Pan Mass Challenge 2011

A Cause,  a Commitment,  a Common Experience

The weekend of August 6^th marked my second year as a participant in the Pan Mass Challenge, a 200 mile bike ride to raise funds for cancer research. I approached this years’ event with more confidence than I had last year as I had not stopped training since completing my first PMC ride. However, I was still a little nervous because the route that I had chosen for this year was longer (an extra 30 miles on day one) and more challenging (2,500 vertical feet of hill climbing).

Saturday, August 6

It was chilly at 4:00am when Gail drove me out to Sturbridge, MA to the starting point of the ride. By shortly after 5:00, I had found my riding partners, John, Tony, Neil, Tom and Dan and, at 5:30 in the grey light of the coming dawn, we were off on our 111 mile journey.

As we rode through the hilly country of Charlton, Oxford and Sutton, I was struck by the serene beauty of the farm lands and calm lakes which we passed. I think that we riders were all focused on finding our individual pace as we rolled along quietly to the gentle hum of high pressure tires on the road surface and the occasional cheers of PMC supporters camped out on the side of the road. The muscles were warmed up and the sky had brightened nicely by the time we paused briefly in Northbridge at the first water-stop of the day.  

                “First 25 miles done. Feeling good. Beautiful day.

                 Love,

 D”

[First of the Status e-mails sent to Gail to mark my progress]

The second leg of day one was through more beautiful countryside, the small, former mill-towns of Uxbridge and Whitinsville and into the suburban communities of Bellingham and Franklin. The scenery had changed from rural to residential and, since it was now a more reasonable 7:00 am, there were lots of supporters by the roadside to cheer us on. I am sure some folks had come out to see Lance Armstrong, the latest star to join the PMC, but everyone yelled and whistled, rang cowbells, waved signs expressing gratitude and thanked us regular riders for making this effort to help find a cure for cancer. Our little gang of riders was in good form and good spirits as we put mile after mile behind us. We rolled into the water-stop in Franklin to be greeted by PMC volunteers wearing grass skirts (both men and women) and big smiles, welcoming us to take a break.

                “Hit Franklin at 43 miles. Making good time. I think the worst of the hills are

 behind me now.

 Love,

 D”

We topped off our water bottles and ate fruit and peanut butter sandwiches to restore our energy before climbing back into the saddle and heading back out onto the roads. There is a street in Wrentham named Cherry St which has become a PMC legend. I am told that most of the families living on this short tree-lined avenue have had cancer touch their lives in one way or another. As a means of showing their appreciation to the PMC riders for raising funds for a cure, the residents of Cherry St came out in force with signs, banners, red ribbons tied around the trees at the roadside and lots of cheers and thanks. There was even a jazz trio and a home-owner dressed as a clown to lift our spirits. We stopped briefly for a couple of photo opportunities and then, to the sound of cowbells, it was back to work.

The PMC riders who started in Wellesley (as I did last year) merged into our route shortly before our lunch stop. As our ranks swelled with these additional forces, we climbed a steep hill to the sound of a lone bag-piper who stood, in kilt and full regalia at the top. There was a magical quality to the reedy music and the realization that the PMC forces were unified when we rolled up the driveway at Dighton-Rehoboth High School and our third stop of the day.     

                “Hit the lunch break at 70 miles. We are doing great.

                  Love,

                  D”

Eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning is a slightly odd experience but, when you are hungry and you still have another 2 ½ hours to ride, it is important to make sure to get the right mix of carbs, protein and fluids. The day had heated up considerably and riding rule number 1 is not to allow yourself to get de-hydrated. So our gang ate, drank and rested and stretched but soon it was time to get back on the road. With the addition of the Wellesley riders the ranks of our little band were now up to more than a dozen. The terrain was significantly flatter as we traveled through south-eastern Massachusetts heading toward Cape Cod, and our pace increased to reflect the easier terrain. It was only 18 miles before we stopped in Lakeville. The weather was now hot and humid but Lakeville held a special treat for all of us.

                “At Lakeville water-stop. Will look for Linda, Joey and family.

                  Love,

                  D”  

Some PMC riders form teams to sponsor children and young adults who are receiving cancer treatments. Lakeville is the location where those being sponsored gather to meet with their sponsor teams and celebrate the day.  My riding partners were all members of Team Access and, as a team, they gathered around the two young people for whom they rode, Callie and Robert, sharing an emotional and happy moment. I searched for, and found, my family friends Linda and David, their grandson Joey and his parents. Joey is a two year old boy who has been fighting cancer for most of his life. While I was not riding with an official team, I envisioned myself as a team of one for Joey. He was enjoying the sunny afternoon playing with a balloon and his seeming unawareness of his illness on a fine summer day was touching. Spending a few minutes with Linda and David and meeting Joey and his parents, Danny and Jamie, gave me a good feeling about the reason I was riding the Pan Mass Challenge. Team Access and I said a fond goodbye to our friends and got set to head out for the final 25 miles of day one.

Once our muscles were warmed up once more, we resumed our quick pace and enjoyed the flat roads, views of salt marshes and thoughts of finishing the day in good shape. There was a final water stop before the last 10 miles prior to the finish of day one in Bourne but we decided to skip that stop and carry on to make up for time spent at all the other water-stops. As we approached the Mass Maritime Academy which was the finish line for day one, our day ended as it began: cloudy and cool. The final five miles through Onset and into Bourne seemed long but only because I knew that I was close to the end of the day and success. The air seemed cool until I turned the corner onto Academy Drive and saw Gail waiting for me, a big, proud smile on her face. As always, she lit up my heart and I knew that I had experienced a great day. She waited patiently while I checked in with PMC officials, and then whisked me off for celebratory ice-cream to cap an exceptional day.

 Sunday, August 7

I woke at midnight to the sound of heavy rain outside the motel where Gail and I spent the night. I hoped for a passing shower but when I woke at seemingly hourly intervals and the rain was still pouring down, I became resigned to a wet day. When we climbed into the car and Gail drove me back to the Mass Maritime Academy, the rain had slowed to sprinkles. I was wearing cool weather gear and had a rain shell in my cycling jersey pocket and was prepared for the worst. To my delight, by 5:30 the rain had changed to mist and the ambient temperature was close to 70 degrees. I shed the cool gear, kept the rain shell in my pocket and, impatient and unable to find my friends, I launched solo for the first leg of the day. Last year I watched the sun rise over the Cape Cod Canal, a sight which raised my spirits for the morning. This time, I was happy that, although there was no sun, there was no more than mist to ride through. The canal ride was easy but there were a couple of challenging hills that were a wake-up call for the morning. One of the nice features of the cape is the rolling terrain which allows cyclists to use momentum from a down-hill run to help overcome the corresponding up-hill climb.

I experienced something as I rode along on my own early on Sunday morning. I realized that I was totally involved in the moment: what was behind me did not matter nor did the miles ahead. My concentration was focused on each pedal stroke, each breath, each rider whom I passed or who passed me. This singular focus struck me as similar to what a cancer patient must go through each day, every day. They may not allow their thoughts to dwell on what has happened in their past and the future may be too uncertain for them to consider. What must matter to these brave men, women, boys and girls is the present, the day, the hour, the moment. It must be an incredibly intense and, potentially, very lonely journey. I only wish that I could lift this burden from their shoulders. If the PMC can help by bringing us closer to a cure and helping these folks to see a future, then it is a cause I will always be behind.

The roads and riders were in good shape and the supportive crowds that voiced their appreciation made the day brighter for me as I rolled into the first stop of the day in Barnstable where I hoped to reconnect with my gang.

                “ Launched solo at 5:30. Just got to first stop. Legs are fine. Stowed the rain

                   gear.  All seems ok.       

  Love,

  D”

Happily, I did reconnect with my friends at the stop in Barnstable and once we were all refreshed, we headed out. One of the exciting features of cycling with friends (and riders you trust) is the ability to form a “pace line”. A pace line is a line of cyclists where one rider leads the pack and the rest ride in a tight, straight-line formation behind the leader, enjoying the reduced wind resistance. Matching the pedal stroke or pace of the leader while your front wheel is only inches from the rear wheel of the rider in front of you requires a lot of focus but is very exciting.  As we continued across the rolling Cape Cod terrain, several of us formed a pace line and motored along like a freight train. We all took turns pulling the pack along and this practice allowed us to increase our pace to an amazing speed. We seemed to be riding ahead of the rain and the camaraderie of our combined efforts kept our spirits high. Waving to the very vocal supporters and high-fiving their kids who were all gathered along the route was an added bonus. We rolled into the water-stop at Nickerson State Park with adrenaline flowing and lots of smiles about our performance. The peanut butter sandwiches tasted better, the watermelon sweeter and the ice cold towels handed out by the dedicated PMC volunteers were a much needed treat.

                “Second rest stop at Nickerson. 38 miles. Pulling the pace up and riding strong.

                  All for one cause: beating cancer!

                  Love,

                  D”

Again this year, I have to give a tremendous amount of credit to the 3,000 PMC volunteers who get up before dawn, stand in the heat and humidity or cold and rain, slicing fruit, handing out Advil, mixing huge vats of Gatorade, wandering through crowds of sweaty cyclists with trays of food all with smiles on their faces and lots of words of support and comfort. These dedicated souls, assisted by lots of local police officers, manned countless intersections, controlling traffic to keep us riders safe. They answered the same questions hundreds of times, put up with tired (occasionally surly) cyclists and never complained. Hats off to these wonderful volunteers. We could not do this without them!

Portions of the ride from Nickerson to Wellfleet were along the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a reclaimed, paved rail bed that was great for cycling. We resumed our pace line and seemed to rocket through the next 18 miles. Once off the rail trail, we rode along the coast of the National Seashore; a breathtakingly beautiful expanse of Atlantic coastline on the outer cape. We rolled along and, when we made the short climb to the final water-stop, we were already anticipating the end of our ride.

                “Last stop in Wellfleet. Riding hard and fast. Having a ball. 20 more miles to the

  finish. What a great cause and fantastic event.

                  Love,

                  D.”

Truro has some interesting climbs and they set the stage for the final leg of our two day journey to help beat cancer. Our pace line continued and we pushed right along. Our route took us along Route 6 for a while and, as we rode toward the end of our trip, the honking horns and waves from drivers and passengers in passing cars helped remind us of what we were doing this ride for. The headwinds as we crossed the neck from Truro to Provincetown were not overwhelming and, when we turned toward Race Point for the last five mile push, we redoubled our efforts so that climbing the dunes seemed much easier than last year. A big grin was on my face as I rode the final mile toward the finish area by the Monument in Provincetown center. When I made the turn into the final hundred yards of the two day trek, I was greeted by cheers from hundreds of PMC fans, cancer survivors, riders’ families and, most importantly, my loving wife who was waiting for me with a hug and kiss to welcome me to the end of a fantastic two day effort.

I may have overcome the rigors of a long bicycle ride, but that pales in comparison to the trials faced by those afflicted with cancer and the efforts which they make every day. I truly feel that my job was an easy one. I rode this year for Chet, June, Jeanne, Grahame, John, Brett, Amy, David, Linda,Mary, Mary Ruth, Lynn, Roberta, Frank, MArion, Steve, Sharon, Kathy, Joey, Jared, Dave, Gill, Byrdie, Geoffrey, Joanne, Puffin, William, Paws & George (woof) and Hazel (woof too).

I want to thank my supporters from the bottom of my heart. You are doing your part by digging deeply to contribute to the Pan Mass Challenge and funding cancer research. Together, let’s continue to work toward a day when a cure has been found and our efforts will no longer be needed