Bill's Cycling Adventures

Hello and thank you for your continued support of my Pan Mass Challenge fundraising activities. This being my 26th PMC I was calling it my marathon year (I know, marathons are 26.2 miles but indulge me). I was hoping for an uneventful year and praying for weather like we had last year, basically perfect. Well, as the Rolling Stones say, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want…”

Most of you know about the weather challenge we all faced this year. What you didn’t know is that I had a bigger challenge than that. No, thankfully I’m still cancer free and grateful for that. But about 3 weeks before the PMC I had a bike accident. Yes, another PMC for me riding injured. Well, at the time of the accident I thought the PMC would be a spectator sport for me this year. I left the hospital the day of the accident with a walker. I crashed on my right side and landed hard on my hip. Luckily it was just badly bruised and later I’d learn there was a couple of chips to the hip but not anywhere critical in the joint. I also tore a muscle in my ribs that wouldn’t completely show itself for more than another week. When it showed I had just transitioned to using crutches and was just feeling like I might be able to ride after all. The morning the rib tear appeared I went out for a nice easy 35 mile ride. It felt OK. I was feeling optimistic. That was until the next morning when I woke up planning to go out and ride 50 miles. My body told me to go back to bed and not ride but I didn’t listen. I figured I’d loosen up once I got on the bike. I was wrong. We stopped at the 18 mile mark to fuel up and take a short 5 minute break. I had just ridden miles of the most beautiful coastline on this ride and I turned to a friend and asked “hey, why don’t I remember riding Surf Drive?”. His reply was “whoa, you’re white as a ghost. I’m calling to get a car to come get you.” I was in so much pain at this point but rather than take the easy way out I chose to cut my ride short and ride home. This was 1 week prior to the PMC. I thought I was toast. That’s it, no riding this year for me.

I was really bummed about this and basically knew if I was to have any chance at all I had to just rest and do nothing but ice, heat, and drugs to ease the pain and inflammation for the entire week. That’s not an easy thing for me to do but I did it. I saw my doctor the Tuesday of PMC week and he cleared me to ride. He said that the pain would be my guide and if I felt up to it I could go. OK, most of you know me by now. Of course I was going to give it a try. I continued to rest through Friday of PMC weekend. This was when I took my bike out for a ride around my neighborhood to see if I could turn the cranks and be comfortable in the saddle. I did and I was OK. I figured my game plan would be to hang back and just ride easy and I could make it.

OK, so the PMC stands for “Pan Mass Challenge”. The challenge part is usually the fund raising and riding the distance. That’s more than enough for most people. Now I was adding riding injured. Sure, I’ve done that before. I could handle it. Well, I guess that wasn’t enough of a challenge. We were faced with the worst forecast I’ve ever seen in my 26 years of riding the PMC. It looked like we’d have rain all weekend long. Not just mist, this looked ugly. OK, it’s the PMC, we’re there for a challenge. We’re there to ride for those that can’t and for those that are battling cancer. Anything they’re going through is far worse than us being a little wet. Being a true PMC’er, I just figured I’d go for it and take it as it came.

I headed to Sturbridge Friday afternoon with some friends. An old friend I hadn’t ridden with in over 8 years was returning. I was really looking forward to riding with Tony again as he was there at the beginning of my journey 26 years ago.

Friday in Sturbridge was really nice. I spent it catching up with old friends. It’s one of my favorite parts of the weekend. I kept it low key as I was still not feeling 100% but I was there and I was going to ride.

I attended the opening ceremonies along with many of the riders and volunteers. They’re always filled with inspirational speeches and info about why we ride. At one point Billy Starr, PMC founder, asked the “Living Proof Survivors” in the audience to stand up. I did. This was my second time and this time it really hit me. I think last year it was all still to fresh but this time I guess I’d pushed that part of me so far in to the recesses of my mind as my way of dealing with it that it really got to me. I think it was the only time I’d had tears about what I’d been through. It was tough but reminded me all the more of why I was there and how lucky I was, even with my injuries.

I went out to hang out with some friends for a bit before crashing for the night. PMC Friday is hard to describe. You’ve worked hard fundraising and training for months and now you’re here. The adrenaline is flowing and you just want to get on that bike and ride already. It’s usually hard to sleep that night but I manage to get in a solid 6 hours (a lot for me on PMC). We got up at 4:00am, got dressed and took our bikes to the starting line. It was nice out and barely misting. I’m thinking, “maybe the rain will hold off all day and we’ll be ahead of it”? Yeah, right, I can dream.

We rolled out of the Sturbridge start at 5:30am with 108 miles to ride. The rain was starting. It was a drizzle, no biggie. I had taken my rain jacket off and put it in my back pocket at the start as it was really hot. The rain wasn’t cold and the air was warm enough, we’d be fine. The initial miles from Sturbridge are very hilly, about 35 miles worth. The uphills were a bit of a challenge as I couldn’t stand on the pedals due to my injured hip. Luckily I had trained hard and had the strength to climb while seated. It was the downhills that were scary. The brakes and rims were wet and that made braking very difficult. I worked hard to keep it under 40 MPH on the downhills as the roads were very slick and with skinny tires and painted lines on the road it was really dangerous. This definitely helped the miles to go by as you’re extremely focused on everything around you. You have no choice as one mistake and you could go down and the last thing I could afford was yet another injury.

The miles passed quick. I was keeping an 18 mph average pace and that was right where I wanted to be. I knew if I was going to make it the distance I had to keep it back and not go at my max. We pulled into the second water stop in Franklin at the 44 mile mark around 8am. By now it was raining harder. I found my wife and kids there. This is the stop they were volunteering at. There they were out in the rain serving us riders and smiling while doing it. This is the PMC. Without the volunteers we couldn’t do what we do. I’m very proud of their involvement in the event. All of them have been doing this officially for 10 years. We were in and out of this stop quick and I put my jacket on before leaving as it was now getting colder and much wetter. I had to try and keep my core body temperature up. Sounds strange to worry about this in August but it was about 60 degrees and the cold rain can drain the heat from your body fast.

Outside the Franklin waterstop and on our way we stopped to see my neighbor’s grandkids as the ride goes right by their house. The three of them, Sammy, Sophia, and Ava Joy, ages 8 and 5 (the older two are twins) were standing under an umbrella waiting for me. I had brought them Mardi Gras beads (our team’s theme), spent a few minutes with them and were on our way. Not two houses down the street my rear tire went flat. OK, one more challenge. I decided to walk back to their house and use their garage to change the tire rather than out in the rain. As soon as I turned to walk back a black Mercedes van stopped, asked if I needed help, and they took my bike from me and fixed the flat. This is service that makes you feel like you’re a professional racer. I didn’t know till after they were done that this van was not part of the PMC. They were support for a private team riding from NY. We were on our way in no time but now rather than riding with a team there were only two of us. That’s OK as you’re surrounded by countless others out there all riding together. We continued on to our next stop in Dighton/Rehobeth, the lunch stop.

Thankfully we were able to catch up with our team before they left. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, filled our water bottles, and left within minutes. The rain was getting worse, we were 70 miles in with about 38 to go. Sure enough about 8 miles out one of my teammates got a flat. It was pouring now. Rather than everyone standing around changing the tire we sent them on and told them we’d see them later. It took about 20 minutes to change the flat but while we were waiting I got extremely cold. The rain literally sucks the heat out of your body. I thought I’d warm back up once I was moving as this was how the day had gone so far. Every time we’d leave another water stop my injured leg had stiffened up and I was cold but within a couple miles I loosened up and warmed up.

Back on the road and heading for the next stop I was chilled to the bone. I couldn’t get warm. We were now pedaling through heavy rain and deep puddles. We had no choice, we continued on. In and out of the next stop and on our way to the final stop. We regrouped with our teammates and rode the final miles into the Mass Maritime Academy. Arrival time, 2pm, about an hour and a half later than I like to get in. I was shaking uncontrollably and needed to get out of my wet clothes and warm up. Normally I’d stop and make a massage appointment before doing anything. Not this day as I was so sore from my injuries I couldn’t let anyone work on me.

I made my way to my dorm room where my bag was supposed to be. The operative phrase here is “supposed to be”. My roommates bags were there but mine was not. Now I’m getting a bit pissed off. I’m hypothermic and can’t get out of my wet clothes as I had nothing to change into. I had to go outside in the pouring rain just to get signal on my phone so I could call the PMC to report my missing bag and ask for help. Fun fun fun, yes, one more challenge I could have done without. Thankfully I ran into a friend that was volunteering at the MMA and he offered to help. He went looking for my bag in the building and found it on another floor. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank Dave enough for doing this. He literally saved my PMC. It was about 45 minutes now after getting in and once I showered I still couldn’t get warm. Dry clothes helped but it took another hour before I’d stop shaking.

MMA time on Saturday is usually a lot of fun. You’re next to the ocean and Cape Cod Canal and usually have great weather. There are usually bands playing in the quad as well. This day however everyone was huddled under the giant food tent rather than sprawled about the campus soaking in the sun, music, and the day. I was in such a foul mood due to the events of the day I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Lucky for me my house in Falmouth isn’t far. My cousins and friends volunteer at the MMA and they were available to shuttle me and some friends back to my house. It was good to be in the comfort of home after this day. Typically I’d prep a big meal but with the weather we decided to just order pizza. I have to say, we usually love a meal of BBQ’d swordfish, salmon, some fresh pasta, and salad. Today the pizzas and some good wine really hit the spot.

I was pretty sore and wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to get up and get back on the bike the next morning. I spoke to Nancy and gave her a heads up that I might not ride and might need her to come get me on Sunday. I wanted to finish the ride but with everything I’d been through that day and my body talking back to me from my hip and rib I thought Sunday morning would come and I wouldn’t be able to get out bed.

We spent some time in the hot tub soothing sore muscles and that was sheer heaven. It was an early night for all as the cab was picking us up at 4:15am to take us back to MMA where our bikes were. Wakeup call came at 3:30. I slept well since I was in my own bed. However I could have used another few hours. Miraculously however I woke up feeling great and decided I was going to ride. Dressed, ate, and out of the house at 4:15 we were on our way back to MMA where we dropped our bags off, got our bikes and met up with the team and rolled out for day 2 at 5:15am.

Day 2 started out with a slight mist. We had no idea if we were going to have a repeat performance of the day before. It didn’t matter at this point. Our bags with dry clothes were on trucks and would meet us in Provincetown. Our only option was to just go for it and go format we did. The day starts with a climb over the Bourne bridge. The sunrises over the bridge are spectacular. Newbies would have to take our word on that as there was no sun to be seen. It was wet and overcast. Climbing over the bridge means a descent on the other side. All worked hard to keep it controlled due to the slick roads and the volume of cycles on the bridge ridden by both experienced and novice riders that have very little clue what they’re doing.

Halfway down the bridge I spotted a neighbor of mine out there cheering on the riders with some of her friends. The supporters are huge for us. It keeps us going, puts smiles on our faces, and gets us through some tough parts of the ride. I’m not sure they know how much we appreciate them being there. It’s even cooler when you see someone you know out there knowing they could be back in the warmth and comfort of their bed. Thank you supporters!

Exiting the bridge we hit the bike path along the cape cod canal on our way towards the Sagamore bridge about 6 miles away. This is a nice flat section and a good place to warm up. We need the warmup as we’d soon hit a climb along route 130 in Sandwich and onto the service road that parallels route 6. The service road, aka “the rollers” is a blast! Newbies usually curse it as they have no idea what it is and where the hill came from. Once you make it over the initial climb the road is a series of small hills, hence the name, “the rollers”. The group I ride with hit this hard. We were over 25mph for most of the ride into Barnstable. It’s a rush and a half. There are times when we’re climbing at 30 mph, which for me is mind blowing as I never ride the road that fast the rest of the year. How do we do this? With a lot of help from our fast engines in the group. These guys ride so fast that you just want to hang on their wheel and draft along. It’s a total blast.

We ended up spending about 30 minutes in the first stop waiting for the rest of the team to be ready to head out. This is tough on me as I’m not real patient when it comes to waiting for others to ride. The longer you’re at a stop the more you stiffen up and the harder it is to get going again. And let’s face it, it’s day 2 of a 192 mile ride and I’m just looking to keep rolling and get to the finish line as fast as I can.

The second leg of day 2 is mostly flat. There’s some “cape hills” meaning, they’re not long and not that steep and doable by all in our group. The highlight of this section of the ride is what is known as “Da Hedge”. This is the hedge in front of the Cape Cod Sea Camp and it’s always a rush riding by here with hundreds of cheering campers and spectators. It’s about a mile from the second stop at Nickerson State Park and the cheering propels is into the stop as if we’ve got an engine on our bikes.

The weather has been cooperating for us so far on day 2. The second water stop came up fast and it was fun getting there. Listening to a couple at the stop talking about “a monsoon coming” made us get out of there fast. They were describing this like it was armageddon and that was a bit unsettling. We’d learn later that the amateur forecasters were wrong! Regardless, we got out of there quick and were on our way to the third and final water stop of the day in Wellfleet. This section took us along the bike path for a while. We were trying to keep our pace down for one of our team that was not able to ride as fast as the group I was with. That’s harder than it sounds, keeping your pace down that is. We managed to stay together till we got to the road that takes us up by the national sea shore leading up to the Beachcomber in Wellfleet. Once we hit this long gradual hill we split up and rode our own pace. Hills for me are something I like to get over as fast as I’m capable so that’s where I lose my patience and it’s every man for himself. Sorry guys, it’s “how I roll”.

We pull into the third and final stop in Wellfleet by 9:30. It’s at this time I realize I never called Nancy to let her know that I was riding and that she wouldn’t need to pick me up in Falmouth after all. I texted her to let her know I was 22 miles from the finish. She was surprised but not shocked as she’s seen me recover quickly over the years. We regrouped here with the rest of the team and headed out towards our final destination, Provincetown!

The final 22 miles of the ride are hilly and fun. It takes us through Orleans, Truro, and finally into Provincetown. The section heading into Provincetown takes on route 6 for miles of headwinds that are tough to power through. We do it as a team and hit it in a paceline that makes it so much easier. We cruised this section at about 22mph average and it was a total rush.

Most of the team stayed together for this section but we lost a few due to the fast pace so we stopped at the entrance to race point in Provincetown to wait for them so we could finish the ride as a team.

Once we regrouped we hit the final 5 miles of hills. The finish line is so close now that there’s no stopping us. We rolled across the finish line in style as a team and that is fun. Lots of cheering when we all come rolling in together.

The ride is done… One final group picture at the finish and it’s time to go cleanup and enjoy the day in Provincetown.

Our time in Provincetown seems to go by in a blur. Every cleans up, heads to the food tent, eats more than we will eat at a single sitting all year, and then heads into town to catch the party ferry home. Same thing every year but it’s always different if that makes sense. The weather cooperated for us all day Sunday and straight into Boston on the ferry where we are greeted by the Boston fireboats like returning conquering heroes. That sight is both spectacular and sad as that means our PMC is coming to a close. I won’t see most of these people till next year. Next year we will pickup where we left off.

Our weekend journey is over. We say our goodbyes and go on our way home. The glow of the weekend will stick with us for days. It’s a natural high you don’t want to come down from. Regardless of the adversities we faced over the weekend we focus on the fun, the friendships, and the people we are there to help. All of that somehow makes the challenges fade into the background. NONE of what we deemed a challenge over the course of this weekend even comes close to comparing to what the cancer patient faces during their battle. Our discomfort is fixed and bounded and we know come Monday morning our only after effects will be sore muscles. That’s nothing compared to the lasting effects of cancer treatments. It’s a perspective I hope every PMC’er has. I know I do.

Till next year… Thank you for all your support and for sticking with me all these years…