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| I'm in there somewhere |
I don't "do" early mornings. I don't "do" bikes. Talking Head's Once In A Lifetime is running through my head ... "Well, how did I get here?" Oh, yeah, yeah ... I'm going to pedal this thing 190 miles to ProvinceTown. Huh?
A few minutes later, on a small stage up front, the national anthem is sung and Billy Starr addresses the crowd. The river of bicycles begins to pour out of the Sturbridge Inn parking lot and starts winding its way East into the sunrise. PMC 2008 has begun...
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| Here we go |
The Cisco Team Rides for Dana Farber
This is my "Thank You" note to all my PMC donors and training pals. The Cisco team raised at least $50,000, and this would not have been possible without your support. Know that 100% of these funds will go direct to Dana Farber Cancer Institute ... PMC provides over half of the annual funds for DFCI's cancer fighting efforts.
Nine Cisco riders from MA, CT, and NJ made this year's trek. Gary Muntz and Steve Nyberg each returned for their tenth year. Frank Palumbo and Mary Sarr have several years between them. The remainder of the roster was filled by rookies Tom Royce, Jared Jackson, Scott Aaron, JR Teto, and myself. Kerry Lynn also returned to lead a volunteer team at Wellesley College.
Saturday - Sturbridge to Bourne
The 192 mile trip is broken into two days. Day 1. Sturbridge to Mass Maritime Academy in Bourne. 110 miles. There is a rest stop every 20 miles or so where we refill water, grab a quick bite, then back out onto the road. The first 70 miles have quite a few very long climbs. They are not easy, but not much different than the hills around Cisco BXB. I hit 38 mph at some point on a downhill...can't remember where.
2000+ riders from Wellesley merge in at the 3rd/lunch stop, bringing the pack to 5400 for the last 40 miles to Bourne.
Sights and Sounds
A lot of raw emotion runs through both the riders and the thousands of spectators lining the route. Many riders have pictures or lists of names tacked to their backs ... remembering those lost, or under treatment, or success stories of survivors. We've all got the stories. We've all been affected.
For an hour or so I was leap frogging what I figured out was a father and young son team. The son was having a really hard time getting up some of the hills. After awhile, I realized the source of his resolve. In large letters, he had penciled onto the back of his calves "Miss You Grandma". The dad ... "Miss You Mom".
The approach to one of the rest stops is lined with pictures of young kids currently undergoing treatment. Breaks your heart.
On the lighter side, I spent many miles riding near Joe Joyce, the NECN weather man. Pretty funny guy ... till his chain broke.
Saturday Afternoon - Onward to Bourne
We passed through parts of MA that might just as well have been Iowa ... very nice, I've never been here before. I started to recognize the coast as we closed on Bourne. Finally pulled into Mass Maritime at about 2:45.
Checked into our dorm room, showered up, then to the beer ... errr ... food tent. Plan was to hook up with the rest of Cisco at 5 for a team photo, but a violent squall caused a section of the main tent to collapse and dispersed the crowd. Weather eventually cleared. My wife and I walked about campus a bit, then off to bed at 8.
Room was very hot. Hard to sleep. The couple bunked in with us was arguing during the night. Hard not to laugh.
Sunday - Bourne to ProvinceTown
4 AM. Out of bed. Suit up. Off to the tent to choke down some food. On the bike at 5. Its dark. I'm still asleep and almost fall off. Some 3800 cycling zombies are headed over the Bourne bridge towards PTown...80 miles to go.
Everyone told me the Cape was flat. Hah! Lots of up and down, but not as much as Saturday.
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| Gary tanking up at the Barnstable stop |
One aspect looms large on Sunday ... the PTown dunes. One climb in particular about 3 miles from finish. Pictures from years past...riders look REALLY unhappy coming up this hill. Many veterans moan about it. I'm thinking the wave that finally gets the Andrea Gail in the Perfect Storm.
40 miles to go. Brewster/Nickerson Park rest stop was a hoot. Rock and roll blaring at 9 AM! Big cheering crowd at Da Hedge at Ocean Edge.
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| Scott rolling through the Orleans Marshes |
I'm feeling OK up until the WellFleet stop. Stomach is now not good. 20 miles to finish. The dunes are coming. I gobble down what's left of the last PowerBar, a Gu, and some silly energy beans I picked up at one of the stops. Probably not a good idea to be shoveling all of this down now.
The exit from the Wellfleet stop shoots you down a very steep hill, then out onto route 6 for the last miles to PTown. I fall in with a small pack. Its clouding up and trying to rain. Finally we cross the PTown line. Couple miles up, we leave route 6 into the Province Lands...the dunes. The first snakes its way up for about a 1/2 mile. Not bad. But from the top of the first...there it is. About a mile from the first. The cameras are waiting for us at the top of the big one.
What else to do? We push it hard over the top and down the backside of the first. Flying through the flat. Finally up, up, up the big one. Grinding through every gear, down to 5 mph. Before you know it ... the top!
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| Steve summits the last dune on his way to the finish line |
Couple more miles up. A large cheering crowd lines the finish area. Lots of slapping high fives. I pull across the finish line and tell the volunteer "Very glad to be here!"
Back For More?
PMC was quite an experience. I hope the money we all raised for Dana Farber will make a difference. Would I consider doing this again....absolutely.
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| Christina and I at the PTown finish |
My very best regards to all Cisco team supporters. This would not have been possible without your help. We all did some good on August 2 and 3.
Cheers
If interested, further details
More event pics can be seen here
The route details can be seen here
