Updated 7/15/22
The Pan-Mass Challenge is a 2-day, 200 mile bike ride for the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute. Read about my
2021 ride,
an overview
of the Dana-Farber, or go the the home pages for the PMC
and the DFCI.
2008: The Virtual Ride
A wise friend once said that the journey is more important than the destination. That may have been true for a guy who was heading off on a two year honeymoon, but for riders on the PMC, there is only one end point - a cure for cancer, even though there are many paths to get there.This year I am taking a different path. For the last 19 years I have been riding to Provincetown, MA during the first weekend in August to raise money for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This year I will be in Wyoming that weekend with the Stow Boy Scouts, camping in the Wind River Range, so I won't be able to join the 5400 cyclists pedaling for a cure. Instead, I'll be with a friend, Moe, going from his home in Needham to Provincetown. We'll start before dawn, riding 135 miles down the South Shore, across the Cape Cod Canal, along Rt. 6A and up through the dunes of Truro, hoping to reach our goal for a quick lunch before the ferry ride back to Boston. This "Virtual PMC" will still support the same great cause, but with fewer crowds. We will miss the water stops, police support, and thousands of volunteers who cheer on the riders.
How do you train for something like this? In June I flew from Boston (sea level) to Denver, then drove to Idaho Springs (7500 ft) and biked 27 miles up Mt. Evans (14,200ft). The thin, cold air made this the hardest ride of my life, not helped by the wind and snow for the last few miles (see pix on right). I had to stop several times to catch my breath. Even the ride down was brutal as the wind chill made me shiver so much I couldn't steer straight and the frost heaves threatened to throw me off my bike. Never have to do that one again!
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Donations
Use eGifts to make a contribution to the PMC. This is a secure web site that allows you to make an on-line donation with your credit card. (Your personal info will NOT be used except to verify your credit card info and send an acknowledgement. I promise - no junk mail!) This helps lower costs for the PMC, which means more of your money goes to work looking for a cure for cancer. Over 99% of donations to the PMC go to the Jimmy Fund compared to 50-60% of other charitable fundraisers.
Lastly, here are my writeups for previous rides, including
2007,
2006,
2005,
2004,
2003,
2002,
2001,
2000,
1999,
1998,
and 1997.
Thank you for your help!
Chris Spear
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