This weekend, we ride.

"Time is not a thing anymore" has been a mantra of mine since the pandemic begin. Tuesdays feel like Mondays, my inner clock wakes me up at ungodly hours (even on weekends), and somehow it is already August. Luckily for me, though, that means the Pan-Mass Challenge is almost here. Pandemic or not, it is always my favorite weekend of the year.

Last Saturday, several of my Team Kinetic Karma teammates and I rode our annual Ride to Maya, where we visit our former Pedal Partner Maya along our route. This has been an annual training ride since 2017, shortly after Maya was diagnosed with Clear Cell Sarcoma. Today, Maya is a happy and healthy 9-year-old! I'm looking forward to the day when she can join us on a ride! We completed 52 miles in the northern suburbs of Boston. The weather was perfect and it was a great test for the Pan-Mass Challenge this weekend!

The next day, my training continued with a 50-mile ride from my house to the southwestern suburbs of Boston. When training for a two-day ride, it's important to ride on back-to-back days to prepare your body not just for the toll the PMC will take on your legs, but also on your back, shoulders, and...err...your saddle region. It was another great training ride - my body feels ready for the PMC!

The PMC starts in two days. The butterflies that I write about each year are getting into formation. They are anticipation nerves, not nervous nerves. I am excited for a fun, challenging, emotion-filled weekend with my teammates, thousands of other riders, volunteers, and people cheering at the ends of their driveways along the route. The emotional and physical (and sometimes edible) support we receive from these groups makes the miles figuratively fly by. After a great but quiet "reimagined" PMC in 2020, I'm excited for a PMC that is a few steps closer to a normal PMC.

That said, it will be very different than previous years to protect us all against Covid. No celebrations at the start and finish lines in Sturbridge, Wellesley, Bourne, and Provincetown. That means no team photos, no music, no massages, no showers, and most importantly, no beer! I applaud the PMC for taking these measures to keep us safe. The elements that will be missing this weekend are the icing on the cake - the true spirit of the PMC will be back in full force this weekend!

The reasons why we ride are another element of the PMC that hasn't gone away. I've lost count of the number of my friends and family members who have been directly impacted by cancer. Unfortunately, this is true even for my Team Kinetic Karma family, which has lost two teammates to cancer and has several members that are cancer survivors. One of my teammates had surgery on Monday to remove cancer tumors - her second bout with the disease. We ride in her honor this weekend, and in honor of everyone else battling cancer.

Thanks to my generous donors so far this year, we've been able to raise nearly $11,000 to go toward the fight against cancer. I have just over $2,000 to reach my $13,000 fundraising goal for the year. Please make your cancer-fighting donation today. As always, 100% of your donation will go to the Jimmy Fund, which directly supports the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's life-saving care and innovative research. 

This weekend, we ride. Thank you for your support!