14th PMC Complete!

It's been two weeks since my 14th Pan-Mass Challenge, and I am still having pleasant flashbacks to that wonderful weekend! The ride is always an amazing event, but my teammates, and Maya, our reason for riding this year, made it a memorable one.

Ready to start the ride!

I awoke at 3:45 AM on Saturday to get ready for Day 1, which is 110 miles long. To break up that distance, there are many fun milestones along the way:

• At mile 6, my friend Sheila and her husband always cheer me on with a big sign an even bigger smiles! I always stop for a hug and a quick chat. Thank you both for coming out year after year!
• At mile 47, the route hits Cherry Street in Wrentham. It's like the entire town comes out to line the street and cheer us on! There are bands, signs, chants, cheering, and even a bagpiper along the whole road! And to make things even better this year, the town paved the street - no more dodging potholes as we take in the love!
• At mile 65, the riders who started in Wellesley merge with the Sturbridge riders. This is the first time that all 6,000+ riders share the same route, and it's the first reminder of what a HUGE event this is!
• At mile 70, we have our "lunch" stop (I put it in quotes because we got there at 9:55 AM!). It's a critical point in the ride - we've climbed most of the hills for the day already, but still have 40 miles left to go!
• At mile 85, we start to see big signs with photos of the pedal partners lining the road, leading to the pedal partner water stop. That's where we saw Maya and her family. She spotted us easily because of the unicorn horns that we wore on our helmets in her honor!

  

  Me, Maya, and her mom Gina at the rest stop!

• At mile 100, we hit the triple digit mile mark and enjoy our last rest stop before continuing on to the Mass Maritime Academy, our home for the evening.
• At mile 110, after parking my bike for the night, my only thought is, "where is the beer?!"

The rest of Day 1 includes a shower, dinner, a team photo, a massage, and visiting with my friend and volunteer extraordinaire, Kim! Then, it's bedtime - gotta rest up for Day 2!

Day 2 goes quickly, almost too quickly! It has arguably more milestones than Day 1, partially because the route is much more scenic and iconic. Here are a few highlights:

• At mile 2, we begin the climb over the Bourne Bridge at sunrise. Though it was a little crowded with riders which meant we went very slowly, the view of the sunrise was unparalleled!
• At mile 11, we begin a steep climb up to Service Road, which is as close to riding a roller coaster on a bike as one can get! The rolling hills make for a fun and fast ride!
• At mile 38, we pass by Da Hedge, a figurative wall of children attending the Cape Cod Sea Camps, cheering us on. As is tradition, our team rides by Da Hedge together, champagne glasses held high in toast to their support!
• At mile 53, my teammate Lance's family passes out Twizzlers to the riders at the top of a particularly steep hill. We always stop to say hi (and to down a Red Bull!).
• At mile 64, we begin the final leg of the day, riding on Route 6 in Truro into Provincetown. This is head down, pedal to the medal time. Unfortunately, this year we had a strong and steady headwind from this point in the ride on. It took all our collective effort to go somewhat slowly on this stretch, but we made it!
• At mile 76, my team pauses for a moment, one mile from the finish line, to take the traditional team photo at the entrance to Herring Cove Beach. We once again raise our champagne glasses, this time to each other for another ride well ridden.

Team Kinetic Karma finishes another great PMC!

I never get tired talking about how wonderful the Pan-Mass Challenge is. Everywhere you look, there is inspiration. The 19-year-old cancer survivor thanking me for riding while he fills my water bottle. The supporter who claps for us next to their hand-written "I'm alive because of you" sign. The massage therapist who is on his 20th 15-minute massage of the day, telling me that I did the hard work of the day (I respectfully disagree). The PMC is a slice of the good of humanity that everyone should experience, now more than ever.

Thanks to my incredible supporters, I have raised over $11,000 this year, but I am still short of my $12,000 fundraising goal. If you haven't made your donation yet, I hope that this summary inspired you to make a contribution. 100% of your donation will directly support programs and research that are saving lives. Together, we will make cancer history. Thank you!

This Weekend, We Ride

Team Kinetic Karma by the Cape Cod Canal RR Bridge

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.

Last Saturday, several of my teammates and I completed a 65-mile bike ride down the Cape, crossing over the PMC Day 2 route several times. Today marks my final training ride for the PMC - a 30-mile ride through the Blue Hills to and from my bike shop for a final adjustment. Tomorrow, I'll start to pack for the big ride. That's when the nerves will start to set in.

Nerves, you say? But Jared,  you've been riding the PMC for well over a decade - 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 Fijalkowski" 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. Maya, 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. Wheee!
• 'Da Hedge, a veritable sea of children at camp cheering us on.
• 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 $12,000. 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, and Maya, our pedal partner. Thank you!