PMC weekend was, in a word, spectacular. Every year I look forward to PMC weekend for so many reasons, but mostly for how much it feeds my soul. To be surrounded by so many people united in an important cause is almost indescribable, but I’ll try to do so anyways.
For the past several years I have ridden a Fidelity PMC team that directs its fundraising to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation within the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I became involved with this particular foundation through a friend and neighbor whose son has been living with a brain tumor since he was very young. Before the PBTF was founded there was almost no research into pediatric brain tumors, the most common kind of cancer in childhood. Today, thanks to years of fundraising by organizations such as the PBTF there are many promises lines of research and treatment for these tumors, and those treatments are far less toxic to children. My friend’s son is now in college, a testament to the doctors at Dana-Farber.
Through the PMC, I have met other children fighting cancer. Of of those children is Willa, our current PMC pedal partner, who has been living with a tumor on her optic nerve that has been affecting her ability to see. Willa is entering sixth grade this year and continues to receive treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for her tumor. More on Willa, later. But first, more about what I think makes PMC weekend so special.
I think that the word that best defines the PMC is gratitude. Everyone is thanking everyone pretty much all the time for things big and small. Thank you for riding. Thank you for giving. Thank you for volunteering. Thank heavens I’m still here. Thank you for the water, for the food, for the music, for the cheering, for the cowbells, for the treatment, for the clinical trial, for the good weather, for waiving me through that intersection and keeping me safe, for the massage after the ride, for all the encouragement, for the smile, for the laugh, for the shoulder to cry on…thank you for everything.
A close second to gratitude would be the word selflessness. It’s incredible how everyone all weekend seems to be focusing on helping someone else. No one is trying to be the center of the attention and no one is complaining. Everyone is looking out for everyone else and doing what they can to make those people feel comfortable and welcome. While cancer is what brings us together for the PMC, the PMC is so much more than a cause or a disease. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that 6000 almost complete strangers could be described as a family. There’s no way to know everyone’s name or even recognize their face, but you know that with certainty that any one of them would come to your aid without hesitation if you needed it.
Every long-term PMC rider will tell you about how they’ve developed friendships with people they see only once per year. In the 8 years I’ve been doing the PMC ride I have developed many such friendships, and it’s always a delight to see them. Some of those friendships have grown into year-round friendships. I may see them on random group rides or make plans to ride together. Some have even reached the point where we plan destination rides together.
This year, I chose to join a small group of PMC riders at the NY-MA border on the Friday before the official ride started if for nothing else to stretch out PMC weekend. The Friday before PMC weekend is the unofficial Day 0 ride. It’s not a part of the organized ride, but every year dozens of riders do it. I had heard talk of it for several years but had never really considered doing it until last year. I don’t know why riding 283 miles over three days seemed so much daunting than 187 miles over two days, but it did. But, this year I decided to give it a try.
I was fortunate to find two other riders who wanted to do the Day 0 ride with me. Josh and Stephanie are also with Team Willa. Stephanie’s husband agreed to shepherd us out the day before and then to the NY border early the next morning. With those logistics taken care of, all I had to do was load up my bike and pack my bags for the weekend.
When we arrived in Lenox, MA Thursday evening we checked into our hotel and then went out for a delicious Italian dinner. Stephanie’s daughter joined us as well and we had a great time discussing favorite musical bands.
After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep so we could wake up early for the ride.
Day 0 – NY/MA border to Sturbridge
The plan for Friday was to meet other riders at a small municipal parking lot on the side of a state road right on the New York border. Several other groups of riders were also planning their departures throughout the morning.
We arrived at the border just after a thunderstorm passed through, and hoped that it would be the last rain we’d see for the weekend.
With the rain cleared at 6:30 am, Josh, Stephanie, and I set out together to ride to Sturbridge, MA, 96 miles away. (Another rider we only met that day, Alex, joined our crew for most of the day, though he isn’t in many of my pictures.)
While there were occasionally other riders with us, for most the ride it was just the four of us. We rode through amazing country roads and up and over the pass where the Appalachian Trail cuts through western Massachusetts.
We saw dozens of other riders making similar ‘Day 0” journeys, and along the way we were treated to food and beverages at stops set up by friends and family to keep us all fueled and hydrated. The whole thing was a lot more organized than I had anticipated it would be.
The weather was cooperative even though there were forecasts of possible rain, and we stayed dry the 96 miles. It was all smiles all morning!
Near Northampton we spent some time on a beautiful and lightly used rail trail that included a ride on a converted railroad bridge over the Connecticut River. I have mixed feelings about riding a road bike on rail trails, but this was pretty cool.
Except for spreading out occasionally on hills we kept pace together most of the way. Josh and Alex had a bit more in their legs near the end of the ride and so they sped to the finish. Stephanie and I rolled into Sturbridge, MA not long after, just after noon.
Day 0 – PMC Festivities
Once we had arrived in Sturbridge, our first task was to check in and get our bikes ready for the big group departure early the next day.
As other riders checked in the lot filled up quickly with bikes. Behind the hotel, food and beverages were served while friends new and old gathered to swap stories and plan for the weekend’s rides. Dusk came all too quickly, and many of us headed into the convention center ballroom attached to the hotel to watch the opening ceremonies, headlined by Billy Starr, the founder of the PMC. Billy started out by comparing PMC weekend to the hit show, Ted Lasso, because there is just so much goodness and compassion all around, and no matter what the challenge is, we come together and find a way. It was a cool moment.
During his talk, Billy shared several key points about the PMC that I found inspiring:
- The PMC has raised over $950 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since it was founded in 1980.
- Every dollar raised by PMC participants goes directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
- Over 60% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual budget comes from the PMC.
- The PMC has become the largest athletic fundraising event in the country.
- Over 1000 cancer survivors – who the PMC designate our Living Proof community – either rode or volunteered in the PMC this year alone.
- Over half of all cancer treatments approved by the FDA in the past five years were developed at Dana-Farber.
Billy promised that the PMC will pass the $1 billion mark by next year’s PMC — an absolutely astounding milestone for a charity ride to reach. I look forward to being a part of the group that helps deliver on that goal.
Day 1 – Sturbridge to Bourne
Saturday morning, the official start was at 5:30 am. At 5 am, after putting away a carb-heavy breakfast, I met up with Ed, a fellow Team Willa rider. Ed and I rode together on Day 2 last year and we were going to try to stay together on Day 1 this year. My legs were sore and heavy from the Day 0 ride, and we had a long day ahead of us, so I was a bit anxious.
Ed and I joined a large crew of riders that promised to be fast. It’s hard to tell in pictures, but sometimes you can tell just by standing next to another rider that he spends more time on his bike than you do on yours, and that you’re going to be hanging on for dear life as you try to keep up.
Sure enough, we were on the gas almost immediately after the Star Bangled Banner was sung. I gamely hung with the group for about 10 miles, but with a 110 mile ride on tap for the day and close to 100 miles ridden the previous day, I made the decision to back off to be sure I could make it to Bourne, MA. Ed and I parted ways, but crossed paths at the first rest stop. We’d catch up later in Bourne.
I also bumped into Billy Starr at the first rest stop and he graciously agreed to a selfie in front of the snack table.
Over the day, I rode with a variety of people, and enjoyed the scenery. Rest stops were a great place to connect with friends. The Dighton High School rest stop is also where the riders from Wellesley first have a chance to connect with the riders from Sturbridge. We found some more Fidelity riders there. And we ate pickles, because that’s what cyclists do.
One of my favorite parts of the Day 1 ride is Cherry Street in Wrentham. They did not disappoint this year, with a steel drum band, cowbells, and my favorite: bagpipes with drums.
The Lakeville rest stop is my favorite of all because it’s where we have a chance to connect with our pedal partners. I was fortunate that Willa was there when I checked in. As always, she greeted us with a huge smile and hug. She has really grown since I saw her the previous year.
Willa is excited about sixth grade, which will be in the middle school in her town. Her older brother and parents were there, too, and they all wanted to express how thankful they are to all the riders and donors that have made Willa’s treatment possible. I left Lakeville with a full heart and renewed energy! It wasn’t long before I rolled into the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne, where I would refuel, rest, and relax all afternoon.
Day 2 – Bourne to Provincetown
On Sunday morning, Ed and I were up at 3:30 am so that we could get packed, ready the bikes, eat, and get to the Bourne Bridge, where a dedicated bike lane was opened for us between 5 and 6 am. If you’re late you have to walk over the bridge, which is not fun in cycling shoes.
Ed and I were joined by Ben and Marc, two riders we had ridden with the previous year, and together we headed for the Bourne bridge. The goal for the day was to ride as fast as we could while sticking together. At the first rest stop we picked up Stephanie and Keith, and that became our crew for the day.
Riding at pre-dawn along the Cape Cod Canal we slowly warmed up. By the time we left the canal we were clipping along at a very quick pace. Each of us took a turn at the front as the miles clicked by.
With sun coming up, we were reminded of one of the dangers of cycling: cars. Another rider had been clipped by a car whose driver had been blinded by the sun on an uphill road. First responders were on the scene and the rider was sitting up, which was encouraging. Still, it’s always unsettling when you see a rider down and their bike crumpled.
We continued on and soon reached the Cape Cod Rail Trail. As I said before, I have a mixed feeling about rail trails. On the one hand, it’s good to be away from traffic and the dangers cars pose. But, you also have to be aware of joggers, walkers, strollers, recreational cyclists, kids learning to bike, dogs on or off leashes…it can be almost as stressful as riding on the road. Fortunately, the rail trail was mostly empty at 7 am when we were on it, and we made short work of it without incident.
We reached the final rest stop at 8 am, fueled up quickly and got back on the road. Stephanie had been cracking us up all morning with what we dubbed the “non-Irish goodbye”: instead of disappearing without saying goodbye (the Irish goodbye), she kept telling us that she was going to drop off because we were going too fast, but we’d turn around and she’d still be there a half hour later. We were still six strong after 3 hrs of riding. It’s exhilarating when you find yourself in a group of riders as well matched as we were that morning.
The weather just kept getting better, and we only faced a mild headwind as we approached the dunes of Provincetown. Somehow, my legs felt stronger at the end of the day than they had in the morning. Four of us broke off near the final few miles in the dunes and just after 9 am we arrived at the Provincetown Inn. We posed for a group photo before showering and grabbing some food.
The end of PMC weekend had arrived. My “other” family awaited me in Provincetown so we could begin a family vacation together on the Cape. After saying some heartfelt goodbyes to my PMC family, I hopped into the car with my wife and two sons, and we drove off into the dunes in the other direction.
I’ll leave you with the official video from the PMC with video highlights from the 2023 weekend. I think it really does a great job of capturing the feel of the weekend.
363 days until PMC 2024…
Fargo and Away 
Leave a reply to Linda Cotter Cancel reply