An Awesome 18th PMC!

 A few days have passed since I completed my 18th Pan-Mass Challenge, but the memories still run through my head of the amazing weekend I had! On Saturday morning, I woke at 4:15 AM to ready myself for the two-day ride. I joined up with my teammate/neighbor Mike to ride over to Medfield, where some of my teammates and I would begin our official Day 1 of the PMC. Our long shadows stretched out in front of us as the sun rose behind us. At 7:30 AM, we were officially on our way to Falmouth!

It wasn't long before the team experienced its first two flat tires - on the same bike, simultaneously! Luckily it was an easy fix, and we were back on the road in no time. We entered Cherry Street, which every year has an organized and very energetic response to the PMC passing through each year (bands, clowns, banners, and bagpipes!). We missed it last year during the 2020 "reimagined" ride, but it was back in full force this year! At the end of Cherry Street, my team always stops to toast our fallen teammate, Danno, near where he lived.

We went back on the road and went to our first rest stop, the traditional "lunch" stop in Dighton/Rehoboth. I use the "s because we typically roll in around 10 AM, and this year was no different. Since we started from our homes instead of at an official PMC starting line, it was our first glimpse of the amazing support that the PMC provides every year. I was delighted to see that not much had changed. The food was excellent (and all pre-packaged, but much of it fresh!) and there was plenty of space for us to all spread out and relax. It helped that it was dry and sunny (albeit warm, even in the mid-morning!). 

The rest of the ride was also great - lots of camaraderie with my teammates and fellow riders on the route, people cheering at the ends of their driveways, and more great support from the volunteers at each rest stop. As we pulled into Bourne, the standard finish for Day 1 of the PMC, we continued on and headed for the Bourne Bridge. Similar to last year, we crossed the bridge and continued a few more miles south to go to my Team Captain Dave's house in West Falmouth for the night. There waiting for us were our teammates Dave and Leslie who had coordinated a celebratory feast for us all! Also there were two massage therapists! They typically volunteer their services in Bourne but since massages were not part of the Day 1 finish this year, they volunteered their services to our team. And we were grateful!

After an evening of laughter, storytelling, and lots of stretching, we went to bed (sofa for me!) early to rest up for Day 2 of the PMC. We woke early again, before the sun, to prepare for our 86-mile Day 2 ride. It was cloudy and muggy, and there was rain on the radar, but the ride goes on, rain or shine! We were on the road at 5:40 AM, heading north to pick up the PMC route at the Cape Cod Canal bike path. Many of the Day 2 riders were already ahead of us, so we took advantage of the relatively empty path and roads and motored along at a quick pace! We seemed to be successfully dodging any significant rain! But after the first rest stop in Barnstable, the skies opened and it rained for the next 16 miles to the Brewster rest stop. It was a steady but light rain, not bad but enough to make the tire in front of you spray warm road water in your face. Delightful! We kept our speed up (safely!) and finished that segment in record time.

In Brewster (the popsicle and ice cream bar stop!) the rain stopped and allowed us to dry out a bit. We got back on the road to Wellfleet, where my teammate Lance's family passes out Twizzlers to riders at the top of the hill. We stopped for a break and watched them hand out the Twizzlers to delighted riders! After that, the toughest stretch of Day 2 was ahead of us. First, the Truro hills, which are three successive hills on a quiet side rode. Then, Route 6, a four-lane road with long gradual hills that are fully exposed to the wind. And finally, the Provincelands dunes, more hills in varied terrain right before the finish line. It was my 18th year in a row riding this stretch of the ride, and it is always different given the weather and who I am riding with. But we crushed it this year! It was a lot of fun to go fast and push myself hard.

Typically, the end of the PMC is a party - beer, food, music, and more beer. Due to the pandemic, what is normally two finish lines and consolidated into one. They had food and music, but most of the party atmosphere (and the showers) were gone. Still, we stayed together as a team after crossing the finish line to reminisce about the wonderful weekend and enjoy more of the great food. 

PMC 2021 was a giant leap toward a "normal" PMC for me as compared to last year. I was thrilled to see thousands of fellow riders, volunteers, and cheerers along the route. The greater sense of community was back, and it warmed my heart. 

Another thing that has warmed my heart is the generosity of my friends and family who have helped me raise over $12,000 so far this year. Thank you! I am less than $1,000 from my $13,000 fundraising goal. If you haven't given yet, it is not too late! 100% of your donation will go directly to the Jimmy Fund in support of the innovative research and life-saving care that the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides every day, pandemic or no pandemic. Giving to the PMC is one of the best ways we can make a difference in the fight against cancer. Thank you for your past, current, and future support!

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!