Riding for Charlotte

TKK Visits the Casgars

Training began a little early this year due to the mild and dry spring we've had thus far in New England. I've logged 125 miles in the saddle in March and April. My upcoming travel schedule will make it hard to train like I usually do, so starting the training early this year is going to pay off in the long run. The PMC is 14 weeks away, and there is still plenty of time to ramp up to the necessary strength level,

Today I joined my team, Team Kinetic Karma (TKK), on a training ride with a very special purpose. 18 past and  current TKK riders and friends of TKK met at 9:30 am in Needham to begin a 42-mile ride through Boston's quiet suburbs. This was the annual TKK Pedal Partner ride, where we rode to the home of Charlotte Casgar, our 2012 Pedal Partner. You may remember Charlotte from a few years ago. In January 2010, Charlotte, who was 2 and a half at the time, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a childhood cancer. Since then, she has been undergoing cancer treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and has been TKK's Pedal Partner. We ride in honor of her battle.

It's a battle she's winning. When we visited with her and her family today, her father told us that she is out of treatment and they're waiting to see if it was a success. Seeing Charlotte playing with he two younger sisters and my teammates, it's clear how far she has come. She's an adorable *almost* five-year-old and seems to be thriving. She even took out her bike and showed off some sweet moves!

Seeing Charlotte's smile reminds me of why we ride. We ride so that children like her get many years of laughter. No child should undergo what Charlotte has at such a young age, and research at Dana-Farber, funded by you, is making a difference. Charlotte's form of cancer is very treatable because of donations like yours. She smiles today because of donations like yours.

Please give, whatever you can, in order to get one pedal stroke closer to a cure for cancer. Let her inspire you, as she has done for me and for many others. Make your donation today.

2011 Wrap-up and 2012 Goal

I like big checks, and I cannot lie.

Wow, it's been quite a while since I last wrote. As you can probably guess based on the above photo, last year the Pan-Mass Challenge raised $35 million for the Jimmy Fund, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's fundraising arm. That matches the all-time largest donation back in 2008. Given the recession, it's very impressive that the PMC continues to over $30 million a year for the fight against cancer.

2012 marks my ninth PMC, and it'll be a little different from years past. My brother and his fiancée are getting married (yay!) on the Saturday of PMC weekend, so I'll be Best Manning up in Amesbury that day. I'll still ride the Day 0 ride from the NY border to Sturbridge, and then Day 2 from Bourne to Provincetown. I will still do the entire 275-mile ride, of course. I will make up Day 1 on another day. It won't be the same, but I'll be damned if I miss my brother's wedding!

As for fundraising, I have a special goal this year. In 2012, I plan to raise $6,605.15. Why that strange number, you ask? Because, by raising that amount this year, I will have raised a total of $40,000 for the fight against cancer since 2004. I'm really excited about this goal, and I hope you choose to become a part of it.

Please help send me on my way. Make a donation today. 100% of your donation will go to the Jimmy Fund, which finances innovative cancer research that is, today, saving lives. Be a part of a cancer-free future. Thank you, and I hope you follow me on my journey to Provincetown this summer!