My Reimagined Ride is a Wrap!

On July 30 and 31, I completed my 17th Pan-Mass Challenge. It was not the PMC I am used to - no Harpoon beer on PMC eve, no singing of the national anthem at the starting line, no throngs of supporters cheering us on, no ice couches, no massages, and no party ferry. What replaced all of those things, though, was camaraderie, gazpacho, and a drive to stay committed to the fight against cancer.

I left my house at 5:30 AM on Thursday - the typical starting time of Day 1 of the traditional PMC. I rode solo to my teammate Stephen's house in Medfield, where I met the rest of my teammates. After some final bike checks, snacks, and loading the truck, we were off! Our first stop was Cherry Street, a street where, during a typical PMC, the entire neighborhood comes out and turns the half-mile stretch into a raging party! It was quiet this year, except for a few walkers that clapped us on. At the end of the street, we stopped near our fallen teammate Danno's house, to toast to him.

On we went with our ride, 8 riders strong. The weather was pretty great throughout the day! Our wonderful friends and sag truck drivers kept us fed and hydrated. The lunch we had was better than any lunch I've ever had on the PMC! Most of our route was on the traditional Day 1 route, so it was nice to be riding on familiar roads and to pass by the typical milestones. When we got to Bourne, where we typically spend the night, we crossed the Bourne Bridge and continued on to Falmouth, where we spent our evening. After 106 miles, we ended our ride with a splash - a jump off a bridge! Well, some of my teammates did - I was not interested in getting wet. :) Here is a link to my Strava for Day 1.

After a relaxing evening, which featured an outdoor shower, beer, and (lots of) pizza, we prepared for Day 2 of our ride - Falmouth to Provincetown. I was watching the weather radar, and an ominous green blob of rain was heading our way. Rain hasn't stopped us before (see 2014 and 2018)! We set out and had a steady (but warm) rain for the first 30 miles or so. At mile 27, we had the honor of meeting our new Pedal Partner, Abel, who lives in Mashpee. Abel didn't take long to warm up to us! In no time, he was smiling, laughing (you have to hear this kid's adorable laugh!) and telling jokes! For someone who is in the middle of a chemotherapy regimen, he is taking it all in stride, with a smile! We all could learn a thing or two from him.

On we rode. While the rain eventually let up, the roads were still wet, so it was a soggy ride until Brewster. On Day 2, we modified our route from the traditional PMC Day 2 route slightly, for safety reasons and to meet up with Abel. In Brewster, we deviated from the route again to pick up another teammate, who hosted us for a rest stop, complete with my absolute favorite PMC snack - fluffernutters! They are the perfect combo of carbs to get us all the way to Provincetown! I had 3. :)

Our last official stop of the day was the "Twizzlers" stop. Every year during the PMC, my teammate Lance's family hands out Twizzlers to riders as the crest one of the steepest hills of Day 2. They were there again this year, too! It was nice to hold on to some of the typical PMC traditions.

Speaking of PMC traditions, we kept up one of Team Kinetic Karma's annual traditions - a champagne toast at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown. This year, our friends Leslie and Dave bought us the real stuff (well, technically it was sparkling wine, not champagne)! We toasted to each other for a ride well ridden, for all of the hard work each of us had put in to make the reimagined ride a reality, and to our wonderful sag truck friends! Our 2020 PMC is in the books! Here is a link to my Strava for Day 2.

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to my Pan-Mass Challenge fundraising this year! There is still time, however, to make a donation to help me reach my new goal of raising $12,000 this year. I am just over $1,200 away from reaching that goal. As always, even during a pandemic, 100% of your donation will go directly to the Jimmy Fund in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's life-saving and ground-breaking work in the fight against cancer. Together, we are making cancer HISTORY. Thank you all!