Bill's Cycling Adventures

On August 3rd and 4th I rode in the Pan Mass Challenge. This was my 25th and my first. How could this be you ask? It was my 25th time participating in the PMC and that was an honor, privilege, and something I’m very proud of. It was also my first riding as a “Living Proof” cancer survivor and my first riding with my brother riding his first both as a new rider and first year cancer survivor. Needless to say, this year had a very different perspective for me.

I decided to go back to Sturbridge for my 25th after last year’s Wellesley start. The weather looked like it was going to cooperate. Little did we know just how well it would.

My brother flew in from Atlanta Friday morning. His bike arrived several days earlier that week. We all assembled at my house ready to head to Sturbridge Friday morning. Marc had one of the PMC vans for us. This makes getting to Sturbridge so much easier as we drive out and hand the keys to one of the volunteers.

We heard there was a big accident on the Mass Pike so we decided to take back roads to Sturbridge to avoid the giant parking lot. This worked and ended up being a very scenic ride. At one point we ended up driving into a lovely condo complex with a golf course. We all laughed when Marc said “I know where I am and where I’m going”. You have to picture driving through a condo complex and seeing the end and knowing we had to turn back to where we came in to appreciate it. Oh well, it was only a minor detour. The car following us did not really appreciate the humor in this.

We arrived in Sturbridge around 2:30, checked into the hotel, dropped our stuff and went directly to check-in. My brother checking in as a first time rider got the welcome bell. Me, I checked in for the 25th time and when they gave me my “Living Proof” pin it all came rushing in on me. It was like the past 7 months were a speeding blur until that moment when it felt like time stood still and I reflected back on what I went through to get to that point. It was emotional and powerful. I had to walk away from everyone for a couple minutes to get myself together.

We all went over to the pub and had some food and drinks by the lake. Then back to the hotel to catch up with old friends, off to the opening ceremonies and early to bed as wakeup was at 4am.

Up at 4, we took our bikes to the starting line to get a good spot and then off to breakfast. Fed and ready to roll we dropped our bags off at the trucks and made our way to the starting line through the sea of bikes. Thankfully I turned on my flashing light so I was able to locate my bike when I came back.

We met up with our team, PHAT Tuesday, and assembled to take off together. My buddy Marc and I usually ride together and end up dropping the team. This year I knew I had to pace myself if I was to finish strong with reserve energy in the tank. That meant I wouldn’t be racing with Marc at 20+ MPH the entire day. My game plan was 17-18 MPH average and I knew if I did that I could finish strong without incident.

I planned to ride with my friend Jim and my brother Howard assuming we could all maintain the same pace. I knew Jim could as we’d trained together but wasn’t sure if my brother could. He and I talked and agreed it made sense for us to both “ride our own ride” and we’d connect at water stops. This turned out to be a good decision and a smart one. I rode at an 18.0 mph pace and was very comfortable with that. My brother rode a little slower and this was a smart thing as it meant he’d be able to finish the entire ride. Those of you that have been with me over the years know that a lot of the time I ride MUCH faster than I should and end up running out of gas and in pain towards the end of the ride. I didn’t want that to happen to either of us. My brother figured this out his first year. It took me 25 years 🙂

Riding out of Sturbridge was incredible. The weather couldn’t be any better. The sun was coming up and everything felt great. It was going to be a good day.

Jim and I pulled into the first water stop and waited till my brother showed up to make sure he was doing OK. He wasn’t far behind us and seemed to be doing great. It was really cool to see him getting into the event and finding his own way and making this “his event” as opposed to riding “my event”. The PMC effects everyone a little different and I wanted him to find his personal connection. It’s hard to explain but suffice it to say that it is important and he was finding his way. That was very cool to see. We took off and headed towards the second stop in Franklin, my team’s home turf.

We motored through the second leg of our day 1 journey with ease. The miles just flew by. Before we knew it we were pulling into the Franklin water stop. I expected to see some friends of our team there as well as my wife and daughter. The big surprise came when my sister in-law Stacy and my niece Ava were there. They flew in from Atlanta to surprise my brother. Well, they managed to surprise me but they really surprised my brother. We were about 15 minutes ahead of him. I saw him coming into the stop and had people get in front of Stacy and Ava. I called him over. When he reached us we stepped aside revealing his family and he was overwhelmed. Seeing that was priceless.

We took off from Franklin leaving Howie behind to ride out with some friends of mine riding his pace. Jim and I connected with a paceline and flew to the 70 mile lunch stop. About 5 miles before the stop Jim flatted. We had to pull over to change the tire and lost our pace line. I did the quick repair and we were off again. We pulled into the lunch stop around 9:45. It was a very festive atmosphere. It’s kind of odd eating lunch that early but seeing as we ate breakfast at 4:30 it wasn’t all that odd. We connected with a bunch of our team and all left the stop together, my brother included, and off we went to the next stop. The miles passed quickly. Everyone talking and having fun it was a rolling party. In and out of the stop quickly, off we went to the final stop of the day.

We waited for everyone to get together before rolling out of the last stop so we could all cross the finish line together. The final miles felt great. My legs felt like I had another 50 miles in them. Amazing what cutting my pace back just a little did to give me the endurance to power through. My brother and I crossed the finish line together at 1:14 at the Mass Maritime Academy.

My wife and Howard’s family were there to greet us. It was great for them to see us finish. We had to get in and reserve our massage spots and then off to shower and change to enjoy the afternoon’s festivities. Nancy and Howie’s family were not allowed onto the campus so they said their goodbyes and off we went.

Showered and feeling refreshed we had fun eating, drinking, and just having fun all afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised to run into an old friend who’s band was playing at MMA that afternoon. That was a lot of fun.

The afternoon flew by. We assembled to take our team picture around 4:30.

After pictures the crew staying at my house got our gear and headed to the car to drive over the bridge. This part of the weekend is a real luxury after spending 20 years in the dorms at MMA. Back at my house we all took a walk to the beach where a couple of us dove in for a nice refreshing swim. The weather was absolutely perfect. Back at the house everyone cleaned up and we proceeded to prepare a fantastic meal of pasta, fresh swordfish and salmon on the grill. This sure beats the food at MMA. Dinner was followed by a giant chocolate chip cookie cake my sister in-law sent to us from Georgia.

We capped off the day in the hot tub to ease our sore muscles. This was the perfect end to a perfect day. Off to bed by 9:30 as we had an early wake-up call on Sunday in order to get in the cab to take us back to the MMA for day 2 of the ride.

Nobody had trouble getting to sleep and morning arrived much to fast. We were up, fed, caffeinated, and in the cab on the way back to MMA by 4:25am. Back at MMA we dropped our bags off and made our way to the bikes. We met up with the rest of the PHAT Tuesday team and were on our way at 5:15. The sun was coming up as we rolled over the Bourne Bridge.

From the bridge we rolled along the bike path along the Cape Cod Canal. Sunrise over the canal and riding along with the team of more than 20 riders was a blast.

Nearing the end of the canal I noticed that the water bottle in my rear cage was shaking. I was afraid it would come loose and cause an accident so I pulled off to the side and the pace line of PHATs rolled on. My friend Bob stopped with me. I discovered I lost a screw and the remaining one was very loose. I secured the cage and we were back on our way in about 5 minutes. Bob and I rode as hard as we could with the goal of catching up to the team. We were riding close to 25mph and passing bikes along the way. Before we knew it we saw the team ahead. How we managed to cover those miles and catch up to the team is still a mystery to me. I call it the “PMC Magic”. It lets us ride harder and faster than we ride any other time somehow.

We caught the team right before we turned onto the service road that parallels route 6. This is one of my favorite segments of the ride as the service road is what we call “the rollers”. Once we hit this section a group of us just hit it hard and we rode at 32 to 35 mph, crazy. It was fast and very fun. The miles passed so quick at that pace that we were in the first water stop before we knew it. We waited for the team to show up and regroup at the stop. Day 2 is all about keeping the team together so we make a special effort to regroup at all three stops.

In and out of the stop we headed onto the second segment of our day 2 ride. It takes us from Barnstable to Brewster along 20 miles of very scenic cape cod roads. The town of Brewster has people lining the streets and the center all cheering for us. It’s very humbling and cool. Once through the town center we know we’re close to ‘Da Hedge’. This is the section of the ride at the Cape Cod Sea Camp where hundreds of cheering campers are out there cheering us on. The kids are amazing and it lifts us up ass we power our way to the second water stop at Nickerson State Park.

The stop is one of the biggest party stops along the way. Music is cranking, food is flowing, and freeze pops and fluffernutters are served. I know, you’re all saying, “fluffernutters and freeze pops? That doesn’t sound like a great combination.” Well, don’t knock it till you try it. We love it.

Again we regroup and off we go towards our third and final stop in Wellfleet. Along the way we go through Orleans and I spot one of my ex-colleagues and friends out there cheering us on. That was fun to see. We made our way across the miles and turn onto the road that goes past the legendary Beachcomer in Wellfleet. Riding up this road is tough as it’s a bit of a hill with wind coming off the ocean. It’s one of the prettiest areas along the way and very representative of what people think of when they hear the phrase “old cape cod”.

We hit the water stop, watered up, got some fluffernutters and fruit, assembled the team and off we went towards our final destination of the weekend, Provincetown! By this time everyone is energized and a little tired. The ride through Wellfleet and Truro is incredible. One minute you’re in the woods and the next you’re riding along next to a marsh rolling out to the open sea. This segment has some hilly terrain for the cape. Before we know it we’re out on route 6 for miles from the outer Truro into Provincetown. The winds here and traffic make the section tricky and a bit tough. The team however cruised along strong in a pace line making the miles fly by. We see the sign saying “Entering Provincetown” and it’s an amazing feeling. We’re almost there. Soon after we turn right off route 6 for the final 5 miles of hills through race point in Provincetown. The team split up over the past 10 miles so we stop to reassemble for the final trek into the finish line. After about 20 minutes we push on. All are energized and ready to finish. In the dunes we come across a sign that made us all smile.

Tired and ready to finish we emerge from the dunes and along the marsh. We can see the finish line ahead! The team had my brother and me get to the front of the line to lead us all in. It was an honor and a privilege leading the PHAT Tuesday team across the finish for my 25th PMC. The feelings were many and overwhelming. In a flash, we were in and done. Wow, PMC #25 was in the history books and I felt awesome!

With the 2013 ride in the books it was time to celebrate. Off to my room at the inn, showered, and cleaned up. It felt great. I honestly wasn’t tired. I felt like I could ride another 50 miles if I had to. I finished day 2 with an average speed of 18.0 MPH, my target goal. It felt great. We toasted our finish and went to the feast under the big tent in Provincetown. There was plenty of food and drink. I ate more in one sitting than I’d eat in several meals. The time flew by and it was time to head into town to catch the party ferry home.

We got to the ferry after seeing some friends and having a double chocolate frappe. Something I hadn’t eaten in years. It was awesome!

The ferry ride back was a blast as usual. The band played the whole time. People partied for over 3 hours and before we knew it we could see the Boston skyline. We were coming to the end of our weekend. The Boston fire boat greeted us in the harbor with a heroes welcome. I’ve seen this sight every year for years and it still doesn’t get old. I loved seeing the faces of the new riders that had never experienced it let alone a full PMC weekend. Us veterans live vicariously through them.

We dock in Boston to cheers and screams of joy from all the family and friends picking up their loved ones.

If you’re still with me, thank you for reading this far. The 2013 PMC was an incredible experience. Riding my 25th and what I feel was my strongest ride felt fantastic. Riding it as a Living Proof cancer survivor barely 6 months out of surgery to cure my cancer is a feeling I can’t describe. I’m extremely honored and lucky to have had my brother ride his first PMC with me. The both of us having gone through the same cancer battle at the same time and finishing it with a great PMC ride was something I couldn’t have ever imagined even a year ago.

I am lucky in that my cancer is cured as far as we know. I am looking forward to putting cancer in my rear view mirror and next year just riding to raise funds to help others. I still hope that one day we will have to find another cause to ride for. Till that day comes you can expect to see me out there on my bike the first weekend of August riding in the Pan Mass Challenge.

Thank you all. It’s an honor and a privilege riding on your behalf.