedaled up my last big leg of today’s 85 mile ride, but once I reached the large blue arches of the bridge leading into Quincy and noticed the Welcome to Illinois sign on my right I rejoiced and all was great. I left today at 7:30 am from the cold weather of Moberly and arrived to a hot and muggy Quincy around 3:30. The day was a good one. After the storm finally passed last night, I felt freed from the dominion it had on me while in Moberly.

St. John’s Episcopal Church has done wonders before my arrival and even plans to continue after I leave. The Father here, Jim Derbyshire, generously went out of his way to contact several medias in the area. He set up an interview with the local NBC channel here, WGEM, and as soon as I arrived I was riding again, but this time in front of cameras. I hope that all the media attention will mean increased participation and donations. The church also has posted a ROMPaTHON letter in the bulletin and Jim will speak about ROMP in mass on Sunday. Hopefully with the info from the news and the info in the church St. John’s will help ROMP raise some bucks.

I have made a decision that if by the end of my ride into Chicago I have not raised the $10,000 goal, I will ride beyond Chicago until I hit the goal. I will need to look into options for a direction to head and where to stay, so if anyone has any ideas (i.e. trails or bike routes in Illinois etc.) please don’t hesitate to contact my email, I would love the suggestions.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 3: Moberly, MO to Moberly, MO 9/4/2008

So, as you can see from the title I haven't been able continue on to Quincy, IL today. I would have loved to have tried but this storm system that I braved yesterday is still above my head and I am not willing to risk riding 83 miles to Quincy in cold, windy, and rainy conditions. I will wait until tomorrow to be on the safer side of things, both for my muscles and to avoid being blown off the side of route 24 by a truck.

Tomorrow the storm will have moved far enough northeast of me that I will be riding into sunny (hopefully) conditions. This morning I met another great person, Doris, who works with the First Christian Church here in Moberly. She has taken care of me since the morning, helping me get breakfast, a poncho, IcyHot gel, and now internet access. We talked about social issues and we shared with each other our experiences. I told her about all the great work that ROMP is doing and will continue to do. She sounded like an interested future volunteer. Hope to see her someday again. What I have learned so far from this trip is that people are always willing to give a helping hand as long as you ask for it. Our nation has the capacity to become a more service driven based nation, we just need to refocus our national spirit and education. I am hoping that with all the connections I have already made, and the many others I will soon make that this trip will be successful on many levels.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 2: Carrollton, MO to Moberly, MO 9/3/2008

Rain, wind, and cold temperature made my second day quite drastically different from my first. I had to wait until around 9:30 to depart due to torrential downpours. When I left the weather hadn't changed much, I just knew I had to get rolling soon to make it to Moberly before it became too late. I just arrived in Moberly, things here are quiet different than Carrollton. About 13,000 people call Moberly home, so there is quite a different level of infrastructure. My legs took a beating today due to the arduous task of riding hill after hill (and people think that the Midwest is flat!). I left at 9:30 this morning and arrived cold, wet, and hungry at 4:30 pm. When I arrived I was immediately welcomed by Reverend Jay Self, a fellow rider, of the First Christian Church. He was immediately attendant to all of my needs and even went out of the way to get a local journalist from the town paper to interview me and do a story. The interview was quick, but went well. Now I am hoping that tomorrow's weather changes for the better, because tomorrow is one of my longer days, 82 miles to Quincy, IL.

The odometer reads 126 miles since KC.

Greg Krupa

ROMP-a-thon 2008 Day 1: Kansas City to Carrollton, MO 9/2/2008

With Marley and Matthews blaring in my ears I rolled out of Kansas City this morning as the sun came up for the day. The first few hours were demanding, but three albums later on the Ipod I found myself cruising along without a worry in the world. My tires first touched pavement at 7:00 am on route 210 and were later lifted and retired for the day after arriving to the United Methodist Church in Carrollton, MO at noon. The odometer read 61 miles for the day and I was relieved to have finished the first day of my ride without any major mishaps or weather issues.

I now find myself in the welcoming home of the McNeil family (Pastor’s family). A large home cooked chicken pot pie in my belly and some cold iced tea and I am set for the evening. I plan to leave for Moberly, MO before sunrise tomorrow to beat the heat and perhaps even an incoming storm.

Greg Krupa