Pan-Mass Challenge’s Starr spokesman for important cause - The Boston Globe

Pan-Mass Challenge’s Starr spokesman for important cause - The Boston Globe

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11 Days...

...until I check in at Sturbridge, pick up my official PMC jersey, and attempt to get a good night's rest before our 5:30 am start.

I had dinner tonight with my aunt Nancy -- a 6-year veteran of the PMC and Wellesley to Bourne rider this year -- and we spent most of the night chatting about what an incredible experience it is! And I quote: "It's the best thing I have ever done in my life." With that kind of a review, I can't help but feel super excited (squeee!).

An Eight Hour Tour

90 miles? No problem.

I wouldn't say it was an easy ride -- miles 60-80 were verrrry slow due to the repetitive scenery in the state forest -- but I felt like I had extra energy at the end, and experienced minimal soreness the next day. S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

I actually think that one of the biggest challenges we faced was trying to find an exciting 90-mile route on an island that is less than 30 miles wide!

The weather was perfect: partly cloudy but not too hot with patches of fog that kept things interesting. One minute we were basking in the sun and the next minute it felt like we had just ridden into an industrial refrigerator. Very cool -- literally...

{A break at 41.5 miles - Aquinnah Cliffs}

Having made it through the longest training ride, my nerves about the ride itself are all but gone. Especially when I think about the adrenaline that will be pumping through my system during the big event.

Time to taper... T-2.5 weeks!

"Cos we're all in this together..."

Lately, whenever I think about the PMC, Ben Lee's song "We're All In This Together" inevitably pops into my head:



And it's true, we're all in the fight against cancer together. We may not be able to cure cancer tomorrow or in 5 years, but I believe that with every dollar I raise and every mile that I ride, we get a little closer. In less than a month I will be riding my bike for two days with 5,000 people who feel the same way. And that, my friends, is so exciting!

If you wanna be in this with me, make a gift to my PMC Paceline page. They changed the interface so now you can make a donation in someone's name and a little bike with your name above it will appear. Right now, I'm all alone! Ben Lee would not approve.

22 days and counting...

Circa Nineteen Ninety-Awkward Phase

This gem of a photo was taken during one of our first family bike rides on the Vineyard. I'm on the left rocking my favorite Limited Too shirt and I think some shorts from Land's End. I still have that mountain bike.