Ken's 2021 Pan Mass Challenge Ride

 

I write this from the comfort of my (soft) couch on the Monday after pedaling 192 miles over the weekend on the Pan Mass Challenge. This is my 9th year participating in this event, and with each passing year I am more committed to this cause due to both personal and global reasons. Cancer sucks, and it impacts every family in all corners of the world. And it can change your life in a heartbeat. I am committed to doing what I can to raise money and awareness in the fight against this beast of a disease. 

Our goal on the PMC this year is to raise $52 million- the PMC ride has raised over a half billion dollars since it started in 1980. Thanks to the unbelievable generosity of my 143 (!) donors, I have raised $19,718 this year, by far the most I have ever raised.  A sincere thank you to all of my donors- you are directly helping in this fight as 100% of your donation goes towards cancer research and patient support. This year, like last year, I am dedicating the funds I raised towards sarcoma research. A rare sarcoma is currently impacting my family acutely and we are feeling the effects of cancer everyday. My motivation to ride the PMC has never been stronger.

Once again, COVID placed limits on how the PMC event was conducted. Half the usual number of riders (3000) were allowed to ride on the traditional routes such as Sturbridge to Provincetown while others were encouraged to ride their own "reimagined" routes. Last year I rode 192 miles solo on a reimagined route, wearing a mask whenever I was near anyone on or off the bike. This year, I was able to  ride maskless and with my usual PMC crew- John, Linda and Veronica (minus our good friend Paul) and we rode the same reimagined route I had worked out last year. It was great to ride with friends and enjoy this weekend of cycling, but the reason I was pedaling was never far from my mind. Every pedal stroke was another measured action against cancer. 

 My riding crew: Linda, John and Veronica

We divided our 192 miles over three days. On Day 1 we biked from our various starting locations and met up in Belmont Center to ride 75 miles out to Harvard Mass, a favorite route into the Massachusetts countryside. The weather was great for an August bike ride, with temps starting out in the mid 70's and ending in the mid 80's. The midway point for this ride is always the Harvard General Store, and we got there in time for a tasty lunch. On the way, we passed my favorite apple orchard (no relation, sadly).

The ride was lovely, and went smoothly until we got to West Concord on the return trip home when Veronica's shift cable broke. She jury rigged it and luckily we were only a mile from a good bike shop. 

We took the opportunity to enjoy some ice cream (as it was starting to get a little toasty). John and Linda took this to another level and were able to relax in the Tuscan countryside while enjoying their ice cream (thanks to a nearby creative mural) 

On Day 2 we met at my Somerville condo and headed out on a 55 mile ride to our family house in Rockport MA. We picked up a Belgian cyclist, my friend Manu, who provided excellent entertainment and camaraderie on our ride. Turns out he's a hill climber and had no trouble keeping up with us- quite the opposite actually.

The first third of the ride to Rockport is along the Northern Strand Trail, a beauty of a rail trail that makes its way to Lynn and almost to the ocean (the organization that made it possible is called Bike to the Sea). It turned out to be another nice summer day in the low 80's, made considerably cooler by an ocean breeze that we enjoyed from Lynn up to Cape Ann. 

We stopped in Manchester-by-the Sea for lunch and before long we were in Gloucester, posing with the iconic Gloucester fisherman. All along our route, my riding crew indulged me as I kept us as close to the ocean as possible, which sometimes meant riding on dirt, gravel, and narrow wooden bridges.  

At ride's end, we were rewarded for our hard work by relaxing on the deck of our Rockport house with beer and snacks, followed by a nice swim in a nearby quarry.  When we got back to the house we were treated to massages from two local massage therapists from Gloucester (Veronica had arranged for the massages after contacting the PMC office for local recommendations).

Remarkably, these two therapists, Natalie and Bob, refused to accept any money from us, as they said it was their way of repaying us for what we were doing to fight cancer.  This was a typical PMC moment, where people do extraordinary things to support the fight against cancer. We will return the favor by giving them our business in the future.

Typically on the Saturday of the traditional PMC weekend, we sleep in tents at the Mass Maritime Academy in Bourne and are awakened at 4:00 AM for a 5:30 AM start. In contrast, we slept in soft beds, woke up at 7 AM and had a leisurely 9 AM start. We rode around the north and west side of Cape Ann (by way of Annisquam) and then double-backed on our route from the day before as we headed southwest towards Boston. The riding was pleasant and we made good time, and before long we were enjoying a nice lunch in Swampscott (for all your non-New Englanders, it's pronounced Swamscitt)

We had two mishaps after lunch. Going over a bridge on the Northern Strand Trail in Saugus,  a piece of hardware from my seat popped off and landed somewhere off the trail (and likely in the murky water below).  John and Linda bravely tried to search for the hardware but to no avail. Veronica and Linda 

helped jury rig my seat and I was able to ride comfortably- there's nothing worse than an uncomfortable saddle on a bike. A few miles from this misadventure, Veronica had a nasty fall on an unfinished section of the trail. I for sure thought she had broken something as her front wheel got caught in a rut and her back wheel rose a few feet off the ground causing her to flip, but remarkably Veronica escaped serious injury save for a nasty bruise on her right quad. Weird things always seem to happen on the last day of a ride...We managed to finish the ride around 3 PM in Somerville without further mishap. John and I were short on logging 192 miles, so we accompanied Linda to Arlington Heights and back to finish up on target (62 miles in total for the day). 

Of course, the most important thing about the Pan Mass Challenge is not the individual efforts or exploits of the riders, but rather the all important cause of fighting cancer. As of yesterday, we had raised $45 million, well on our way to our target of $52 million. I am humbled by the generosity of my friends who 

donated to my ride and supported me, grateful for my friends who accompanied me on my ride, in awe of the cancer researchers, doctors and nurses who are on the frontlines everyday, and impressed by the courage and tenacity of the numerous individuals who are bravely fighting cancer every day. This ride is for them- may it give them support, new therapies, and hope. Be well everyone.