Bill's Cycling Adventures

The 31st Pan Mass Challenge took place on August 7th and 8th. This was my 22nd time riding and in spite of a head cold it was a very strong ride. I trained different this year from past years but it seemed to work.

Highlights and some statistics (as of 8-23-2010):

• Off the line – 4,948
• 2-day 3,648
• Sat. 1-day – 872
• Sun. 1-day – 428
• Virtual Riders – 300+
• Volunteers – 3,100
• Male/Female % – 70/30
• Alumni – 73%
• Total Miles Ridden: 763,000(+/-)
• Fundraising passes $25 million as of 8-24-10

My Personal Stats

Once again I would like to thank you for sponsoring and supporting me in this very worthy cause and for letting me ride on your behalf.

If you have not yet sponsored me it is not to late. I am still raising funds trying to hit my goal of $10,000 for this year. You can donate online here:

https://www.pmc.org/egifts//makeadonation.asp?EgiftID=BS0011

If you prefer to send a check or pay in cash or would like to met face to face please contact me by email at

(the short report)

The Pan Mass Challenge took place on August 4 & 5. This was my 19th time riding. It was one of the most fun and one of the toughest physically. The weather was extremely hot on Saturday and perfect on Sunday. I felt strong the most of the way. It was not one of my fastest rides on record but this year it was all about just being able to finish it.

The ride was one of the toughest because I broke my shoulder in a bicycle accident 12 weeks before the ride. The break kept me out of the gym and off of my bicycle for 7 weeks. Considering I was told that I might not be able to ride at all this season I’m very happy with how it all turned out.

To make a long story short (remember, this is the short version) I did do the ride. In fact I rode the long route from Sturbridge to Provincetown and did very well.

Now I know it seems like I’m always injured when I ride this event. I’m not. OK, so I have had a few years where I rode with bad injuries.

 
• 1994 – broken wrist and elbow in a bicycle crash training 2 weeks before the PMC.
• 2006 – Strained ligaments and chipped bone in my foot when I slipped off a step the day before the ride.
• 2007 – Well, you all know what happened this year.

So yes, 3 years out of the 19 I had injuries. I’m hoping this is all behind me. However, even if it’s not I’ll still continue to ride. Why? Because I love the event and believe in the cause we’re riding for. The event is about overcoming adversity. This is a challenge and not a race. Cancer patients face a challenge each and every day with their battle to beat the disease. Their battle is mental and physical. Their treatment knocks a lot out of them yet they continue on. If I could ride the event and it meant that I’d have two days of challenge and a little suffering I figured it was worth it. My accomplishment was nothing compared to their fight. If anything it helps me to appreciate why I was out there.

Once again I would like to thank you for sponsoring me in this very worthy cause and for letting me ride on your behalf.

Highlights and some statistics (as of 9-17-2007)

 
• Current fundraising: $26m
• Fundraising goal: $27m
• Kids rides have raised: $330,000 with 5 rides still to come.
• Current heavy hitters: 602
• Registered Riders: 5458 (up 18.6 % over 2006)
• Off the line: 4,969 (up 20% over 2006)
• 2-day riders: 3,610
• 1-day riders: 1029
• Male/Female: 65/35
• Average Age: 43 (I’m over by 4 years…)
• Avg. Yrs in event: 4.8 (I still got this one beat by a mile)
• Sturbridge start: 2,685
• Wellesley start: 1,853
• States participating: 36
• Foreign countries: 10

Thank you once again. It’s been an honor, a privilege, and a pleasure riding on your behalf.

Best Regards,

– Bill

(the short report)

The Pan Mass Challenge took place on August 5 &6. This was my 18th time riding. It was one of the best and one of the toughest. The weather was perfect, I felt strong the most of the way, and finished with one of my fastest times ever.

The ride was one of the toughest because I injured my left foot the day I was to head out to Sturbridge. I turned my ankle and stretched some ligaments and chipped a bone. I thought I was not going to be able to ride. The doctor at the hospital told me it was ok to give it a try but I’d be in pain and would most likely not be able to put any pressure on the foot which meant climbing would be very hard.

To make a long story short (remember, this is the short version) I did do the ride but skipped the first 30 miles of day 1. This was all the nasty hills I usually enjoy riding. My day 1 ended up being 82 miles instead of 112. I rode it very well considering riding with an air cast. Day 2 was equally tough but somehow I managed to ride even harder and had one of my fastest finishing times ever. See the long report for all the details as well as some pictures.

Most of you are probably asking why I would ride this injured? The answer to that is simple to me. I love the event. The event is about overcoming adversity. This is a challenge and not a race. Cancer patients face a challenge each and every day with their battle to beat the disease. Their battle is mental and physical. Their treatment knocks a lot out of them yet they continue on. If I could ride the event and it meant that I’d have two days of challenge and a little suffering I figured it was worth it. My accomplishment was nothing compared to their fight. If anything it helps me to appreciate why I was out there.

Once again I would like to thank you for sponsoring me in this very worthy cause and for letting me ride on your behalf.

Highlights and some statistics

• Current fundraising: $16m = +37%
• Current heavy hitters: 602
• Registered Riders: 4,661
• Off the line: 4,273
• Reg. Volunters: 2,571
• 2-day riders: 3,342
• 1-day riders: 931
• Male/Female: 60/40
• Average Age: 43 (I’m over by 3 years…)
• Avg. Yrs in event: 4.7 (I got this one beat by a mile)
• Sturbridge start: 2,550
• Wellesley start: 1,702
• States participating: 36
• Foreign countries: 7

Thank you once again. It’s been an honor, a privilege, and a pleasure riding on your behalf.

Best Regards,

– Bill

This site contains Bill’s blogs.  They will be about cycling related stuff for the most part.