My 20th PMC...My Favorite Ride Yet?

PMC Opening Ceremonies

Us PMC riders talk about the post-PMC depression a lot. Reentering "normal" life can be jarring after such a unique and special weekend. Why aren't people thanking me every 3 minutes? Why isn't anyone making me another fluffernutter? What are my feet doing on the ground? Why am I still asleep at 4:30 AM? Why don't I live in a world where the best of the human spirit is on display all the time?

Luckily, my post-PMC depression didn't last long this year, and I am fondly thinking back to what may have been my favorite PMC ride ever. And that's saying a lot after having crossed the finish line in Provincetown 20 years in a row. What made this year's PMC so special? It was the perfect combination of outstanding weather, the return of some PMC traditions that have been on hold the last few years, and riding with the best team in the entire PMC.

Jose and I on Day 1

My teammates and I assembled in Sturbridge on Friday evening to begin the epic weekend. After registering, I had my first delicious Harpoon beer of the weekend and caught up with teammates and other friends that ride. After a delicious carbo-load dinner, we attended the PMC Opening Ceremonies. The show is streamed online via WBZ's website and features ride updates from the founder and president of the PMC and heartwarming stories of why people ride. The show never disappoints! You can check out the recordings of the State of the PMC portion and the Everyday Heroes portion.

It was soon time for bed - the ride begins at 5:30 AM on Saturday! My teammates assembled outside our hotel and the butterflies of excitement settled in. The weather was perfect for a 110-mile ride! Some of my highlights of Day 1 include seeing Sheila and friends at the first turn of the ride, eating a fluffernutter at almost every water stop, seeing current and past teammates as we toasted to our fallen teammates, and riding FAST! Since the weather conditions were ideal, we figurately flew along the route, with a slight tailwind.

After finishing Day 2

When I finished Day 1, I went through a familiar order of operations: park bike, get a massage appointment, shower, get a massage, get a beer, see my volunteer friends, get another beer, eat, take Team Kinetic Karma photo, get another beer, eat more, say goodnight to the bikes, and say goodnight to myself. The fantastic weather continued through the afternoon and evening and made for a wonderful end to a wonderful day of riding.

My teammate Jose and I were up at 3:30 AM to begin Day 2. We packed up and fueled up for the 80-mile ride. We met up with a few more teammates and rolled out around 5:15 AM to meet the rest of our team on the other side of the Bourne Bridge. Oof, the Bourne Bridge - historically it has been a choke point for riders, with long backups to scale the surprisingly big hill, and this year was no different. We slowly made it to the top as the sun rose above the Cape Cod Canal. We still make it on-time to meet our teammates, then we zipped up the Canal Bike Path to continue on the way to Provincetown.

Day 2 is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it day. It flies by, but has plenty of milestones and wonderful moments to savor. Besides crossing the bridge and watching the sunrise over the canal, we ride the undulating hills of Service Road, pass through quaint villages, and encounter throngs of supporters throughout the whole ride. There's also something special about the water stops on Day 2 - a lot more focus on FUN! And they don't skimp on the fluffernutters, either.

Team photo after finishing the ride

It was another fast riding day, due in part to the fantastic weather. The lack of a strong headwind on the Route 6 portion was a godsend! As we turned into the dunes of Provincetown, I cranked up my figurative motor and decided to leave it all on the route for my 20th PMC. I bombed up the hills and flew down the descents as fast as I could - it was a blast! We assembled for our traditional "champagne" toast photo at the entrance to Herring Cove Beach, and rode to the finish lines with our glasses held high to celebrate a fantastic PMC weekend.

The ride is over, but the fundraising continues! I am less than $1,000 short of my $20,000 fundraising goal. To those who have already donated this year, thank you! I encourage everyone else to consider joining the fight against cancer by making a donation today. 100% of your donation will directly support the innovative cancer research and compassionate cancer care that the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute does every day, due in part to the funds that the PMC contributes. Together, we are getting closer by the mile to a cancer-free world.

Thank you for joining me on this ride of a lifetime.