MY CYCLING JOURNEY by Darryl Abbey: October 2011

Welcome to my cycling blog!

Thanks for visiting this site and for your interest in my cycling journey.

As a teenager and into my mid twentys, I worked in bike shops in the greater Boston area and developed a deep love of riding. When I went into the insurance business, I no longer had the time or drive to continue devoting energy to the sport and, consequently, I let it fall by the wayside for almost 18 years.

Around 1999, driven by a middle-aged need for exercise, I bought a new bike and started riding again: partially for exercise but mostly for pleasure. That lasted about two years and then the bike was back in the garage gathering dust until 2010.

Late in 2009, I learned that a close friend had been diagnosed with cancer and, shortly after that, I learned that his sister-in-law, also a good friend, had also been diagnosed. The fact that my Dad and my Mother-in-law had both been taken by cancer made me think about what I could do to support these friends and the many other folks I know whom I discovered had also been affected by cancer.

I am not good at being a care giver or expressing my concern for folks who are ill. I don't know what to do or say and I feel like I probably make both the person I am supposed to be caring for and me more uncomfortable than if I just left them alone. However, I did discover something I could do: ride my bike and raise funds to fight cancer.

I have become a big fan of the Pan Mass Challenge (a focus of this blog as you will see) and decided to participate in this event for the first time in 2010. This blog will give you an idea of my PMC experiences but, hopefully, will allow me to express my joy at having gotten back into the sport of cycling.

Through my renewed interest in cycling, I have made some great friends, improved my health and improved my outlook on life as well. Oh yeah, and through the PMC, I help fight cancer.

I hope you enjoy.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Two Versions of Fall Cycling

On September 30th, I joined a great group of PMC friends for a riding tour of Martha's Vineyard, a small island off the southern coast of Cape Cod. It was a beautiful early Fall day: clear sky, warm temperature and fantastic scenery. All that and warm camraderie among our gang of 13 riders made for a very good 60 miles around the island.

Today, I rode 35 miles from Boston to my home. It was a grey, raw day and I rode solo so it was a huge contrast to my Friday ride. Both were good rides but in different ways and, as always, any time on a bike is time well spent.

Oh, have I mentioned that I don't like hills. I know that, like Castor Oil, they are good for me but I don't have to like them.