Gearing Up for My 19th PMC!

It has been a beautiful spring in New England, even if it did come a little late this year. The trees are almost fully leafed out, the early blooms are gone and we are welcoming summer flowers and pollinators. And another sure sign of spring has also arrived - cycling season. While I've been quite busy lately, I've been able to carve out time some rides in my area. It's spring, it's warm, and it's Pan-Mass Challenge training season.

For the 19th consecutive year, I am getting in gear (and trying to get back into shape!) to ride the Pan-Mass Challenge, a two-day, 190-mile ride across Massachusetts to raise money for cancer research. It will be the first time in three years that I ride the full Sturbridge to Provincetown route. While I very much enjoyed my "reimagined" PMC rides in 2020 and 2021, I am excited to revisit some of the PMC traditions that I look forward to every year.

I am not kidding when I say that 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 19 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.

This year, my Team Kinetic Karma teammates are riding for our pedal partner, Zinnia. She is an adorable four-year-old that was diagnosed with bilateral nephroblastomatosis. Zinnia has been through a lot in her young life, but I am thrilled to say that she recently had an MRI that showed no tumor growth - fantastic news for Zinnia and her family! Zinnia wants to be a doctor someday, I am sure in part because of the excellent care she receives at Dana-Farber. We look forward to meeting her on a training ride this summer!

Camaraderie. Ride support. Cheers. Zinnia. There is one more motivation to do this ride year after year. It's you. You have supported my pursuit of a cancer-free world, and for that I am forever grateful. I ask for your support again this year. As you consider donating, think of your loved ones who have fought cancer, whether they are still with us or not. Think of four-year-old Zinnia, who bravely fights her cancer. And think, if you can, of a cancer-free world, and how great it will feel to have been a part of it.

My goal is to raise $15,000 this year. 100% of your donation will go directly to the Jimmy Fund in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's innovative research, applied science, and compassionate care. I strongly believe that there is no better way to join the fight against cancer than to jump on my handlebars and make a donation today.