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Apologies for the absent post yesterday, but I will do my best to bring everyone up to date with our trip from Madison (Jackson), Mississippi to Greenwood (home of Morgan Freeman), Mississippi. (Look for highlights from today’s trip later this evening.)

The Biking for Babies riding team departed from the much appreciated hospitality of the family of Tom and Lisa Reiley at about 5:45a.m. committed to continuing our journey northward. We were met on the route with favorable tail winds and no hills unlike the day before so travel was generally quick and efficient with average speeds for the 103 mile day just under 20mph.

An early arrival was welcomed by Father Greg and the parishioners of Immaculate Heart and St. Francis of Assisi parish of Greenwood–barbecue and mass were both highlights of the visit!

Other highlights of the day included two flats by Jimmy (a foolish accident if I must say so myself of his much-too-fast approach of railroad tracks), 290 total miles covered for the trip, and, hmm… I think that’s about it. Please continue praying for the continued work of everyone involved in the pro-life cause!

I forgot to include in my post yesterday, but special thanks to my home parish of St. Joseph’s, Freeburg for their financial and spiritual contributions to Biking for Babies as well as their energizing send off this past Sunday morning mass concluded by Father Mark Reyling’s blessing of the ride before we hit the road for the drive down to Louisiana.

Stay tuned for tonight’s post by Jimmy covering the details of Day 3′s journey!

Well, the ride from Columbia to Jackson, Mississippi today was a success–102 miles, 96 degrees at the conclusion of the ride, light winds of every sort–headwinds, crosswinds, and perhaps the occasional tailwind, but we never noticed those…

Oh, and did I mention hills? Yeah, they were everywhere. Stacy seemed to be the most successful at our informal games of “King of the Mountain”. She’d just pop up those hills like it was fashionable or something (Yeah, I know, a terrible metaphor, but it’s the best I could do…)

Stacy also was able to maintain her average of one flat per day–congratulations Stacy. Thanks to “Aunt Teddy” at Holy Trinity parish in Columbia where we visited last night, we were able to find more than suitable hospitality at the home of “Aunt Teddy’s” niece and “nephew-in-law”, Tom and Lisa.

Special thanks today once again to the Great Stephen Barany who was ever faithful at the wheel, Tom, Lisa, and Elizabeth, for so graciously inviting us to their home (especially on such short notice!) and serving up such a fantastic supper, and Father Scott Thomas at St. Francis of Assisi for celebrating mass for us.

Tomorrow holds much promise… 130 miles of it, maybe a bit less… some soreness will probably start building up on top of the heat as well… Word on the street around here is that things will get very humid tomorrow as we ride towards the Mississippi Delta near Greenwood, Mississippi where (a different) St. Francis of Assisi will be hosting us.

Stay tuned for video from today’s ride tomorrow afternoon and check out the great video of today too! Click here.

Hey y’all this is Kevin not Mike…

We made it from Freeburg, IL to Covington, LA. The drive was long but fun. The van was not as cramped as my dad thought it would be and we had fun playing games and listening to my Ipod.

We are resting at a very nice house tonight in Covington and the family is awesome! Their hospitality is amazing we greatly appreciate them letting us stay at there house.

There is no more training, it starts tomorrow… And I am excited as is the rest of the team. We are so anxious that we are starting at 5:30 in the morning! The weather shouldn’t be that big of a problem tomorrow except for of course the heat. Lots of water and motivation from Mike will keep us going tomorrow.

We will keep you posted this week and keep on praying and supporting us!

Hey there Fellow Pro-Lifers!

We are less than 4 days from the start of the third annual Biking for Babies 800+ mile pro-life ride from Louisiana to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before we set off, we want to make you aware/remind you of a few things…

1.) The set up of the ride is changing in order to accommodate the extremely high temperatures… first, the ride will begin in Covington, Louisiana in lieu of New Orleans. Covington sits on the north side of Lake Ponchatrain instead of the south side like New Orleans–making the first day’s ride about 25 miles shorter.

2.) The leg of the route from Memphis to Effingham/Teutopolis, IL will be covered over the course of 3 days instead of the original 2 increasing the overall length of the trip from 7 to now 8 days. (Once again, a change made because of the heat)

3.) Check out the videos which will be posted on the website throughout the ride in addition to daily blogs from the riders which will begin June 13.

4.) Buy a B4B t-shirt or donate if you haven’t done so and are able.

5.) Keep spreading the word to your friends and family about the ride and working to promote a Culture of Life through prayer, the Biking for Babies facebook page, and other means–remember, our goal isn’t just to raise money for Students for Life of Illinois, Living Alternatives, and A Women’s Care Center, but to increase awareness of the importance of the pro-life mission!