Another Fantastic PMC Weekend!

Over a week has passed, and I am finally coming down from the high that the Pan-Mass Challenge gives me every year. It's a familiar feeling as I re-enter reality after a weekend of camaraderie, support, and fun. Last Friday, I took a PMC bus to Sturbridge, my starting location. After retrieving my bike from the truck, registering (for the 21st time), and checking into my hotel, I returned to the starting location to meet up with my teammates, have a carbo-load dinner (and a few beers), and to watch the PMC opening ceremonies. The speakers this year were particularly inspiring, reminding us of the benefits of the huge amount of unrestricted funding that we raise each year.

It was early to bed, as wake-up on Saturday morning was 4 AM. Thankfully, the weather forecast improved. While it rained overnight, it didn't rain on us in the morning (though it was in the 70s, as were the dew points, so it was still quite wet). We all wear our 2024 PMC jerseys on Day 1, and it feels so cool to be in a sea of thousands of red jerseys - thousands of people from all over the state and beyond, committed to the same goal. We roll at 5:30 AM, after the annual singing of the National Anthem. As is tradition, I stopped a few miles in to say hi to Sheila, one of my most consistent supporters. Thanks for coming out year after year, Sheila!

Day 1 is the hillier of the two days. In particular, the first 40 miles include lots of steep climbs, and yes, steep descents. My familiarity with the route and the strength of my teammates riding together makes each climb a little easier. Also, there are often folks at the top of the hills cheering us on, giving us the motivation to push ourselves a little harder.

While it didn't rain on Day 1, it was hot and humid. Very much so. I kept drinking water with electrolytes which helped, but I was sweating it all out faster than I could take it in. Luckily, I avoided leg cramps which are common in extreme heat. The folks along the route who sprayed their hoses at us were so nice! As we approached the water stop at mile 85, we passed a mile of large signs with photos of all of the pedal partners (kids undergoing cancer treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. A few teammates and I stopped to get a photo with the sign for Zinnia, our pedal partner (who we visited the weekend prior).

My teammates crossed the Day 1 finish line at the Mass Maritime Academy in Bourne shortly after 2 PM. Then a familiar order of operations began: park bike, get massage appointment, take a MUCH needed shower, get massage, have so much food, and have a few celebratory beers. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny, and breezy afternoon and evening! Being right on Buzzards Bay helped with the heat and humidity, but the wind was a bit of foreshadowing for Sunday!

Day 2, like Day 1, starts early, I departed from the Mass Maritime Academy at 5 AM (still dark!) and picked up my teammates Theresa and Andrea along the way, en route to the Bourne Bridge. Luckily there wasn't too much congestion (lots of bikes in a tight space make it slow going!) and we rode over the bridge to meet the rest of our teammates on the other side. From there, we enjoyed a tailwind as we rode north along the Cape Cod Canal bike path at sunrise - absolutely stunning! From there, we ride through the quiet streets of Sandwich (quiet because it's still before 6 AM!) before jumping on the roller coaster ride that is Service Road. Keep up your momentum and you'll bomb down the descents and fly up the hills! Before we know it, we are at the first rest stop in Barnstable.

The rest of Day 2 has similar fun milestones to hit. The volunteers at the Brewster water stop (the Day 2 halfway point) always have the BEST frozen treats and they play the best music! We get our first glimpse of Cape Cod Bay at a scenic point along the ride. We ride on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. We climb a steep hill and are rewarded with Twizzlers from my teammate Lance's family. And we climb, climb, climb the Truro Hills. The ride ends with two doozies - a long, exposed stretch of Route 6 (we had very strong crosswinds this year) and three steep climbs in the Provincelands. But Team Kinetic Karma always ends with a "champagne" toast! I finished feeling strong and accomplished - 21 PMCs in the books!

The ride is over, but the fundraising is not. I am still working hard to meet my personal $20,000 fundraising goal. 100% of your donation will go directly to the Jimmy Fund in support of the innovative research and compassionate care that the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is world-renowned for. Please make your cancer-fighting donation today. Thank you for your support!

The PMC is This Weekend!

The week leading up to the Pan-Mass Challenge is always when the butterflies start settling into my stomach (anticipation has always been a palpable feeling for me). Knowing that my favorite weekend of the year was approaching would always make my stomach churn, in the best way. As the years of me riding the PMC went on, uncertainty about what the ride would be like turned into certainty that it would be hard, but also so, so amazing. The butterflies in my stomach would change color, but would always appear as PMC weekend approached.

2024 is no different. The butterflies are back! This will be my 21st PMC, so the butterflies this year aren't about what to expect, where the hills will be hardest, and what it will feel like to cross the finish line. They're the anticipatory ones: excitement about seeing friends I see once a year, refreshing the weather forecast hourly (looks like we will be feeling raindrops all weekend!), and wondering what critical item I will forget this year. But also: have I trained enough? Will I have any mechanical issues? How hot is my dorm room going to be?

In 24 hours, I will enter PMC Land, a nirvana of sorts where riders are praised by strangers for the mere act of riding (well, ok, fundraising too). Where I exude gratitude for simple things like a high five from a kid along the route or a fluffernutter (YUM) made by a hard-working volunteer. Where 10,000+ riders and volunteers put aside any difference in pursuit of a common goal - a world without cancer. I think the world would be a better place if everyone could experience the spirit of the PMC.

A simple but impactful way that you can experience a taste of that feeling is to support my PMC ride by making a donation. 100% of your donation will go to the Jimmy Fund, which directly supports the innovative research and compassionate care being done by the world-renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. I set an ambitious fundraising goal this year - $20,000 - and I know I can get there with your help. I am 80% of the way toward reaching my goal. The ride begins on Saturday - NOW is the time to make your cancer-fighting donation.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Entering the Home Stretch

The end of July always means one thing for me - the Pan-Mass Challenge is SOON! Time to get those final hill climbs in, and to send those final fundraising emails. On Saturday, many of my teammates and I went on an 83-mile training ride. For me, it was the longest and hardest training ride I will do before the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) next weekend. The weather was perfect - warm and sunny - the kind of weather I hope to have for the PMC. But the weather and camaraderie wasn't the best part of the ride; it was seeing our current pedal partner, Zinnia, and our former pedal partner, Maya.

The team with Zinnia!

This is our third year of having Zinnia as our pedal partner. She is an adorable six-year-old that was diagnosed with bilateral nephroblastomatosis when she was four. Zinnia has been through a lot in her young life, but I am thrilled to say that she is thriving, thanks to her amazing spirit and the wonderful researchers and care team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute! 

Maya, the daughter of a colleague of mine, was our pedal partner from 2017 through 2019. When Maya was 5, doctors found a large mass on one of her kidneys. Following surgery to remove the Clear Cell Sarcoma tumors, a very rare renal cancer. After radiation and chemotherapy, Maya beat her cancer, again with the help of the amazing team at Dana-Farber.

The team with Maya!

Zinnia's and Maya's are two of many resounding success stories of how Dana-Farber is changing lives for the better. I'm thrilled to be a part of the Pan-Mass Challenge, which raises over half of the funding that the Jimmy Fund raises for Dana Farber each year. A few weeks ago, the PMC crossed a monumental milestone - raising $1 BILLION since 1980. With your support, we will help Dana-Farber ensure that more kids like Zinnia and Maya have similar success stories.

As I enter the home stretch before my 21st PMC, my legs feel ready for the ride ahead, but I am still short of my ambitious fundraising goal of $20,000. Please make your cancer-fighting donation today. 100% of it will go straight to the Jimmy Fund in support of the innovative research that the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is doing. Research that saved the life of my team captain, Dave, several other teammates, Zinnia and Maya, and many of our friends and loved ones. Together, we are making cancer HISTORY. Thank you!

$7,000 in 7 Days Challenge!

It is time, once again, for my annual PMC fundraising challenge! As you know, for my 21st PMC, this year my goal is to raise $20,000 for the fight against cancer. My 2024 PMC ride - 190 miles over two days on August 3 and 4 - is approaching quickly!

Over the next seven days, I hope to raise $7,000 in support of my goal. In order to help make that happen, I have some awesome and generous friends who have donated items for me to raffle off! The raffle prizes are:

• A two-night stay at the 8 Dyer Hotel in Provincetown;
• A 60-minute massage at Boston Massage Associates in Boston;
• A $100 REI gift card; 
• A $50 gift card to Yolqueria in Provincetown, and
• A $50 gift card to Mezzeterranean in Provincetown.

Raffle tickets are $25 each, or five for $100. The raffle runs from now through the end of the day on Tuesday, July 16. You can purchase raffle tickets by making a donation online. I will pull five winning tickets; the first winner will have their choice of prize, then the second, and so on, until all prizes are awarded.

Have you already made a donation and feel left out of the raffle? Fear not! If you make an ADDITIONAL donation, I will DOUBLE the number of raffle tickets you get. For example, donate an additional $25, and get TWO raffle tickets; donate an additional $100, and get TEN raffle tickets!

As always, 100% of your donation will go directly to the Jimmy Fund, which supports innovative and life-saving cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This is one of the BEST ways to make an impact in the fight against cancer. Together, we can make cancer HISTORY (and you can win some fabulous prizes, too!).

The 2024 PMC will be Monumental!

Me after my latest training ride!

Trees are leafing out, the weather is (finally!) starting to get warm, and my road bike is off of my trainer. The sun has risen on Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) training season! I couldn't be more excited for my 21st PMC this August.

The pleasant weather motivated me finally to swap my indoor tires for outdoor riding tires and get out on the road. I've been on several outdoor training rides this season, after doing indoor training this winter. My legs are getting stronger, even if I haven't yet beaten any of my previous time records for the various segments of my training routes. It's a ride, not a race, but continuing to train will ensure that I finish the ride AND can have a celebratory beer at the finish line without passing out. :)

The PMC is my favorite weekend of the year. Sure, two full days is a lot of time to sit on a tiny bike seat, and no, the Cape is NOT flat. It's the camaraderie among the riders, the support provided by the awesome volunteers, and the cheers of the people that line all 190 miles of the route that make it the best weekend of the year. It is the best of humanity on display, and who couldn't use more humanity these days?

Did I mention beer? There is beer. No, not while we ride, but after at all of the main hub sites of the ride. And NOTHING tastes better than an ice-cold beer after riding 110 miles in a day! Fluffernutters are a close second.

The real motivation to ride year after year isn't the physical challenge, or the camaraderie, or the volunteer support, or the cheers. It is the pursuit of a world where families aren't torn apart by cancer. I've made it my mission for over 20 years to raise as much money as I can to support the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in its fight against cancer. Every year I am reminded of the amazing advancements that result from our fundraising dollars, and sadly, every year I am reminded of cancer's toll on the families of friends and loved ones. Hearing the stories of those who have fought cancer motivates me to clip in and ride again. Until we make cancer HISTORY.

Team Kinetic Karma at the Heavy Hitter Evening

Earlier in May, some of my teammates and I attended the PMC Heavy Hitter Evening, a celebration of the PMC's biggest fundraisers. To me, it feels like the official kickoff of the PMC season. In addition to reuniting with teammates and fellow riders, it is an opportunity to hear from PMC leadership about the upcoming ride; from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute leadership about clinical trials, facilities, and care that have been supported or enhanced with PMC funding; and from doctors and patients who are on the front lines of the cancer fight. These reminders of why we ride are what inspires me to ride the PMC year after year. 

And what a year we are expecting in 2024! After last year's record-breaking $72 million fundraising total, the PMC's lifetime fundraising total is $972 million. We will cross the BILLION-dollar threshold this year! This is an unprecedented and monumental achievement, thanks in no small support to your continued support of this amazing cause.

My favorite pic of me and my friend Kim from the 2023 PMC

I have no doubt that many of the cancer innovations and increases in survival rates that we have seen since the PMC's inaugural ride in 1980—and even in the last 20 years of me riding—are due in large part to the monumental charitable movement that is the Pan-Mass Challenge.

As I embark on the 2024 PMC, I am asking you to jump on my handlebars and join me in supporting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to continue and expand their life-saving work. My personal fundraising goal this year is $20,000. It is a lofty goal, but achievable with support from generous people like you. We all have our personal connections to cancer—a family member, friend, neighbor, or colleague—I ride for them all, in honor of their fight or in memory of their spirit. Please make a cancer-fighting donation today and help us make cancer HISTORY.

My 20th PMC...My Favorite Ride Yet?

PMC Opening Ceremonies

Us PMC riders talk about the post-PMC depression a lot. Reentering "normal" life can be jarring after such a unique and special weekend. Why aren't people thanking me every 3 minutes? Why isn't anyone making me another fluffernutter? What are my feet doing on the ground? Why am I still asleep at 4:30 AM? Why don't I live in a world where the best of the human spirit is on display all the time?

Luckily, my post-PMC depression didn't last long this year, and I am fondly thinking back to what may have been my favorite PMC ride ever. And that's saying a lot after having crossed the finish line in Provincetown 20 years in a row. What made this year's PMC so special? It was the perfect combination of outstanding weather, the return of some PMC traditions that have been on hold the last few years, and riding with the best team in the entire PMC.

Jose and I on Day 1

My teammates and I assembled in Sturbridge on Friday evening to begin the epic weekend. After registering, I had my first delicious Harpoon beer of the weekend and caught up with teammates and other friends that ride. After a delicious carbo-load dinner, we attended the PMC Opening Ceremonies. The show is streamed online via WBZ's website and features ride updates from the founder and president of the PMC and heartwarming stories of why people ride. The show never disappoints! You can check out the recordings of the State of the PMC portion and the Everyday Heroes portion.

It was soon time for bed - the ride begins at 5:30 AM on Saturday! My teammates assembled outside our hotel and the butterflies of excitement settled in. The weather was perfect for a 110-mile ride! Some of my highlights of Day 1 include seeing Sheila and friends at the first turn of the ride, eating a fluffernutter at almost every water stop, seeing current and past teammates as we toasted to our fallen teammates, and riding FAST! Since the weather conditions were ideal, we figurately flew along the route, with a slight tailwind.

After finishing Day 2

When I finished Day 1, I went through a familiar order of operations: park bike, get a massage appointment, shower, get a massage, get a beer, see my volunteer friends, get another beer, eat, take Team Kinetic Karma photo, get another beer, eat more, say goodnight to the bikes, and say goodnight to myself. The fantastic weather continued through the afternoon and evening and made for a wonderful end to a wonderful day of riding.

My teammate Jose and I were up at 3:30 AM to begin Day 2. We packed up and fueled up for the 80-mile ride. We met up with a few more teammates and rolled out around 5:15 AM to meet the rest of our team on the other side of the Bourne Bridge. Oof, the Bourne Bridge - historically it has been a choke point for riders, with long backups to scale the surprisingly big hill, and this year was no different. We slowly made it to the top as the sun rose above the Cape Cod Canal. We still make it on-time to meet our teammates, then we zipped up the Canal Bike Path to continue on the way to Provincetown.

Day 2 is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it day. It flies by, but has plenty of milestones and wonderful moments to savor. Besides crossing the bridge and watching the sunrise over the canal, we ride the undulating hills of Service Road, pass through quaint villages, and encounter throngs of supporters throughout the whole ride. There's also something special about the water stops on Day 2 - a lot more focus on FUN! And they don't skimp on the fluffernutters, either.

Team photo after finishing the ride

It was another fast riding day, due in part to the fantastic weather. The lack of a strong headwind on the Route 6 portion was a godsend! As we turned into the dunes of Provincetown, I cranked up my figurative motor and decided to leave it all on the route for my 20th PMC. I bombed up the hills and flew down the descents as fast as I could - it was a blast! We assembled for our traditional "champagne" toast photo at the entrance to Herring Cove Beach, and rode to the finish lines with our glasses held high to celebrate a fantastic PMC weekend.

The ride is over, but the fundraising continues! I am less than $1,000 short of my $20,000 fundraising goal. To those who have already donated this year, thank you! I encourage everyone else to consider joining the fight against cancer by making a donation today. 100% of your donation will directly support the innovative cancer research and compassionate cancer care that the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute does every day, due in part to the funds that the PMC contributes. Together, we are getting closer by the mile to a cancer-free world.

Thank you for joining me on this ride of a lifetime.

This weekend, we ride.

How is it already August? Seriously, the summers seem to fly by more quickly with each passing year. Because I spend so much of the spring and the first half of the summer training and fundraising for the Pan-Mass Challenge, August approaches especially quickly.

I've amped up my training over the last few weeks with a series of 50+, 60+, and 80+ rides. After each one, I felt stronger and more ready to take on the first 40 hilly miles of Day 1, the surprisingly steep climbs scattered throughout Day 2, and everything in between. Tonight, I'll start to pack for the big ride. That's when the nerves will really start to set in.

Nerves, you say? But Jared,  you've been riding the PMC for almost two decades - how could you possibly be nervous?! I'm not nervous per se, I'm just anticipating all of the special feels that I get during the weekend. Here are some highlights:

• Arriving in Sturbridge on Friday afternoon to see thousands of people doing the same thing as you: registering, catching up with friends over a (free!) beer, and heading to bed early in anticipation of a long but fun weekend.
• Waking to see those same people all wearing the same jersey as you. In the dark, mind you, because it's barely 5 AM.
• Seeing my friend Sheila, who every single year cheers us on with a huge "Go Jared F!" sign (I always feel like a rock star!).
• Riding down Cherry Street in Wrentham, which its residents turn into a party. I think of it as a reverse parade - we roll by and take in the cheers and the musical acts.
• Riding up to the water stop at mile 85, where the street is lined with large photos of every single pedal partner (children undergoing cancer treatment). I always, always cry. They are why we ride.
• Seeing our pedal partners at that water stop. Zinnia, see you on Saturday!
• The luxuries of staying at the Mass Maritime Academy. No, really! Free beer, massages, music, tons of food, and I get to see my friend and volunteer extraordinaire, Kim!
• Riding over the Bourne Bridge and along the Cape Cod Canal Bike Path at sunrise. I never get a chance to take a photo, but take my word for it - breathtaking.
• The uphills and downhills of Service Road on the Cape. Wheee!
• Riding across the finish line in Provincetown with my teammates, "champagne" "glasses" in-hand as we toast to another great ride, and another step forward in the fight against cancer.

My legs feel ready for the ride ahead, but I am still short of my ambitious fundraising goal of $20,000. Please make your cancer-fighting donation today. 100% of it will go straight to the Jimmy Fund in support of the innovative research that the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is doing. Research that saved the life of my team captain, Dave, several other teammates, Zinnia, our pedal partner, and many of our friends and loved ones. Together, we are making cancer HISTORY. Thank you!