Everyone was up early and excited about the last ride of the trip: an out and back over the Gavia. The Gavia is the 10th highest pass in the Alps and often featured as the Cima Coppi (highest point) on the Giro D’Italia. From our hotel in Bormio it would be just over 31 miles…

The day after the Stelvio, I was not feeling all that well she I woke up and was contemplating not riding. I had booked a massage for the late afternoon and would have been content to rest all morning. But, plans were being made to ride up a pass towards Livigno, a ski town near…

This post is much delayed…but I hope it’s worth the wait. I was too tired to post when we completed the ride, and then the next two days got away from me, too. So, pretend I posted this on Tuesday. Today’s ride was what the entire Italy trip was building to: climbing the famous Passo…

After several days of riding, we earned a day off today. We slept in, strolled, shopped, did laundry, napped, checked in with family, ate gelato and pizza, and anything else not bike related that felt right including wishing Larry Happy Birthday! For his present, we have a big ride from Bolzano to Bormio planned tomorrow,…

Sunday was get away day from Alleghe. The plan was to ride to Bolzano over Passo Fedaia, one of the toughest climbs in the Dolomites. What makes this route particularly tough is that the climb starts at just 3% but gets steeper the higher you get, until you’re riding over 12% for the last 3…

Today’s ride was a big one, with four climbs totaling over 8000 ft of climbing over 62 miles. The voices were loud at the start — “your legs aren’t read my for this,” “you don’t have enough water”, “you’ll never finish”, “better tell the guides to look for you by the side of the road.”…

Road cycling is still relatively new to me. Before I started riding the Pan Mass Challenge in 2016 I had never ridden more than about 25 miles. I was a runner and before that a soccer player so I had fitness, but both of those activities are bounded — I usually ran only a few…

The first day in the Dolomites (almost) did not disappoint! That almost was for Larry, whose bike crapped out before we even left for the morning. The battery for his shifters was dead and so he headed to the bike shop to see if it could be fixed. They thought they fixed it and sent…

Part of the excitement about PMC is just getting ready for the rides. Typically, I ride twice over the weekend, but this year I am riding three days. More prep! You’ve got to choose what kit to wear each day, what your nutrition and hydration plan will be, what comfort items to bring, what to…

For the past 8 years, he first weekend in August has been the best weekend of the year for me. It’s the weekend of the Pan Mass Challenge, a charity ride to raise funds for cancer treatment and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The PMC attracts over 6000 riders from all over the world…

When I awoke on Sunday in the hotel, my eye was burning and clearly infected, my sinuses painful and clogged, and I could tell that sleep had not restored much energy. In fact, a had felt feverish over night and had to get up several times. I picked up my phone and saw a text…

Soon after I arrived at my hotel in Jackson. I received a text from Kai. He had arrived at the next campground, and had experienced both weather and mechanical difficulties. “Got to the campground. Pretty brutal day. Last 5 miles just mud. My belt came off and my rear brake is busted.” Ugh. I was…

Morning of Day 3, Kai got going early as he had a steep climb ahead of him in iffy conditions. I slept in a bit longer. I got going about an hour and a half later after packing up my bike and eating a big breakfast at the resort restaurant. Before leaving I received two…

Waking up in Colter Bay it was clear that my body had not rid itself of COVID. My first coronavirus infection hit me sometime between my son’s senior prom and his graduation day, roughly 10 days prior to my trip. I knew it was a risk deciding to continue on the trip, but my symptoms…

June 15 was officially day 0 for the trip, and we had planned a relatively level, paved 46 miles from Jackson to Colter Bay Village, where we would camp. I had spent the night blowing my nose, taking medicine, going to the bathroom, all in an effort to force out the remains of Covid that…

We (Kai and I) arrived in Jackson, WY without incident, collected our bikes and bags and caught a Suburban taxi to our hotel for the night. The bike boxes weathered the journey, and so we set to reassembling our bikes. This being my first time reassembling a bike, it took a while, and ultimately I…

Having never flown with a bike before I arrived three hours before departure to check mine in. The process could not have been simpler. A Delta agent led me over to the bulky items check in area, where I was second in line. Five minutes later, Naomi from Delta wheeled my bike away. If all…

The bike is in a box, my gear are in bags, and I’m ready for the adventure to begin. Just a restless night between me and my flight. Thanks to the careful folks at Belmont Wheelworks for getting Ruby all tucked in! And thanks to my family for supporting me on this adventure!