Yesterday (Fri, Oct. 2) I had the opportunity to support pancreatic cancer research by playing in the First Annual Ed Waters Memorial Golf Tournament.  So, who was Ed Waters?  Ed was my good friend’s uncle.  He was a scratch golfer, a high school golf coach, a high school basketball coach and very involved in his community.  He also died of pancreatic cancer this past April after being diagnosed only six months earlier.

The event was very well organized by his daughter and the proceeds from the event went to fund a scholarship in Ed’s name and to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance. This organization, which is based in central Massachusetts, supports those who are suffering from the disease and their families.

According to the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance – “pancreatic cancer research lags behind the tremendous strides made in the fight against leukemia, breast cancer, and AIDS. Pancreatic cancer, the nation’s 4th leading cancer killer, ranks just 11th in research funding from the National Cancer Institute. The NCI spent just $74.2 million to fight pancreatic cancer in 2006. (Here’s a spreadsheet detailing NCI spending.) As a result, the five-year survival rate is little changed in the past 30 years, while huge strides have been made in fighting other cancers.”

I also lost an uncle to this horrible disease.  It is very painful and most of the time you only find out you have it after it is essentially too late.  Please support the cause and let’s improve the five-year survival rate.

I’m glad that I’ve been able to help in my little way in the global fight against cancer.  Whether it is by wearing my yellow LIVESTRONG bracelet or riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge.  I saw this video today about the Lance Armstrong Foundation and it was very inspiring.  I hope you are inspired too.  And if you were wondering, no, it’s not too late to donate to the 2009 PMC.  Thanks!

I know it’s been a while since my last post and I was planning on writing one soon with some good news (which I will still do), but I just wanted to talk about Don Hewitt for a minute.  For those of you who don’t know who he was, Don Hewitt was the creator and executive producer of “60 Minutes”. (Boston.com story)

Now, I wasn’t a die hard fan of the show, but I did and still do enjoy it.  However, I just wanted to share a memory of seeing him accept the first Goldsmith Career Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Kennedy School at Harvard.  What I remember was some of the stories he told in his speech and realizing just how important “60 Minutes” was in educating the American public.  Of course, that has all changed today, but as a wide-eyed journalism student at the time, he was captivating.

While he was 86, cancer still took another father and husband.  People should die of old age and not of a brutally painful disease like pancreatic cancer.  My uncle went through that and no else should have to.  Thanks again for everyone’s support of my ride.  While the event is over for this year, the fundraising continues…

You can still donate: http://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=BE0034

This post is on the long side as I have combined three days into one post.  I did my best to make it as easy as possible to read.  Thanks again to everyone who supported me, it really means a lot.  I would also like to give a very huge thanks to my wife and family for supporting me through this four-month odyssey of fundraising, training rides and everything else that goes with it – Eric B.

Friday, July 31

Boarding the Bus:
Rain has been the one constant that most of the Mass.-based PMC riders have had to face all season, so to have steady downpours as we got ready to go to Sturbridge was not a surprise.  My PMC weekend officially started when Liz and the kids dropped me off at Babson College where I put my bike on the back of a truck and hopped on a bus.  I sat next to guy from Gloucester; it was his 19th PMC!  We had an interesting conversation about the history of the event and all the changes.  He started because his older brother died of cancer.

Sturbridge – Registration:
We pulled into Sturbridge and the rain appeared to have subsided, the weather report for the weekend was supposed to be good, but we couldn’t be sure.  I went in and registered and got my stuff and ran into Liz’s friend Stephanie (a high school friend who now lives in the DC area and was a first-time PMCer).  I didn’t know it at the time, but she was going to become a strong member of my group!  I gave Stephanie a tour of the registration set up, especially where the free beer was!

While we were inside, the skies opened up, this just meant we had to have another beer!  One of the fun parts of registration is all the PMC teams that are there selling t-shirts and tattoos.  Of course we had to get a couple tattoos, but no extra T-shirts this year.

The bikes had a refreshing shower, while we stayed inside and registered

The Crew:
We met up with Josh and Eric S., my two other riding buddies (this was Josh’s 11th PMC and Eric’s 6th) and made our way to dinner.  Then it was back to the hotel to watch the opening ceremonies on TV and turn in and prepare for the 4:00 am wake up call.

Saturday, August 1

4:oo a.m. Wake Up!
I was definitely excited and up before the 4:00 am alarm.  We went down to breakfast in the hotel, got dressed, grabbed the gear and hopped on the shuttle bus to the start.  This was the first year that I didn’t stay at the event hotel.  Larry, the leader of the crew and a 13-time rider took the year off to be with his pregnant wife, would always take care of getting a room at the event hotel.  Thankfully Eric S. was no rookie and reserved a room; otherwise I’m not quite sure where I would have stayed.

The Start:
While the PMC isn’t a race, the organizers have you line up by your average riding pace.  We typically line up in the middle to last-third of the 18+ mph corral.  Today, we lined up in the 2^nd corral – not sure why, but we did.  As a result, it did take us a little longer to get going and we had to ride with slower riders for a while.  Not a bad thing, but we just needed to be more alert.

Stephanie and I are ready to start the 30th PMC

Josh is ready!

Eric S. is too!

All-in-all the first day went very well.  I didn’t have the same issues as last year when I got dehydrated and had major cramping in my legs that required an IV when I got to Bourne.  However, for the second year in a row, I dropped a water bottle.  If I’m out alone on a ride, I’ll stop and pick it up, but not when you are in group.  You just need to let it go.  I just made sure to get plenty of water and Gatorade and take advantage of all the nice people along the way that were giving out water.

Strong Finish on Day 1:
Everyone in the group rode well and Stephanie helped pull us along for several stretches.  She really demonstrated her fitness in the hills!  Josh and Eric S. rode strong as well and we came in at 1:30 p.m.

Say No to Crashing:
This was also the first year in my three in which I had to avoid a crash.  We were turning left onto a road after a police officer cleared the way.  A young rider (I’m guessing only in his teens) didn’t quite understand what it was like to make a group turn. Thankfully he was ok and no one else went down.  What I found interesting is that while he was riding with us, I could tell he didn’t quite get what riding in a group was all about.  I’m sure he will now.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy:
It is always a good time at the MMA.  There is plenty of food, music, free beer and the best benefit of all, the free 15-minute massage.  While I’ve had massages before and they’ve always felt nice and relaxing, I couldn’t honestly say that I really felt much different after than I did before.  However, that changed in my first year when my neck and shoulders were very tight and sore after 112 miles of riding.  When the massage was over, my neck and shoulder pain were gone.  Just like that.  It was pretty amazing.

Lots of people and lots to eat in the food tent

I hung out with my roommate Andrew (Josh’s friend) and then we turned in around 8pm.  The dorm rooms can be very hot, but today they were nice.  In addition, I brought a mini-fan that I plugged in and kept right on the bunk bed.  That definitely helped (thanks to my mother-in-law for that!)

Saturday’s Tweets:

• #PMC Up b4 4am alarm. I’m excited to ride! Thanks to everyone who donated! We can and will defeat cancer!
• #PMC water stop 1 – in at 7:13. Going well!
• #PMC water stop 2 at 8:28 – Weather great and people on route even better!
• #PMC at lunch 10:16 Things are good and there inspiration to be found everywhere!
• #PMC water stop 4 – In at 11:46 Making good time. The sun is out and is getting HOT!!!
• #PMC last water stop! In at 12:45. Almost home! Thanks to all the volunteers!
• #PMC – 112 miles in the books! Made it to MMA @ 1:30. Not too bad. Only 79 More to go tomorrow. Thanx again for ur support!

Sunday, August 2

I was up again today before the 4:oo a.m. alarm.  Got dressed and grabbed the gear and headed down to the food tent.  One thing about the PMC, it is truly a logistical symphony.  Your bags are in your room when you get to MMA and then the volunteers somehow get your bags to the correct finish (there is the original finish and a family finish).

I met up with my crew, which today also included my roommate Andrew.  We were on our bikes and on our way to P-Town by 4:55 a.m.

The Bourne Bridge:
One of the truly special moments of the ride is the opportunity to ride our bikes over the Bourne Bridge.  They close off a lane with cones.  I guess in the past you had to walk your bike.  For those of you who haven’t gone over the Bourne Bridge, it isn’t too long, but it is pretty steep.  The view and the sunrise were great.

Today was really the first of the two days in which we were able to ride in a pace line.  A pace line is when cyclists ride single-file with the wheels of the bike close to each other.  When you ride in a pace line you are able to ride fast with less effort because of drafting.  Each person takes a turn at the front or a “pull” and then circles off.  I had some really good pulls today.

The second day always seems to be a much faster day.  Obviously there are fewer miles, but I also think it is because there isn’t a mass start, there aren’t as many riders and those riders tend to be a little stronger.  Anyway, it makes for some fast riding and that is definitely fun.

Da Hedge:
One of the many highlights of the Sunday ride was “Da Hedge”.  There is a camp a mile before the Brewster water stop.  At the front of this camp close to the road is a hedge that is about 100 yards long.  Behind this hedge were all the kids who were at the camp cheering, yelling and screaming as we rode by.  It is so much fun and really gets you moving.

Hammering the Climb:
There is this one long climb pretty close to the final water stop of the day in Wellfleet that overlooks the ocean.  It is very beautiful, today it was very foggy, so no view.  However, we were in a pretty long group of riders and we started to climb this hill.  Quite frankly, the group was going too slow.  So Stephanie and I started passing the group on the left.  Now, there might have been a tail wind, but my guess is that all the food, Gatorade and gels that I had consumed all kicked in at the same time, because I flew up the hill!  I left everyone behind to the point that I stopped and waited.  I guess the riding the Kanc’ paid off.  Stephanie was was next, followed by my guys and the rest of the group.

The Final Water Stop:
We really were making great time this morning, so much so, that I was concerned that I was going to miss Liz and the kids at the finish.  It was going to take about an hour and 15 minutes to get to the finish, which would have put us in around 10:00 a.m.  So, I decided to hang out a little and give the family the chance to get to P-Town.  Eric S. had his cousin’s wedding to get to, so he and Josh went and Stephanie and I stayed a while.  Which was good because we got to wait for some friends of hers.

The whole crew at the final PMC water stop

The Truro Pull:
One of the hardest stretches of the entire 192 miles is the last few miles through Truro on Rt. 6 to P-Town.  It is the thinnest part of the Cape.  There is no shelter from the wind and it is uphill most of the way.  It is also this part of the ride where I feel my training pays off the most.  For the third year in a row  I was able to pull for the entire stretch at the front of the pace line.  It’s just a really good feeling to be able to do that.

The Finish – P-Town:
The route doesn’t go all the way via Rt. 6.  Right after you cross the line into Provincetown you take a right into the National Sea Shore.  The road winds you through the dunes and up some pretty good hills.  Not that they are too tough, but at mile 187 not too much fun.

The group I was with was going to the Provincetown Inn finish (the original finish line), I was planning to go to the family finish.  I said good bye to Stephanie and her friends and headed to the family finish.  The extra time at the last water stop got me in right around 10:30 a.m., but Liz and the kids go stuck in a major traffic jam.  I was sad that they weren’t there to see me cross the line, but just knowing they were on there way really made my day.

Final Thoughts:
They say the ride is the reward for all the fundraising and it was.  It is always emotional and very difficult to explain.  Riding with Eric S. and Josh again was great and Stephanie was also a great addition.  I was able to meet the $4,200 minimum and it looks like I’ll make my $5,000 goal and possibly higher.  I also know that it wouldn’t have been possible without your generous support.  Thank you and together we can defeat cancer.  I look forward to starting this process over again next year with your support!

Sunday’s Tweets:

• #PMC Up at 4am and ready to go for day 2!
• #PMC Water stop 1 Day 2 – in @ 6:12 – beautiful sun rise and always cool to ride over Bourne Bridge!
• #PMC Water stop 2 Day – in @ 7:20 – really moving in 2nd leg. Da Hedge rocked!!!
• #PMC Water stop 3 Day 2 – in @ 8:40 – Holy fog Batman! Riding well and flew up long hill overlooking ocean…I think?
• #PMC Finish P-Town – in @ 10:30. Made great time and even held up so the fam could make it. No luck, major traffic

The PMC Ride Stats:

Date	Time	Duration	Distance	Avg. MPH	Max. MPH	Avg. RPM
1/2 – Aug	5:00 am	10:03:00	192.0	18.46	39.11	88

Me and the boy walking to the car in P-Town

Hello all, I’m working on my post from “the ride”, but life has gotten in the way.  Hopefully it will be up soon.  In the meantime, I wanted to share this quote from a first-time PMCer.  It was forwarded to all riders by PMC founder Billy Starr.

“Aside from the privilege of being there to hold my mother’s hand as she passed away from cancer, the Pan Mass Challenge was the second most profound experience in my life and I wanted to thank you all personally for it.
I have done several fundraising rides for other causes over the years, but never have I felt part of something so critically important – something that truly makes a difference in the lives of others. This weekend I learned it’s not about the personal achievement – it’s about what we, who are strong and able, can give to others- life and hope.  Thank you for all that you do to make that possible.”

And thank you to all of you have donated, because if it wasn’t for you, the PMC would just be another bike ride.

While Tuesday was my final training ride, the goal of today’s ride was just to take it nice and easy and stretch my legs out a little.  I left the bike computer home and just pedaled.  One thing I could tell is that my fitness has improved since those early April rides.  Today I went as far as those early rides with hardly breaking a sweat and or breathing too hard.  I guess I’m feeling prepared, but we’ll see how it goes in TWO DAYS!

Don’t Forget Mother Nature:
It was a nice and warm this morning, but there were a couple of instances when it started to rain a bit.  I think it was a sign from Mother Nature saying “I might not be done with you yet, so don’t get too comfortable!”  Well, the weather is supposed to be pretty good this weekend, but we’ll see.

Thank You!
I wanted to thank everyone who has supported me in my drive to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. As of today (7/30), I’m happy to report that my $4,200 fundraising minimum has been passed.  Hopefully the momentum will continue and we can hit my goal of $5,000.  I greatly appreciate all the support.

For my final training ride for this year’s PMC, it felt like summer finally showed up.  It was warm and even a little muggy.  There was thick fog hovering above the fields; it was a cool sight. 

Because the rain kept me off my bike on Sunday and Monday, today I tried to push my pace.  My goal was to have a short and pretty intense ride.  I wasn’t going for an individual time trial, but I wanted to focus on keeping my pace moving.  I think it is safe to say that I was able to do that.  While I’ll ride on Thursday morning, I’ll just be going out for a nice liesurely spin.  The only goal for Thursday’s ride is to get my legs spinning.  There is also a secondary goal; getting used to my repaired saddle!!! (I’m very happy to have it back!!!)

My kids are so giving…
While I don’t feel too bad, I have definitely come down with the cold my kids have.  Not anything that will keep me from riding, but just one more thing to deal with. 

Flying the PMC Colors:
I’ve noticed that many of the cyclists that I have seen in the past few weeks (whether I’ve been riding or driving) have been wearing their PMC ride shirts.  Now, I’d like to think that they’ve been out riding all season, but who knows?  Maybe they are just getting excited and want to show the world that they are part of this thing called the PMC and they are helping to fight cancer.  I know I am! 

Remembering Meghan Duffy:
Yesterday (July 27) would have been Meghan Duffy’s 13th birthday.  Meghan was my former boss’ daughter.  She was diagnosed with Lukemia as an infant.  She had a bone marrow transplant and lived cancer-free until four years ago.  The cancer returned and it was very aggressive.  She fought it as hard as anyone could, but in the end, cancer had another victim. 

One of the best moments of my first PMC was when I got to see Meghan at the lunch stop.  She was ”Pedal Partner” (a cancer patient from the Jimmy Fund that a team rides for).  Meghan will always be one of the people I’m riding for. 

Please Donate! http://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=BE0034 

Today’s Ride Stats:

Date	Time	Duration	Distance	Avg. MPH	Max. MPH	Avg. RPM
28-Jul	5:00 AM	1:00:25	18.59	18.47	34.00	???

One week from today I’ll be riding with about 5,000 of my closest friends in the PMC.  The start of the ride is in Sturbridge, Mass.  The first 20 miles of the ride are rather hilly.  Now, I didn’t feel I needed to go further than I did last week, but I still wanted a significant ride.  My goal was to do two things.  1. to ride 50 miles; and 2. try and mimic the most difficult part of the PMC by essentially riding in the same geography as the route.

I’m happy to report that I was able to accomplish both goals.  The route was mostly hilly heading west. In fact, it was a lot more up than down going and more down coming home – which was a nice reward.  Speaking of those hills, I felt pretty strong going up and I’m confident that I’ll be ready for next week.  My only concern as I type this is that both of my kids are sick and I’m starting to feel that tickle in my throat.  I hope it will pass quickly!

“Half Way Home at the Turn”:
When setting a distance goal (especially and out and back route – not a loop) I’ve found that you get a little boost when you hit your mark and turn around and head for home.  Why?  Because as soon as you make the turn for home, you’re already more than half way to completing your goal.  It’s just one of those things that helps me push the pace when I’m tired.

Buzz Kill in Grafton:
I personally have nothing against the Town of Grafton at all.  In fact, I have some dear friends who live there.  This rant is only from a cyclist’s perspective.  Coming out of the town common in Grafton are several roads and all lead down hill.  I was headed to Millbury, so I took Millbury Road (or Street, I can’t quite remember).  Now, this hill is long and steep.  And you’d think you get to enjoy the ride down.  Guess again; there is a stop sign at the bottom.  Not only would I have to ride back up it, but I didn’t even get to benefit from the ride down. I had to be on the brakes the whole time and stop at the bottom!

Grub on the Go:
I know that I’ve mentioned GU in the past.  For today’s ride I tried a new flavor “Tri Berry”.  I can’t say I liked it too much.  However, despite the taste they worked.  I also tried Clif Shot Blocks.  They are electrolyte chews – need to prevent the cramping in my legs that I encountered during last year’s ride.  The flavor I had was Margarita – how could I not with National Tequilla day taking place on Friday.  In addition to two water bottles filled with Gatorade, this kept me well fueled.  However, it did feel good to have some regular old water when I got home.

My spent grub from my ride today.

Today’s Ride Stats:

Date	Time	Duration	Distance	Avg. MPH	Max. MPH	Avg. RPM
25-Jul	5:00 AM	2:49:44	50.40	17.81	41.22	88

After three challenging rides up in New Hampshire, it was good to be back in familiar territory.  My rides up there definitely made a difference.  I felt pretty strong going up the hills on today’s ride, but at the same time I could tell I hadn’t been on the bike in six days; especially on the return trip.  It is funny how that works.  Once again the rain caused me to miss a ride this past Tuesday.  I don’t have too many days left!!!

‘Wylie E. Coyote?’
I was wondering if I was going to see a coyote on my ride and today was the day.  I wish it was Wylie E. Coyote, but it wasn’t.  I was riding up the second of the two hills on my route and it ran across the road.  At first I thought it might be a fox, but it was too big.  It ran into a yard and then it turned around.  I don’t think it was going to do anything, but it did turn to look at me.  It was about 30 or more yards away, so I wasn’t too concerned, but I was doing my best to run through possible exit strategies.  Thankfully the best thing happened, we both went our separate ways. 

Getting Close:
With a little more than a week to go, I’m getting closer to the $4,200 fundraising minimum, but I’m not there yet.  I’m still $650 away.  Anything is helpful, so please give what you can.  Cancer has touched us and we can make a difference.

Here’s the link to my PMC page. http://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=BE0034   

The Ride Stats:

Date	Time	Duration	Distance	Avg. MPH	Max. MPH	Avg. RPM
23-Jul	5:00 AM	1:02:29	18.01	17.3	33.10	88

The rain is really starting to get me down.  Tuesday was a washout.  Hopefully Thursday will be dry.  I’ll be looking to get in a couple of long rides this weekend and then I’ll do some easy rides next week and then it’s the PMC on August 1 & 2!!!

Fundraising Update:
Thanks to everyone who has donated so far.  I’m under a $1,000 to go to the $4,200 minimum.  Hopefully I’ll make it before the ride???  Please consider donating.  Thank you!

Click here to donate

The ‘Kanc’ Video:
Here’s my little slideshow/video that I took with my cellphone as rode from Conway, NH to Lincoln, NH and back on the Kancamagus Highway last Friday.  I hope you like it.