Pan Mass Challenge

[PAP103]

Anyone else doing the PMC this year. I'm doing1 day Wellesley to Bourne.

Patty

[newfsmith]

Mainerider and I are both doing the Sturbridge-Bourne-Provincetown route. The routes join shortly before the the Deighton-Rheobath high school lunch stop. I don't stop for long at lunch or waterstops so our best chance for meeting is in Bourne. I'll PM you my CP#.

[DebW]

Have fun PMC riders and give us a report when you get back!

[Denise223]

They just had a LIVE news clip from NESN showing the start this morning & they talked with a few riders about their reasons for doing the PMC.

Great cause & I hope you are having a wonderful ride.

The weather couldn't be any better .

I'd love to hear a report when you all come back!

Love & Peace,

Denise

[mainerider]

I've posted an earlier note re John Kerry riding the PMC and the other special guests on the ride this year.

I was so thankful the weather broke in time for the ride. It was sunny and warm but not humid.

The Opening Ceremony in Sturbridge was one of the best since I started riding the event 8 years ago. It was a combination of good stories and sad stories to reinforce why there is a need to fund cancer research and why we were riding. The conference room where the event is held is so full of energy. I don't know if that comes across watching it from home.

The event continues to grow and it was evident Saturday morning when trying to get in your starting position and looking for the people you plan to ride with. On Saturday, the first 40 miles leaving from Sturbridge are very hilly. But we had people cheering us along all the way with a bagpiper at the top of one hill and unofficial water stops with people handing out water and oranges. There are streets along the way where the whole neighborhood gets out and decorates with signs, banners, bubbles and music. The volunteers who staff the water stops are all enthusiastic. My husband volunteers at the last water stop in Wareham and it is always great to arrive there.

We finish Day 1 at Mass Maritime in Bourne. It is a beautiful campus. We get treated to massages, food, music and hot showers. My husband arrived about 5 pm with his stories of people arriving at the water stop needing to go to the hospital. At 6:15 pm there is a picture of all the cancer survivors riding and volunteering "Living Proof". We then headed to my aunt's house. We all tried to stay awake so we could chat but by 7:45 pm none of us could keep our eyes open.

I groaned when the alarm went off at 4 am Sunday morning and groaned again when I looked in the mirror to see my red eyes. But my aunt sets up coffee and breakfast for us and by 4:45 am we were headed back to Bourne. We passed lots of riders already on their way. I like leaving at 5:30 when the sun is starting to rise. We had a beautiful sunrise over the Bourne Bridge. The Bridge was already crowded with riders so there wasn't any choice about what speed to go up the hill, "slow". We traveled along the Cape Cod Canal which is nice and flat and said hello to the fishermen who are out along it. There is then a 10 mile section of rollers before the first water stop that make me groan again. Along the way to the next water stop we passed the Hedge. It is a summer camp and there must be hundreds of kids out cheering for us every year. We have two more water stops and more hills (Cape Cod is not flat!). Finally we get into the dunes and we know we are almost done. It is a sense of accomplishment to ride up the long driveway to the P-town finish line with lots of people cheering.

I started riding the PMC because I am a cancer survivor and a patient at Dana Farber. Following my own treatment, my boss at work and my mother both died from cancer. I needed a huge goal to start to bring some order back into my life. Learning how to ride a long distance event was a challenge and gave me something to focus on. I found I love riding and have since met many new friends.

I struggled with training this year because of the wet spring we had and because I am being treated for metastatic bc. I have posted earlier this summer asking about people's experiences with menopause and how it affected their riding (if it did/didn't) because I haven't had any power in my legs. I was concerned about the ride this year but I did much better than I expected. Not the fastest I've ever done it but I felt good getting off the bike both days.

Well this is probably too long now, better close.

Maureen