I made it to the International Space Station (ISS)

I knocked on the hatch! 🚀

275 miles. The plan was 250, which is how high the ISS orbits. Then the nor'easter kept me off the bike for six days and I to get a rain check. As soon as the roads were dry I went and got the missing miles in. The weather was finally great for cycling, so I allowed myself two extra days and got an extra 25 miles. Not bad for a Schönwetterrennradfahrerin.

In July I said this was my comeback year and that I needed witnesses. You showed up! ✨

Together we raised $1,741 for children's cancer research. $600 of that on Kick Cancer's Butt Day alone. And then another $425 on the second - surprise - match day. That's kicking HARD!

I am blown away by the support I got from the awesome humans in my life! 💕

And overall, the Great Cycle Challenge raised over $6.7 million this year to fight kids' cancer. 🎉

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared my page, asked how it was going, rode along, or had an Apfelschorle waiting when I came home destroyed. You kept me pedaling on the days I really did not feel like it. 🚴‍♀️

✨🪩 Celebrate with me! 🪩✨

I rode past my mileage goal, but I am still short of my fundraising goal. If you still want to pitch in, instead of buying me a celebratory cocktail or Apfelschorle, donate it! 🍹

My page is still open: https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/NinettaKosswig

Where should I ride to next year? I've done the Grand Canyon (and back), 1/1000 of the way to the moon, and now the ISS. Send me your ideas! 🛰️

Thank you 🙂

Ninetta

F**k Cancer!

Not quite there yet!

The nor’easter rain finally stopped, but it left a lot of wet leaves on the ground. 🍂

So, I’m officially declaring this nor’easter a force majeure. Mother Nature has been keeping me off my bike for six days, and I'm extending my deadline to crush those remaining miles as soon as the roads are dry!

Schönwetterrennradfahrerin

No cycling during the Nor’Easter. 🚫

The storm brought constant rain and wind gusts up to 55 mph.

Either of those will keep me off the bike. In Germany I would be called a “Schönwetterrennradfahrerin”

But it looks like I will have the chance to get a final ride in on Wednesday!

24 miles to go! 🚴‍♀️

Racing against the Nor’easter

Thank you to everyone who participated in the surprise match day!

With the match you raised $425 in a single day.

That’s amazing! Thank you 💕

I had great ambitions to do a 34 mile ride to reach my goal before a rare September nor’eastern storm will bring rain and 50+ mph winds.

Instead I woke up with a headache, stuffed sinuses and a runny noise. So, I had to settle on an easy 10 miles.

24 miles to go!

203 miles up!

I’m at the top of Yuri Gagarin’s orbit, about 200 miles up!

In 1961 he became the first human in space, circling Earth once in under two hours.

203 miles done. 47 miles to go.

F**k Cancer!

I've reached the satellite zone

185 miles (about 300 kilometers) above sea level!

Below this height, the thin air still drags satellites back down within weeks to months. Up here, a satellite can finally stay up long enough to do its job.

Here's my climb so far, 11 rides:

Ride 1: 16.2 miles

I'm more than twice as high as the planes you fly in, and inside the ozone layer, Earth's sunscreen. The air is so thin that without a pressure suit, the water in my body would start to boil.

Ride 2: 29.6 miles

I'm higher than anyone has ever skydived. Weather balloons popped far below me, around 20 miles. Up here, the sky is nearly black even in full daylight, yet I can't see a single star. The sun and the bright Earth below are too dazzling for my eyes to pick them out. At night, the stars blaze against a pitch-black sky and not one of them twinkles.

Ride 3: 52.3 miles

Shooting stars burn up around here, and most of them are no bigger than a grain of sand. I've also passed 50 miles, where the US counts you as an astronaut and gives you a pin: astronaut wings. The rest of the world waits until 62.

Ride 4: 78.5 miles

I'm officially in space. The international edge is at 62 miles, about an hour's drive if you could drive straight up. I'm also higher than William Shatner's space tourist flight, which topped out around 66 miles.

Ride 5: 111.6 miles

I'm almost level with Apollo 11's parking orbit (about 115 miles), where the astronauts circled Earth to check their ship before heading off on the 240,000-mile trip to the Moon.

Ride 6: 122.2 miles

The air here is billions of times thinner than at the beach. From up here I can see about 1,000 miles in every direction, roughly from Boston to Chicago.

Ride 7: 125.3 miles

Halfway! I'm at the top of the green northern lights. Above me, the rarer red glow begins.

Ride 8: 138.7 miles

I've passed the lowest point of Sputnik's orbit. Sputnik was the first satellite ever, launched in 1957. It was the size of a beach ball and did little more than beep, and it started the space race.

Ride 9: 159.3 miles

I'm just below the top of John Glenn's orbit in 1962, when he became the first American to circle the Earth. He went around three times in under five hours.

Ride 10: 167.5 miles

The thin air here can be over 1,000°C, as hot as lava, but there's so little of it that I wouldn't feel the heat. Anything orbiting here moves at about 17,000 miles per hour and sees 16 sunrises a day.

Ride 11: 185.1 miles

I've reached the satellite zone. Below this height, thin air drags satellites back down within weeks to months. 🛰️

65 miles to go! 🚴‍♀️

China's space station orbits at about 240 miles. The International Space Station, my finish line, orbits at about 250.

Every mile raises money for children's cancer research. Help me get to the ISS:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/NinettaKosswig

F**k Cancer!

#GreatCycleChallenge

I created this image with Gemini. And yes, it has mistakes I didn’t have the time to fix all of them. So, screw perfectionism: it’s good enough!

Made it up to New Hampshire!

I went up the Old Eastern Marsh Trail from Newburyport to New Hampshire during lunch.

18 miles ridden. 65 miles to go 🚴‍♀️

Waterfront Views in Newburyport

I got to check out the City Rail Trail in Newburyport today. A paved 3.5-mile path featuring public art sculptures, murals, and waterfront views. Lots of people walking so it was more of a sightseeing loop. Did do two rounds!

8 miles ridden. 85 miles to go! 🚴‍♀️

Esplanade in downtown Boston

Nice fall ride into downtown Boston all the way to the Esplanade …dodging geese. 🪿🍁

20 miles ridden. 91 to go! 🚴‍♀️

A rare ride before noon!

Fewer cars, but soooo many more dogs! One didn’t like me 😬

And a group of turkeys took theie time crossing the road 🦃

Overall, 139 miles ridden. 111 to go! 🚴‍♀️