My first in 2023 was cancelled by weather. While the weather was fair, not good, at the start line, it was tropical-force winds and freezing rain at the summit. I had my bike all kitted out and nowhere to go. 

The Mount Washington bike is my first road bike. It had been sitting unused in my garage. Still loved, just not used. The Rockpile gave it new life. A friend gave me her 20-tooth front chainring. That turned my yellow Bianchi Giro into a climbing machine. The rest was decorative, adding some Bianchi celeste color to the bike with handlebar tape, a saddle, and wheel stripes in the iconic color. With the new gearing, the bike’s only use was climbing steep roads. 

In 2024 I was finally able to climb. The views were beautiful. The cramps and shooting pains in my legs were not. My time was 2:05. Surely, I could find 5 minutes. I could break that 2-hour mark. I had to come back again. 

In 2025, I was still recovering from a crash and a broken shoulder. I was just happy to participate and reach the summit. 

This year, 2026, hitting a PR and breaking the 2-hour mark was on the table. It was still the same bike. I had on my Rippers bibs and my BreakthroughT1D charity ride pink jersey for coaches.  Jacob, a fellow coach, joined me for the climb, also resplendent in pink.

My strategy for the hillclimb is to peg my heart rate to a rate just below my maximum so I can hold it for 2 hours. That magic number for me is 160 bpm. I switched my Wahoo display to prominently display my heart rate.  

As the hill climb starts you get that first 100 yards of flat road, cross the gate, then immediately hit that 12.5% gradient. I made sure to take it gradually and not hit the redline right at the beginning. I heard a lot strains of riders around me pushing hard already. In minutes my heartrate hit 160. I just had to moderate to keep it there.

As the third time up the Auto Road, I’ve gotten used to the rhythm. By keeping a little off the gas, I felt good at the Mile 1 marker. Good is an exaggeration. I didn’t feel like I was going to die.

I had my heart rate in big numbers on my computer. I had no need for a map. There was only one way to go. Speed would be ridiculous. Three to four miles per hour is not useful. I did tuck in my elapsed time versus my PR. I glanced down and saw I was a thirty seconds ahead of my PR.

It was on. Thirty seconds ahead at mile 1 was not enough. I cranked just a little harder. Not too hard. There were still six brutal miles ahead.

At mile two, I was ahead of pace. Breaking the two hour mark was within reach if I kept this pace. Could I keep this pace? Was failure an option?

Halfway up at mile 3.5, the road flattens out. Not flat. I made that mistake the first year and stopped pedaling. I almost fell over. 5% feels flat after all those infernal gradients. It’s still plenty steep.

Now the trees start shrinking and the views take over. I pass Brian. He’s on the side of the road with a broken chain. It’s going to take some time to get that fixed. I’d bet he’ll still end up passing me. (Spoiler alert: He passed me.)

Mile 4.5 you get a long, steep, straight stretch. You can see the long line of climbers above you on the road ahead. Off to the left is a steep drop down into Huntington Ravine. A very steep drop. A drop not for those who are afraid of heights. The road surface is rough. I’m not afraid of heights, but I’m sensible enough to know that falling over is a possibility. I stay to the right on the road.

Mile five, you hit the hairpin turn at the top of that section. You can see the observatory at the top. It looks so small. There is a little jolt of excitement to see the final goal. The trees are gone. It’s all rocks. And rocks on top of rocks.

Up ahead I see a bright pink jersey. That has to be Jacob. He started five minutes ahead of me in the prior wave. That was my rabbit to chase.

I passed a guy walking his bike with a weird stride. He had ripped his pedal off the crank. Now the pedal was clipped to his shoe, without enough torque to take it off. That was going to be a long 2 mile walk.

I’m closing in on the pink jersey. I’m close enough to determine that it is actually Jacob. A rider passes me. I tell him to let Jacob know that I’m coming for him.

I get him.

Jacob had heard me talk to that rider. I guess I was closer than I thought. I look down at my pace. I’m way ahead.

Half mile to go. I pace myself to stay side by side with Jacob. Or he paces to stay side by side with me. Opinions will vary.

This is the best/worst part of the climb. You know that massive headwall is at the end. You also know you’ve got cheering crowds ahead. That motivates me. The Rippers will be on that headwall. Their roaring gets just a little louder when they see another Ripper on the headwall.

A spectator yells: “You got this!” My adrenaline has kicked in. My response: “I f**king got this!”

We make the penultimate turn. It’s the headwall. The roar of the crowd. Cowbells ringing. I point to the Rippers and demand more noise. They respond with a cacophany.

Slam the pedals. Redline. This is the final push. This is the steepest gradient. No need to keep anything in the tank. Push the pedals. Push.

Jacob is still with me. Wait. Is he sprinting? That means I have to sprint. He comes around me. Boom. Keep pace. I think. To the line….

Air. Breathe. More Air. Don’t fall over. Breathe. The legs are shaking. The tank is empty.

I fond my son. Someone to lean on. A big hug for him. A big hug for Jacob. Breathe.

Time check:

Smashed the 2-hour mark. A grin of satisfaction. A grimace of pain.

Life is good. Happy that I can still do dumb stuff like this. Happy that I’m already planning for next year.

You can read my summary of the year long quest: MassBike351: The Whole Story.

On the way back from the ferry I stop to take a picture by the Yarmouth town sign. I had already been through town twice: Plymouth to Provincetown and Pan-Mass Challenge. I hadn’t stopped to take a picture either time.

Yarmouth comes last alphabetically so it seemed like good karma to have it be the last picture taken of the Massbike 351 quest.

Yes, it’s a brutal climb. It was hot and there was a lack of breeze below the tree line. I’m ready to sign up again.

My son was great to help with support. You need someone willing to drive up the mountain and hang out for hours as the riders come up. Then drive the riders back down.

I wore my pink Breakthrough T1D coach kit. I was joined by Paul, Frank and Adrian, fellow Breakthrough T1D riders.

The Rippers were fantastic at the top of the climb, with the steepest gradients. Their roars got me up that last section when I had nothing left in the tank.

Here is a video compilation from the ride.

You can read the full recap of my ride here: https://dougcornelius.com/pmc2025/

I popped up. My right arm hurt and I couldn’t lift it up.

My first focus was the bike. The computer snapped off. There were scrapes. It seemed rideable.

I walked the bike down the street trying shake off the pain in my shoulder. I used my left hand to feel my collarbone. The classic cyclist injury. I felt like it was in one piece. I contemplated getting back on the bike. Maybe a hot shower at the gym would alleviate the pain. It wouldn’t. I called home for a ride to the ER.

Comminuted fracture of right proximal humerus involving the surgical neck and greater tuberosity. I was going to be off the bike for a while.

I’m tracking them in this Google Sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RBLkph2d5Buh-d1l5jpkWieLxIQJ6U35rHFPG-lqk8Q/edit?usp=sharing

No rules yet on distance I have to spend in a municipality. I have been able to get a picture in each one. Lots of stopping at town line signs instead of sprinting at them.

Through the end of March, I’ve reached 142. Still a long way to go, but I’m making significant progress and staying on track.

Here are the routes, tracked in Strava. (If it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen.)

And here is a traditional map, marking the boundaries.

No rules yet on distance I have to spend in a municipality. So far I have been able to get a picture in each one.

It doesn’t like like much yet on the Strava map. That is 64 municipalities.

To get to all 351, with 365 days, that means averaging a town a day to finish by year end. Obviously, getting to 64 in the first month puts me way ahead of schedule.

But February weather may be a challenge. Snow may slow me down. The cold may slow me down.

Onward, keeping the rubber side down.

The list for January:

1. Abington https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETFylevww_/
2. Acushnet https://www.strava.com/activities/13265871471 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEaqXihyztC
3. Avon https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETF82TPdgf
4. Bellingham https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
5. Belmont https://www.strava.com/activities/13382479826 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-alanOo4O/?img_index=5
6. Blackstone https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
7. Boston https://www.strava.com/activities/13382479826 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-alanOo4O/?img_index=2
8. Bridgewater https://www.strava.com/activities/13327946495 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEsyS4mSn8E/
9. Brockton https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETGPjqvLyR/
10. Cambridge https://www.strava.com/activities/13382479826 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-alanOo4O/?img_index=4
11. Chelsea https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZUWAyF3O/
12. Danvers https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEva7NsyswU/
13. Dartmouth https://www.strava.com/activities/13265871471 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEaqhldyMYv
14. Douglas https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
15. Dover https://www.strava.com/activities/13391011725 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_NVlXO0Ya/?img_index=1
16. Dudley https://www.strava.com/activities/13459810423 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFTWD4eyPG1/?img_index=1
17. East Bridgewater https://www.strava.com/activities/13327946495 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEsychcyD6V/
18. Everett https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZN9lyjG-/
19. Fairhaven https://www.strava.com/activities/13265871471 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEaqtRTSd_Z
20. Franklin https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
21. Halifax https://www.strava.com/activities/13327946495 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEsyortymU1/
22. Hanover https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETGZD5PVJ9
23. Hanson https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETGg8XvaeL/
24. Holbrook https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETGo9PPEii
25. Holliston https://www.strava.com/activities/13391011725 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_NVlXO0Ya/?img_index=1
26. Lynn https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZmjdy-iQ/
27. Malden https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZJvAynsk/
28. Marblehead https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEvaRsiS4g3/
29. Mattapoisett https://www.strava.com/activities/13265871471 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEaq3_Uy8fc
30. Medfield https://www.strava.com/activities/13391011725 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_NVlXO0Ya/?img_index=1
31. Medford https://www.strava.com/activities/13388734234 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-a2vIOKsp/?img_index=2
32. Melrose https://www.strava.com/activities/13388734234 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-a2vIOKsp/?img_index=3
33. Millis https://www.strava.com/activities/13391011725 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_NVlXO0Ya/?img_index=1
34. Millville https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
35. Nahant https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZtTRyJgP/
36. Natick https://www.strava.com/activities/13391011725 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_NVlXO0Ya/?img_index=1
37. New Bedford https://www.strava.com/activities/13265871471 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEarA5xSoBF
38. Peabody https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEvaWiVS58C/
39. Pembroke https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETGxuEv1rT/
40. Randolph https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETG-4rvMpY/
41. Revere https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZgj2yIa3/
42. Rockland https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETHGr6vD7k/
43. Salem https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEvaz9vyFeR/
44. Saugus https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZAalyktg/
45. Sherborn https://www.strava.com/activities/13391011725 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE_NVlXO0Ya/?img_index=1
46. Somerville https://www.strava.com/activities/13382479826 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-alanOo4O/?img_index=3
47. Southbridge https://www.strava.com/activities/13459810423 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFTWD4eyPG1/?img_index=1
48. Stoneham https://www.strava.com/activities/13388734234 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-a2vIOKsp/?img_index=5
49. Swampscott https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEvas_by1EP/
50. Topsfield https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEvac6Qy5tH/
51. Uxbridge https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
52. Wakefield https://www.strava.com/activities/13388734234 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-a2vIOKsp/?img_index=4
53. Waltham https://www.strava.com/activities/13382479826 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-alanOo4O/?img_index=7
54. Watertown https://www.strava.com/activities/13382479826 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-alanOo4O/?img_index=6
55. Webster https://www.strava.com/activities/13400201222 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFBniDgujPL/?img_index=1
56. Wenham https://www.strava.com/activities/13336805936 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEvahyWyNTw/
57. West Bridgewater https://www.strava.com/activities/13327946495 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEsyiW7S_b4/
58. Westport https://www.strava.com/activities/13265871471 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEarIJcS9E5/
59. Weymouth https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETHOZ_vOGY/
60. Whitman https://www.strava.com/activities/13240153346 https://www.instagram.com/p/DETHVFfv38o/
61. Winchester https://www.strava.com/activities/13388734234 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-a2vIOKsp/?img_index=7
62. Winthrop https://www.strava.com/activities/13274631844 https://www.instagram.com/p/DEdZZ_ZyVN9/
63. Woburn https://www.strava.com/activities/13388734234 https://www.instagram.com/p/DE-a2vIOKsp/?img_index=6
64. Worcester https://www.strava.com/activities/13450384531 https://www.instagram.com/p/DFRDbt-ulgC/?img_index=1

From Team Kinetic Karma, we had Chris, Ty, me, Stephen and Cap’n Dave.

Unfortunately, I was there with a heavy heart. A great friend, Doc Price, had recently lost his battle with cancer.

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Pan-Mass Challenge events are always filled some underlying sadness. We’ve all lost someone to cancer. We all know some who has battled cancer or is still fighting it. We celebrate with bikes for the battles we’ve won. With this underlying grief.

We had a great collection of Team Kinetic Karma and the Brainstorms to ride and celebrate together.

The weather was fabulous and the friendship was even better.

It’s a hilly ride, with most of the big climbs on dirt roads.

For this ride “Pan-Mass” means includes a big chunk of the ride in New York.

Even though we didn’t all finish together, we celebrated the finish together.

Donate to the fight against cancer: https://egifts.unpaved.org/DC0176

Thanks to Steve the Bike Guy for setting up my bike with some special gearing. He got a 20T ring on the front for me.

It’s a short ride from the start line on a flat road. After 100 yards you reach the start of the hill. You can see it in the background behind the picture of the bike above. Then you just keep climbing, non-stop, to the summit. Some 5% sections feel flat. They’re not. If you try to coast, you come to a stop.

An hour plus of pedaling for strong climbers. Two hours for me.

Here is a video of the climb.

Early Friday morning we woke at our AirBnB in Canaan, New York. Some coffee and some food to get ready for the ride to the New York/Massachusetts border.

I had done some route math based on last year’s ride. We would end up with only 298 miles if rode straight to the border start. Two miles short of my 300 mile goal. I convinced the crew to ride a mile in the wrong direction and then back again to get those two extra miles. Then on to the big “Welcome to New York” sign marking the border. 

Benny, Cap’n, Miggy, Reno, LD, and Dan lined up with me for the 100+ mile Day Zero ride into Sturbridge to join the official ride.

While the morning started delightful, once the sun came up over the Berkshires it turned into a hot and humid summer day. The real heat started when we came to the Route 66 climb up to Westhampton, a 3 mile climb averaging 5%. No shade. No breeze. After the climb, it was welcome relief to pull into Outlook Farm for a rest stop. The heat was getting to me and I did a poor job of hydrating. I was suffering. 

But it was no place to give up. Off to Atkins Farm for our next stop. Lance’s mom was there with cold towels, donuts and shade. Finally, into Palmer and the Bikes Fight Cancer supported stop at the Palmer Library. 

Then off to the worst stretch of the day along Route 20 to Sturbridge. There is a wide shoulder, but cars still pass by at a high speed. And there is very little shade to hide from the scorching sun. Then trouble began. Benny flatted with some serious damage to his tire. We couldn’t fix it. Natascha was still available for support, but she had to drop off our bags in Sturbridge to make room for Benny and his bike. There wouldn’t be room for anyone else. So we had to leave him behind. Then Cap’n flatted. We were able to fix that and get into Sturbridge. (They both put new tires on their bikes with the Landry’s service at Sturbridge.)

Friday night was for re-hydration, food and the opening ceremonies. You can watch the State of the PMC here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrT3Yf4WEII. Then to bed early.

Friday started off with a warm-up ride. Allan suggested a ride up Artist’s Drive.

It was a challenging climb into the hills rising out of the desert. The reward for the climb was a wonderful, fast descent through slot canyons back to the desert floor.

It was a great way to warm up for the event. Allan was great company, even way ahead of me on the climb.

Friday night is a celebration of the JDRF mission. Raising money to fight Type 1 Diabetes and help those living with the disease.

Saturday morning was a cool start, with a bit later start time. The sun rises later in January.

I lead out the “coyotes” for the ride. We went flying into the desert with a 20+mph pace, with about two dozen riders.

This was my second ride acting as a JDRF coach. That meant I was there to help the riders achieve their goals, not to set my own goals. As the coyotes dropped back from the pace, I fell back with a B-group, and back to help riders. Those fast coyotes didn’t need my help.

I joined with a group of Novo Nordisk team riders for the climb up Jubilee Pass. This is the hard part of the ride. It rises 1200 feet for 6 almost six miles for an average gradient of 4%.

With a big climb, you get a long descent. There were lots of riders still on the climb. Some looked be having a hard time. So I turned around and went back up to help a few groups up the climb.

Back down, again to help riders get back to the start/finish line. Time to get back up to sea level.

The JDRF coaches are a great group. We lined up just before the finish to come in as a group to celebrate the end of the ride.

Come join me on a future JDRF Ride: JDRF.org/ride. Or make a donation to find a cure.

Friday night we gathered at camp for dinner, followed by smores and comradery around the campfires with my fellow Team Kinetic Karma riders: Dave, Dan, Rob, and Stephen. We also convinced Chris to join our team shortly after the ride. Of course, we joined with Team Brainstorms.

Since it’s late September, you can’t count on good weather. Cool weather is expected. The forecast had been for a tropical storm to swing over New England. I was prepared for a lot of suffering in the cold rain. To our surprise we woke to dry skies. (Last year we started in the rain.) There was lots of discussion around what to wear, other than the great PMC Unpaved vest. Had to figure out how many layers, which gloves, leg warmers (or not).

I went without leg warmers. It ended up being nice enough at the start. (That would not last.)

We took off from the start for the Eagle route of 50 miles. I’m not sure I even saw the sign for the 30 mile Raven route. All though it’s the Pan-Mass Challenge, we celebrated crossing into New York, with a big chunk of the gravel roads in New York.

Then the rain came. Drizzle at first, then a deluge, then drizzle.

Even in the rain, we were able to find Zinnia’s Pedal Partner sign.

Until next year….

Support the fight against cancer: https://egifts.unpaved.org/DC0176

Or would it?

The plan started forming.
When I laid it out I was really worried that it was too ambitious.
Would I be able to sustain this?
Would my bike be able to sustain this?

10 days
1,000 miles
10,000 dollars
My Tour de PMC 2023

I exceeded my goals. (You can still help with that $10,000 goal: https://egifts.pmc.org/DC0176)

The stage by stage details below….

Prologue

An amuse-bouche to start this Tour. I thought an early morning ride would help center me and prepare me mentally, physically and emotionally for what I had laid out.

Since this was going to be just a warm up so I was looking for something short and flat. Someone had mentioned the causeway up to the “cut” as a good route. No navigation was needed. Just keep the bike on the path and pedal until you can’t pedal anymore.

I decided the best kit choice would be my first PMC jersey from 2005. It doesn’t fit well anymore. I think I liked my jerseys bigger back then. And I was bigger back then. Regardless of the fit, it brought back memories, centering me on my journey ahead.

I rolled out at dawn from the hotel. The route is along a rail trail that runs along Lake Champlain. Hard to get lost. Free of cars. Full of scenery. A good choice.

Then I came to the causeway and it was glorious. The sun was just peeking over the Green Mountains to the east of the lake and burning through the morning clouds. I was biking through the middle of the lake on a narrow causeway.

I came to the “cut, a break in the causeway that originally had a bridge. Now it’s just a big gap in the causeway allowing boats to pass.

The ride was a glorious preview of the what was to come.
At least, what I hope was to come.

Stage 1 Canada to Burlington

When planning my tour, I wasn’t sure what to do for this first stage. Stage 2 was set. Riding each day through the end of the PMC would be nine days. I needed to come up with a ride on this Friday to make it ten days. I looked at rides in Burlington in RideWithGPS and found an interesting 50ish mile loop from Burlington up though South Hero and Grand Isle.

Then my friends John and Cathy biked in the area for a century and touched the Canadian border. Looking closer I noticed the Canadian border was only 50 miles from Burlington. I was skeptical that I wanted to put in a full century and leave myself tired for the JDRF ride the next day. Then it dawned on me. I could have The Son drive me to the Canadian border.

Starting the Tour at the Canadian border would be a great first stage of my Tour de PMC. Right? It ended up being harder than I expected.

First, there was strong wind out of the south. Most of the ride was straight into the wind. Second, it was fairly hot and sunny. The route was largely exposed with little tree cover. I was roasting in the July sun.

Third, I failed to plan for food and water stops. Harborside Harvest Market was a great stop at mile 11. I didn’t encounter a good stop on the route after that. My failure.

With the lack of water and battling a head wind, I was feeling really rough when I came to the amphibious part of the ride. I had turned around on the Prologue when I came to the “cut” in the causeway. There used to be bridge for the train. It was removed when the train stopped running. Now there is ferry to take bikes across the cut. (I suppose walkers can take it as well.)

The short ferry ride re-charged my spirits. I knew from the Prologue I only had 10 miles of flat riding to get back to the hotel. That’s just my bike commute. No problem.

Stage 2 JDRF Ride Burlington

This JDRF ride was what had triggered the idea of this Tour. I agreed to coach this ride for JDRF early in the year before the date was announced. I thought the ride would be in September like the JDRF Saratoga Ride. The Son starts at UVM in a few weeks, so the JDRF ride would be a great reason to visit.

Then JDRF announced the date and it was the weekend before the PMC. That hatched the original idea of riding from Burlington back home.
Then it morphed to a ride across all the New England states,
Then it expanded to ten days of riding
Then expanded further to ride for 1,000 miles.
And here we are.

Before hatching the plan for this Tour de PMC I had signed up for the coaching slot to lead the fast riders for the full 100 miles of the Burlington JDRF ride. JDRF rides have a special feature of having coaches ride to help other riders achieve their goals. The coach is a wheel to follow and constant cheerleader to keep riders motivated.

I realize that I’m doubling on charity rides for this stage. (Of course you can donate to the fight against Type 1 Diabetes: Doug’s JDRF Page.)

I lined up with a dozen riders who wanted to go very fast. I was in a yellow jersey instead of the coaching green jersey as the top recruiter. Not that I personally did the recruiting. The Greater New England Chapter as a whole won the prize. As a board member and coach, they asked me to accept the award. Since the jersey fit me…

The 18+ was understatement. We were averaging over 20 mph through the first 30 miles. It would have been great to have a sub-5 hour century. As a coach, the ride is not about me. I’m there to help other riders. I notice the dozen riders was stretching out. Four up front were pulling hard and the others behind were starting to fall off the back. I trailed off the back and formed a “B” group. That “A” group didn’t need my help.

The ride is an out-and-back route. My “B” group pulled into the turnaround point at Middlebury averaging almost 20mph. I told them I would head back to the start/finish with them, but would pull off if I saw riders needing help.

Five miles out, I pulled off to help with a flat and to help some riders get up a hill. With them on their way, I turned back towards the finish. After a few miles I saw one of the top fundraisers riding by herself, without her husband. I turned around and gave her a wheel to follow to the turnaround where her husband was waiting.

I headed back towards the finish, again, to help other riders.

Rain was in the forecast, but it had been dry so far. The line of rain was coming from the northwest, so we were headed into it. We were starting to get wet. Lightning appeared on the weather radar so the ride marshals closed a loop to get people back quicker.

The rain hit gently at first, but had pockets of harder downpours. There were rumbles of thunder. Shortening the route was the right call.

I put on a tutu and some party beads at the last rest stop with the rain coming down hard, hoping to put some cheer into the gloom. I told the riders these last dozen miles are going to suck, so just “embrace the suck.”

This was going to be the only unpleasant weather of the Tour.

Stage 3 Pan-Vermont

After two days staying in close range of support, I was heading off solo. Was this plan too ambitious? Doubts began creeping in as I got ready to head out.

The beautiful morning along Lake Champlain helped quell my nerves. The route went south along the lake. I had bluebird skies as I turned east into the rising sun.

It was early Sunday morning so the roads around Burlington were quiet as I turned up hill into the Green Mountains. I saw signs for the “Cross-VT Trail” with a bike symbol. Someone thought the beginning of this route was good for bikes. I’m glad my routing software agreed. The roads were scenic, with a mix of tarmac and dirt.

At mile 32, I pulled into Waterbury and had a wonderful breakfast sandwich at Henderson’s Bake Shop. Next stop: Montpelier. I had concerns about encountering closed roads and other devastation after horrible flooding in Central Vermont. That would not be my only concern.

I hit my first re-route with a closed road. When I took my next turn I thought my rear tire felt a little squishy. I stopped. It was. I hit it with some CO2 and kept going. A few miles later, it felt squishy again. Maybe I hadn’t closed the valve completely(?). I hit it with CO2 again and kept going. A few miles later, it was clear I had a problem. I used the last of that CO2 to get me to Montpelier. A close look at the tire didn’t show any obvious problem: no tears, no holes, no sealant ooze. A search of bike shops showed a good one in Montpelier, but it had been destroyed by the flooding. I could have popped a tube into the tire for a kludgy fix.

Then I got a text from The Son that he had checked out the hotel in Burlington and was heading home. I decided the prudent decision was to have him pick me up. I wasn’t willing to give up yet. I broadened my search for bike shops in Vermont. I found Green Mountain Bikes in Rochester, almost 30 miles south. The mechanic found no obvious problem with the tire. He poured in some new sealant, re-seated the tire and put in a new valve core. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work.

It did.

I was way off my planned route, but I put something together to get me back towards the route and to equal the planned mileage for the Pan-VT route. I stopped by Vermont Law School to send a picture to to Ed, an alum.

As I pulled into Sharon, VT it looked like I could stay on the current road to go right into White River Junction, but I would be short on mileage. If I turned left and went North I could tie back into my planned route and hit my mileage target.

That decision was type 2 fun. Route 132 turned out to be a mountain road. 1,000 of feet of climbing to get over to South Stafford and back on my planned route.

I burned a few matches on that climb. I hit some more washed out roads, detours and extra climbs.

I still managed to pull into White River Junction well before dark. I gorged myself on some BBQ, re-fueling for tomorrow.

Stage 4 Pan-New Hampshire

I woke up refreshed. After the near disaster from yesterday. I was hoping that would be the last major mechanical of the Tour. (I was wrong).

I expected to have a lot of climbing in New Hampshire. I didn’t expect my routing software to pile it on. I had almost 4,000 feet of climbing in the first 30 miles. Fortunately, the route went on to a rail trail for the middle of the ride giving me a chance to recover.

Apparently all that climbing was too much for the bike. My front derailleur stopped working. I looked for the obvious problems. The battery for the electronic shifting was showing power. No foreign object was stuck in there. (It was filthy at this point.)

I hopped on and kept going. I struggled up the hills in the big ring. I walked a few short section of really steep dirt roads. Slow pedal revolutions and loose dirt do not mix well. Eventually I came around a corner and saw a really steep, dirt road. I wasn’t going to make it.

I had sent messages to my bike mechanic, but he was hundreds of miles away. I googled for bike shops. Ten miles south of Laconia, the result were full of motorcycle shops. Even when I explicitly searched for “bicycle repair”, the results still back for motorcycles. I dug deeper into the results and found an actual bicycle shop. And it was open. It was seven miles off course in Laconia. I had no other options so I turned and headed north.

I was in a dark place. Two days in a row of major mechanicals was not good. The bike mechanic at ChainLine diagnosed the problem. My Di2 cable had come out of the bracket, rubbed against the wheel and shorted out. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the part in stock to fix the problem and there were no other open bike shops around. His fix was route advice: take Route 11 because it was flat.

Route 11 was flat. It was also busy, with fast-moving cars and fully-exposed to the sun for most of the distance. At least the shoulder was wide.

I made it to the Maine border, but it was a bad day.

I still had the mechanical problem to face the next day. I was in such a bad mood that I had a salad for dinner instead of BBQ.

Stage 5 Pan-Maine to Home

The hotel was comfortable and I felt a little recovered. The bike was not. That small ring was still not working. I didn’t expect it to magically cure overnight. It was in my head. I’d have some hills to contend with to get to the coast. Then it would be flat.

No bike shop would would be open for hours. So the only thing to do was to get on the bike and pedal.

The route today was from Dover, NH to the Maine coast. Yes, I realize that was only about 20 miles of traversing Maine. Maine is a big state. I could have done more. I only had so many days and so few ways to deal with the logistics. Technically, I still went from one side of Maine to the other.

Coming out of South Berwick, Maine, the roads were great. I did come to a steep, loose dirt road and have to step off of the bike and walk to the top.

From there, it was smooth pedaling to Nubble Light. That was the Atlantic Ocean and I had traversed Northern New England.

Now, it was time to head south along the coast and towards home to re-kit and see family. It was a beautiful day to be pedaling along New Hampshire coast. My spirits were rising. I was thinking of ways to convince my bike mechanic to make a house call tonight.

Soon, I crossed the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border and was feeling stronger. It dawned on me that I would be passing close to CycleLoft in Burlington. They surely would be able to fix the problem. Long-story-short, they saved me. It was a quick change of the wire and I was on my way home. Thank you CycleLoft.

Stage 6 Pan-Rhode Island and Pan-Connecticut: Part 1

I was refreshed after a night at home, sleeping in my own bed. I got to see my family and my dog. My pack was full of fresh clean clothes.

From the messages I saw, I think my Strava followers thought that last night was the end of the journey. They didn’t know I was only half way done. For the first time I felt confident that I would really be able to pull off this Tour.

Getting to the Rhode Island border was relatively easy. These were mostly familiar roads. I also realized that it had resulted in me doing a north-south pan-mass over the last two days.

The trick was finding a route that didn’t go too far south, but also stayed completely in Rhode Island. Plus, I needed a sign. I needed proof that I made it to Rhode Island. I found one.

Rhode Island is small. It didn’t take long to get across. Connecticut is bigger, plus I would need to ride north after crossing the border to get to the rendezvous point for the following day. So I decided to split Connecticut in half.

I hadn’t focused on it, but Connecticut is very hilly. I also didn’t realize that Yale owned forests in New England. I passed through the Yale-Meyers Forest on my way to Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

I was in a much better mood, so I gorged myself on BBQ.

Stage 7 Pan-Connecticut: Part 2 to the NY/MA Border

My first crash. I put a snack bar and an iced coffee in my jersey pocket for breakfast. I pulled into a parking lot. Leaned the wrong way at the stop and BOOM. A little blood and a lot of damaged ego from a slow speed crash.

I was eager to get across Connecticut and into New York to meet up with some Kinetic Karma teammates for the ride the next day.

I once again failed to realize how hilly Connecticut. Fortunately, I had two great rest stops to refuel. The Riverton General Store had a great breakfast sandwich. I needed that because I hit a long detour, up hill, after that second breakfast. Falls Village Café also made an excellent breakfast sandwich for my third breakfast of the day.

After all those hills, I also failed in my route planning to find a sign for the NY/CT border. I took a scenic road instead of a busier state road that would have had a sign. I think that arrow in the road was the border. I stopped at the first marker I could find to show I was in New York. It’ll have to do.

After crossing into New York, I was on a beautiful rail trail heading north to Canaan, New York. There was even a great stop on the trail for a milkshake. I managed to pull to pull into the AirBnB in time to have a shower, a beer and some chips before the crew arrived.

Stage 8 PMC Day Zero: NY/MA Border to Sturbridge

Friends. Family. Mrs. Doug was a saint and drove five teammates out to the border while I was wandering around on my bike.

We treated her and my younger child to a wonderful dinner at Cafe Adam in Great Barrington on Thursday night. It was the best food I’d had in days. I practically licked my plate clean.

Rain was in the forecast for Friday afternoon. We decided to leave before 6:00 to beat the rain. So, I was surprised to woken by rain pounding down the gutters. Was it just a dream? I thought when my alarm went off at 5:00. No, it was not. There were some long faces. Nobody was looking forward to starting the ride in the rain. We checked the weather radar. We were on the tail end of the rain. We decided to wait and the rain stopped 30 minutes later.

We jumped on our bikes to rendezvous with some Bikes Fight Cancer riders and other riders at the state line.

Yes, I started off tired. Riding with Chris, Lance, Bene, Miggy and Charlie gave me new-found energy. I knew that awaiting us at the end of the ride was the Friday night PMC celebration and opening ceremonies. I still had another 90 miles to ride across the Berkshire hills. Lots of cycling to enjoy with a big reward at the end.

The first big climb was long. Almost 10 miles. It wasn’t steep. I had no problem pulling into Jester Lane for our first stop. I wasn’t setting any KOMs or even a PR. I was getting up without a problem.

Even though the first climb wasn’t a problem, I was worried about the next climb: the Route 66 climb. It had been at the back of my mind ever since I lost my front ring in New Hampshire. I thought it would be one of the steepest and longest climbs of my Tour. Then I made the turn and headed up hill. Scoop of Chocolate, Scoop of Vanilla. Again, I wasn’t setting any KOMs or even a PR. I was getting up without a problem. A stop at Outlook Farm to re-group and re-fuel.

With the hardest stretch of the day completed, it was on to Atkins Farms Country Market. There we meet Lance’s mom and ate donuts. That has led to nicknaming this ride the “donut run.”

I was feeling great. We stopped at Palmer library for some popsicles. Then the slog into Sturbridge along Route 20. It wasn’t raining and it wasn’t hot.

We pulled into the host for finish photo. We found Captain Dave in the process.

Registration. Beverages. Finding friends and teammates.

I was re-charged with the energy of thousands of people all there for the same cause: Fighting cancer.

Stage 9 PMC Day One: Sturbridge to Bourne

Pre-dawn.
We’re awake.
Putting on our kits.
Packing our bags.
Throwing our bags on the trucks.

Eating a crappy breakfast at the Super 8.

The full emotional weight of my ride was now upon me. Thousands of riders wearing the same jersey, supporting the same cause.

Members of Team Kinetic Karma lined up, ready for the opening anthem and the signal to ride.

We were off. Under the giant flag strung across the road. The sun was just starting to light up the sky. We came to the first turn and pulled over to greet Jared’s friend, Sheila, who is always out there cheering us on.

So many people on the roads cheering us on. So many friends on bikes. We flew along, feeding off the cheers.

At lunch we were able to get together with some other teammates who had started in Wellesley. Then off to Lakeville for the Pedal Partners rest stop. Unfortunately, Zinnia and her family were not able to make it. We did find her sign among the dozens of others along the road in to Lakeville.

As a consolation prize, I was super happy that Del’s Lemonade was back at the rest stop. The delicious iciness is perfect on a summer day.

More crowds.
More excitement.
The legs were tired, but not too tired to make it to the finish at Mass Maritime Academy. It was time for replenishment: Showers. Food. Friends. Drinks. Massages. Of course, we needed an official team photo along the Cape Cod Canal.

We had ridden fast. I was powered by the energy of the event. I started the day with 800 miles in my legs but still managed to average over 18.5 mph for the 109 miles of this day’s ride.

The Son helped us out and drove us to Captain Dave’s house for the night.

Stage 10 PMC Day Two – Falmouth to Provincetown

This would be one of the easier days of my Tour de PMC for mileage and elevation. It would also be the most exciting and emotional of the ten.

I’d be surrounded by my teammates, kitted out in Team Kinetic Karma gear. Saturday is tough to find teammates riding the route with everyone (at least most people) wearing the same PMC official jersey. Sunday is an explosion of color with teams donning their custom jerseys for the rolling miles of Cape Cod.

My Tour’s finish was within sight. I was going to enjoy this day, full of its traditions.

We left Dave’s house with just a hint of light in the sky.

The Bourne Bridge can beautiful with the sun rising over the Cape Cod Canal. It can also be a slow-moving slog up the steep roadway, followed by a white knuckle, brake squeezing terror descending. I was happy to avoid it this year.

We still had to gather for a team photo under the bridge.

We had a strong paceline along the canal, pulling the team along quickly to the roads of Cape Cod. The sun was rising.

Up the Service Road to find Dave’s buddy: Reggie. Some hellos and pictures. Then back onto the roller coaster that is the Service Road.

To the Barnstable rest stop where Roy and Sharon had set up a spread for us.

The route was lined with thousands of spectators. The team had many stops to see friends cheering us on along the roadway.

The Hedge was back, sort of. It had been a tradition that the campers of Cape Cod Sea Camps would line up on the hedge at the side of the route. It would be a roar of sound and excitement. The camp closed during the pandemic. To replace the kids, a bunch of people lined up this year behind the Hedge to help fill the void.

The Nickerson rest stop is always the most festive on Sunday. I think people are still half asleep in Barnstable and really tired in Wellfleet. Plus, Nickerson has popsicles. We were re-fueled for traversing the bike path.

We turned at Marconi beach and up the hill. At the top, the Davis family was passing out Twizzlers to the passing PMC riders. They had a separate stash of Twizzlers and Red Bull for us.

Into the Wellfleet rest stop, we rested our sore butts on an ice couch.

We needed the rest as we were set to battle the persistent head winds in Truro heading into Provincetown.

We had been flying. We again averaged over 18.5 mph for the 85 miles on the Cape. We had our traditional stop at Herring Cove Beach to re-group with as many teammates as we could.

As we approached the finish line, we pulled the champagne flutes from our pockets and filled them for a toast of Gatorade. We toasted the spectators at the finish line for coming out to cheer. We toasted each other for finishing the ride. We toasted all the riders for raising money to fight cancer.

After 10 days and over 1,000 miles I was finally able to touch the sands of Provincetown.

I was tired. It was time to re-fuel and take ferry back to Boston.

Thank you for reading. Anytime is good time to donate money to fight cancer. 100% of your donation to the PMC goes to the Jimmy Fund. Next up for me is PMC Unpaved. https://profile.unpaved.org/DC0176. Feel free to support that ride.

The worst part of last year’s edition of this ride was that I was a riding an untested route published by GCN with no support. (Please don’t ride that route without some edits.) I fixed the problems for this year, except…. I forgot to fix the beginning. So I had the first turn wrong. Fortunately, Mt. Wachusett is not easy to miss, so we found a good route to the ski area base and then up the mountain.

For me, it’s a big climb with fresh legs. Typically, I’m climbing up Wachusett after riding 40 miles to get there. On the other hand, today I was loaded down with the extra weight of overnight gear strapped to my bike.

Of course, with a big climb comes a big descent. We got lots of coasting downhill, then rolling roads into Petersham. We learned from our prior mistake of taking the unmaintained portion of Old Petersham Road last year. (It looks like its been unmaintained for a century.) It was smooth rolling into one of my favorite stops, Country Store in Petersham. Delicious food that hits the spot for a breakfast stop.

From there we headed over the northern side of Quabbin Reservoir, one of the two big obstacles in crossing Massachusetts. The next stop was Moore’s Corner and the Leverett Village Co-op, “the little gem in the woods that keeps on shining. ” Sadly, we got there before they were scooping ice cream. It also marked the start of the dirt road filled section of the ride.

Next up was the Buttonball Tree. This is an exceptionally large sycamore tree. Note the use of cyclists for scale.

It is believed to be the largest tree of its kind on the East Coast. It’s also really old, at least according to the plaque stating that the buttonball tree was here when the US Constitution was signed.

The sun was out as we crossed the second big obstacle: the Connecticut River. The other river crossings were 20 miles north or south of the Sunderland-Deerfield bridge.

Our next problem was that the general store I had tagged for our rest stop for lunch was closed. Elmer’s Store in Ashfield has closed. Fortunately, we found Countrypie Pizza just down the road. Their pizza tasted great. Especially after hours on a bike. Right next door, Ashfield Hardware and Supply served up some ice cream. Yes, the hardware store served ice cream. And it was only $1.

There was a chance of rain in the forecast. That chance became 100% right after lunch. We set off with our bellies full of pizza and ice cream into a torrential downpour. Our bikes were leaving wakes in the thick layer of water on the road as we headed to the dirt of Bug Hill Road. Thunder roared around us as we climbed and crossed the ridge. Farmland spread across the landscape.

Heading into Savoy, we had a big gap for rest stops. Not a general store for a few dozen miles. We pulled into Pub 116 to see if we all had enough water to get to North Adams. “It’s all downhill to North Adams.” I lied. It wasn’t all downhill. But we made our way across some great roads.

Once again, our planned rest stop was closed. The Cumberland Farms we planned for was very, very closed. Fortunately there were lots of options in North Adams.

Over our left shoulder loomed North Adams. It towered above town, taunting us.

The route was to climb the north side of the mountain. It’s steepest at the bottom so it’s important to not burn all your matches at the beginning of the climb with six more miles to go. That was my mistake last year. I ended up having to walk the remaining steep ramps. This year would be different. I would not put a foot down this year.

At least that was the plan. We turned up Reservoir Road and faced those steeps, before we were officially on the segment. It hurt. I dug in. Guillermo was on the side of road with a great overlook asking me to stop for a photo op. NO. not putting my foot down. The plan worked I hit the summit without stopping.

We rested with a great meal at the Bascom Lodge, squeezed ourselves into a bunk room for the night.

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise. Waking on top of a mountain, we were above the clouds.

Of course that meant that we went flying down the mountain into the clouds and out of the sunlight.

We fought the clouds and tired legs through the Berkshires. This leg of the ride was titled: X-Mass in July. The goal was to ride from Greylock all the way to Boston. There was already some grumbling early in the day about stopping at Wachusett and not all the way to Boston.

Unlike last year, where only a few us had ridden out to Greylock, everyone had ridden out to Greylock and everyone was tired. (Except Keith. Keith is unstoppable.)

We had a great stop at the Williamsburg Market. It marked the end to most of the climbing until we got back closer to Wachusett.

As we got closer to Wachusett, the grumbling turned to full discussion. We were quickly agreeing we were unlikely to make it all the way back to Boston. Some people started looking at the train schedule and calling for rides.

I cracked and made a call to The Son. He drove us here yesterday, would he come back and get us? Yes. Yes he would. Boston was now out off the table for me.

But how to finish the ride?

We started with a climb up Wachusett. It would seem a fitting end to conclude with a climb up Wachusett. Only three people agreed with me.

Maybe next year we will make it all the way back to Boston. (Keith did.)

In the week up to the race, the forecast was for seasonable temperatures and a chance of rain. Although labeled as a gravel route, the info I had said that less than 10% of the route was on dirt roads. I decided to bring my road bike instead of a gravel bike. That would be a mistake.

Dan, Ryan and Riccardo joined me at the starting line. That chance of rain had become a 100% chance of rain. A hard drizzle at the start.

I pedaled out hard, sticking near the front for the first few miles. Then we came to the first steep hill. That sent me backwards. I kept pedaling hard, hooking onto groups and fighting to get back. The rain started coming down hard.

We came to the first sections of dirt roads. My theory about using a road bike seemed to be holding okay. It had been a dry spring and the roads were hard-packed. Even with the rain, my slick tires were doing just fine on the dirt roads.

We came to the first rest stop and I was in trouble. I nearly fell off my bike. My legs were cramping badly. The suffering had begun. That would continue for the next 20 miles as the rain fell hard and my spirits sank.

Coming into the second rest stop I was in a dark place. There were a dozen people at the stop looking to quit the race. There was no real exit. There was no shelter from the rain, it was cold, and there was no SAG vehicle to take quitters back to the finish line.

I looked around and said “HTFU Doug. You’re not quitting.”

There was a covered bridge over the Batten Kill River to raise my spirits. But just temporarily.

My spirits went back down again. I came face-to-face with the steep incline of Juniper Swamp road. There were a few riders that had become pedestrians and were walking up the road. The incline was brutal and my spirits dropped. I put a foot down. I walked the hill. My feet were sticking in the sucking mud. The heavy rain had soaked into the dirt and making the surface very loose.

My bike was covered in mud. The dirt roads were holding the rain and turning soupy. Should’ve brought the gravel bike.

The rain started to wane. It was feeling just a touch a warmer as I came to the second rest stop. A few calories in my belly. Topped off my water bottles. Rain jacket off. My spirits rose. I once again felt good physically and mentally. My legs were cooked, but cooked in a way that should be after 50 miles of riding.

Next up was the big climb of the race: Patterson Hill. I was facing a mile long ascent on a soupy dirt road with an average gradient of 7.1%. This was going to hurt.

I dug down deep. There was only 20 miles left to ride. I went under the start-of-climb banner, the road turned and went sharply uphill. There was a little slip of the tire but I was determined to make this climb. A rider in front of me slowed and put his foot down. Not me. Not on this climb. I kept turning the pedals. Other walkers were ahead up the road, but that would not be me. The road eventually flattened. My bike computer chimed with a note marking the summit. I did it.

One more section of dirt road was ahead. It was really soupy. My wheels spun in a few spots. It took a lot of concentration to find a good line and to keep the pedals moving. The mud got thicker on the bike and on me. I should’ve brought the gravel bike.

It was down to 10 miles to finish line. It was mostly downhill. Only one climb remained. The top of that climb was less than a mile to the finish line. The remaining roads were all paved. I dug deep. No need to conserve energy any more.

That last hill hurt. But at the top the finishing line fairgrounds were up ahead. The finish line was in sight.

It had turned from a race to a battle just to finish for me. It turns out only 223 riders finished the Gran Fondo. There should have been many more. I assume many went to the shorter routes, didn’t finish, or just didn’t show up. I heard that 900 riders signed up. Looks like only half that number crossed the finish line across the three routes.

I was happy to have finished in the top half. I was really happy just to have finished.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8979480654/overview

We gathered a few members of Team Kinetic Karma: Me, Captain, Dan and Rob to ride the dirt. The main requirement was having a bike with wide enough tires to handle non-tarmac roads.

I also teamed up with a new PMC Team: Brainstorms. Created by Stephanie Vail.

Of course there were plenty of other cycling friends.

In early October, you don’t know what the New England weather is going to be like. The weekend before it was warm and sunny. This weekend it was not.

We gathered Friday night at Camp Mah-Kee-Nac in Lenox. The temperatures were dropping. The cabins were far from luxurious, but would hold up to the weather. I bought an extra PMC banded blanket just in case. It was a good choice.

Outside, the PMC had set up campfires to keep us warm. We gathered around the fires enjoyed the new event. There was plenty of food and beverage. The food wasn’t great, but the companionship was excellent.

We woke Saturday morning to a cold start with light rain. The Unpaved vests would be perfect for the day. Great to keep the light rain off and the body warmth in.

After some speeches by Billy Starr and Jarrett Collins at the start we were off. The rain got heavier on the few hundred riders.

The route was about 50% tarmac and 50% dirt. It lead us west into New York. There was a 30 mile option that turned back into Massachusetts or a 50 mile route that kept going through New York. We chose the 50.

I’m not sure the “Pan-Mass” label fits for the ride. On the classic Pan-Mass ride, I pedal from the New York border to the tip of Cap Cod. Unpaved was a loop. There was no “Pan” and it wasn’t just in “Mass.” I think that is just me being ornery. This sign made me feel a little better.

I admit that the ride took a toll on me. It got the better of me.

There was a point on a steep dirt road climb while I was grinding away in lowest gear and still struggling with low RPM that I thought about getting out of the saddle and walking up the hill. But I saw Celia up ahead and she was still in the saddle. No quit in her, so there was not going to be any quit in me.

By the time we got to the final miles back to Lenox, it was a group of five of us: Benne, JC, Dave, Celia, and me. There was no question that were sticking together. The only question was whether the finish line was wide enough for us to cross together, five across.

Yes, it was.

After the ride there was the traditional PMC toast to the Living Proof riders. We had a beautiful lakeside gathering.

I’m already looking forward to Unpaved 2023.

With those make-your-own-rides of the last year, I planned to ride my single speed bike. “One Gear fighting Type One.”

But first I had to make sure I could make it up that first big hill on the route. I took the bike out on Friday afternoon when I arrived in Saratoga and pedaled out to the route. The Locust Grove climb was long enough and steep enough that it would be a challenge. I had a some doubt that I could make it.

I got up the climb and erased my doubts. It hurt. But I made it and committed to the one fixed gear.

A quick change, and I was off to the Friday night pre-ride celebration. We had to get a team photo.

Or at least most of the team.

The off to bed for an early start. Just a touch of a chill at dawn.

It was enough of a chill that I started off with my Team Kinetic Karma vest over my JDRF jersey. I pulled off the vest at the first rest stop. It had become a perfect day for a bike ride.

Mile 23 has become a special stretch of the ride. There are 99 miles to celebrate all that we’ve done towards a cure for Type 1 diabetes, but there’s one mile to remember those we’ve lost. That mile is mile 23. We ride in silence for that mile.

“I wish you could have been there for the sun & the rain & the long hard hills. For the sound of a thousand conversations scattered along the road. For the people laughing & crying & remembering at the end. But, mainly, I wish you could have been there.”

Mile 23 significance comes from Jesse Bauer, a young man who was fighting Type 1 and lost that fight on February 3. 2-3.

The ride takes a beautiful route up the Hudson River Valley for 50 miles, then turns around and comes back. If you want to ride less than 100 miles, you just turn around sooner.

I discovered at the “50” mile turn around that the mileage was only 49.8. That would leave me short of the 100 when I crossed the finish line. Unacceptable. When I pull out of the turn-around rest stop, I went left and added on the additional 0.2 miles before heading back to the finish line. Yes. it worked. I ended up with 100.1 miles crossing the finish line.

Was I wishing I some gears on the bike? Oh yeah. The last few rises (They were too small to be called hills) really got to me. I struggled getting up them and it took longer to recover and get back up to speed.

I ended up losing my three riding companions in those last 20 miles. I sent Teresa, Dylan and Ted off to go ahead without me. I had enough juice to get to the finish but they had more.

If Type 1 Diabetes has affected your life or the life of somewhere you care about, please donate to support the fight with JDRF: http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/soultrain Or if my wacky decision to ride 100 miles with one gear, also feel free to donate.

The Pan-Mass Challenge was trying to come back to normal for 2022. The last two years with re-imagined rides was “problematic” for me. I’ve got an active imagination. For 2020, I pedaled over 700 miles at the beginning of August. I went even bigger in 2021, pedaling over 800 miles for the Tour de PMC 2021.

Friday

Coming back to normal would mean a mere 300 miles of biking over three days. We stayed overnight in New Lebanon, New York on Thursday night. The next morning we pedaled a few miles to the border of the New York and Massachusetts at West Stockbridge.

We targeted a 6:30 am start to try and get ahead of the forecasted high heat and humidity. The Kid, Lance, Dan, Miggy, Reno, and Bene joined me in Team Kinetic Karma kits. We joined forces with Bikes Fight Cancer for the day’s ride.

We did manage to get just ahead of the heat. The sun stayed behind the clouds for most of the morning. The humidity was oppressive, even without the heat. My wife set up a rest stop at Jester Lane at the top of the first big climb. Fortunately, the sun didn’t break through the clouds until we reached the top of the Route 66 climb. That climb has no trees and we would have roasted in the hot sun. Johnny from BFC set up shop at the top of the Route 66 climb. His breakfast sandwiches were delicious.

As we crossed the Connecticut River on the Norwottuck Rail Trail, the sun finally broke through the clouds and the temperature soared. We were in the farmlands of the river valley and we were feeling the heat. Into Atkins Farm for second breakfast: the donut stop. Time to say goodbye to my wife and daughter for the weekend. A goodbye donut.

We were really feeling the heat after this third stop. Legs were tired. Sweat was dripping off everyone. The top tube of my bike was gross. BFC set up a stop at the Palmer Library. This was a much needed respite before we started grinding out the last 15 miles along Route 20 into Sturbridge.

There was the finish at the Sturbridge Host Hotel. PMC registration, a cool dip in the pool and refreshments were waiting for us. But not before WBZ-4 interviewed me and Miggy. Look for us at 1:29 in the story.

Saturday

We woke at dawn. Thousands of riders united in the fight against cancer. Wearing the same jersey to show that we were united in our fight. United in our ride. Team Kinetic Karma had cat ears mounted on our helmets to celebrate our pedal partner, Zinnia.

Thousands of PMC riders poured out of the Sturbridge Host Hotel onto Route 20. All of us headed to Bourne. 108 miles to go. But first a quick stop at the first corner. Jared has a supporter on that corner. We have to stop for our supporters. Sheila is on that corner every year at the crack of dawn. I elbowed my way in. (Just like I did to Miggy on the WBZ interview.)

Back on the road through the Whitinsville stop and the Franklin stop to another team tradition in Sheldonville. One of our fallen teammates, Danno, used to live at the end of Cherry Street. We’ve traditionally stopped to have a beer to toast Danno’s life. Thanks to Jo for getting the beer to Danno’s this year and making a sign.

A short way down Cherry Street, we discovered a second offering from his former neighbors. We had to stop, again. I think Danno would appreciate us stopping and having a second beer.

A couple of sips of beer to get us to lunch in Dighton and on further to the Lakeville stop. Waiting for us in Lakeville was our Pedal Partner, Zinnia. She had been waiting in the oppressive heat for some sweaty knuckleheads to show up. She was a great motivation to get us through the last 25 miles of the ride.

And 25 miles later we crossed the finish line at the Mass Maritime Academy in Bourne.

After a shower, food, and beverages, we posed for a team photo along the Cape Cod Canal.

Off campus to Dave’s house for some more winding down time and an early bedtime. We’d need some rest for the third day of cycling.

Sunday

The morning came early. It would be more accurate to say the pre-dawn wake-up came early. It wasn’t fair to call it morning. We needed to get our bags back to MMA by 6:00. Missing that deadline would mean no change of clothes in Provincetown. Thanks to Caleb for shuttling us and delivering our bags.

It was a 5:00 am rollout from Dave’s house with just a small tint of dawn in the night sky.

It was about 12 miles from Dave’s house to the Cape Cod Canal. Thousands of PMC cyclists had already biked over the bridge and down to the canal. We met up with several other Team Kinetic Karma teammates who had chosen to stay at the MMA campus overnight. The sun was up, so we could capture a team photo.

Along the Cape Cod Canal, into Sandwich, and a hard left turn up to the top of the Service Road. That’s a rollercoaster of ups and downs into Barnstable and the Barnstable rest stop.

There was my dad and stepmom with a table set for the team. Nothing better than salted watermelon on a hot day of bike riding.

Sunday is an explosion of color during the Pan-Mass Challenge. Teams in their kits, grouped in pacelines or conversational groups for 80 miles stretched out along the Cape.

Team Kinetic Karma’s next stop was Nickerson Park and the Brewster rest stop. We had an eye out for a teammate who was in spectator mode this weekend. We never saw her.

We leave Nickerson Park along the Cape Cod rail trail. It’s always a tricky part of the ride. The trail is great for riding a bike away from traffic. Today it was choked with thousands of cyclists heading to Provincetown. And occasionally with a very annoyed cyclist or runner going in the opposite direction.

Up next, at the top of a hill, before the Wellfleet rest stop is another team tradition. The Davis family is stationed, handing out Twizzlers to cyclists needing an extra boost after climbing that hill. The family has some extra treats for us. We trade for them with the gift of a sweaty hug and a picture to remember us by.

On through Wellfleet and in to Truro. The toughest part of the day lay ahead: Route 6 into Provincetown. The road is flat. It’s exposed to the wind and there is almost always a strong wind. It’s just a question of direction. Wind into the face is brutal with tired legs. Today it’s strong, gusty wind from the side, trying to knock us over before we crossed into Provincetown. Then the choice, a shortcut straight into Provincetown or a right turn out into the rolling roads through the dunes of Race Point. We turn right.

Our last stop was gathering for a photo at the entrance to Herring Cove Beach. A champagne toast.

That’s just a warm up toast for the big one at the finish line. A toast to each other. A toast to supporters braving the heat at the finish line, just waiting for a glimpse of their friends or family. A toast to the fight against cancer.

Thanks to the thousands of volunteers who helped make the Pan-Mass Challenge happen. Thanks to my wife and kids for their help in moving me, Team Kinetic Karma and our gear along our routes.

Three days. Almost three hundred miles. A weekend full of good times, laughs, tears, joy and suffering.

Until next year…

We started early to try to get out in front of the heat. By the time we were closing on the finish, the temperature was above 100 degrees.

On such a hot day, a frozen lemonade sounded great. The planning for the ride was inspired by the second item on this list of 40 tiny, perfect things about summer in New England: Del’s Lemonade. 

Unfortunately, our early start to avoid the heat, meant we got to Del’s before it opened.

Fortunately, for a rest stop, we found a nearby convenience for some cold drinks. We also found a new friend and some entertainment. This wonderful woman, a self-described “townie”, regaled us with stories. Bringing smiles to our faces, maybe to help forget missing Del’s. 

She pulled away in her car, but stopped and got back out. Asking if we wanted a picture. No. That was wrong. She wanted to take a picture of us, on her phone. Um… Why? Oh. Oh my.

Later we pulled into a 7-11 for Slurpees. They were an inferior substitution for a frozen Del’s Lemonade. No townie stories at this stop. But it was hot and the drinks were cold. 

We learned that the War Memorial Tower glows at night. The dome at the top of the tower lit up while we were eating desert.

The solution to the problem of getting back from Greylock was to bike back. We tucked into bed to rest up for the morning’s ride back home. The nine of us stacked in a bunk room. I had a fitful night of sleep. Muscle spasms and flashes of lighting woke me up periodically.

The morning alarm revealed gray out the window. At the top of the mountain we were looking out into a rain cloud. I got my bike and equipment ready. I realized that I had forgotten to plug in my phone and bike computer. I’d have no navigation for the bike ride home. Even after giving my computer some charge I realized I had done something to it to make it not function. Mental and physical exhaustion kept me from figuring out the problem.

We mounted the bikes for a photo at the summit sign. Riccardo, Ryan, Guillermo, Bryan, Alex, me, Eric, Martin and Ramon. Everyone was layered up to fight off the cold and rain. We started off with the long descent down the south side of the mountain. Wet roads meant lots of braking to control the speed. The cold wind was biting, with no pedaling effort to warm me up.

At the bottom we agreed to forgo the extra eight mile ride to the New York border. No need to add on those sixteen miles, roundtrip, in this weather. The forecast had been for scattered showers during the day. Scattered had become steady rain for the first quarter of the ride.

The first rest stop was Cumberland Farms. I sucked down a nasty egg sandwich and an iced coffee. I needed to shake off the bad vibes from lack of sleep, technical malfunctions and the bad weather. I needed to start embracing the suck.

The rain seemed to be tapering off and maybe the day would clear up. I took of the rain jacket and just kept on the PMC vest. Up and down through the Berkshires.

I was promised the next rest stop would be great. The Chesterfield General Store had a great selection of coffee, pastries and treats that would re-charge a cyclist’s body and soul. It was closed. We plunged downhill into Williamsburg to find something open. Anything. The Williamsburg General Store was a good find. Nice tables, delicious baked goods.

That stop recharged me. It improved the weather. Vest off. The sun starting breaking through the clouds as we cruised through Northampton and on to the Norwottuck Rail Trail bridge that would take us to Amherst.

Onward to the Quabbin Reservoir. We split into two groups. I was back with Martin, Eric and Alex. Four others were riding faster and were up the road a bit. Ramon was behind us somewhere. We took a rest stop at Dunkin’. Donuts make you stronger on a bike ride. On to the Winsor Dam for a scenic photo with all that water for Metro Boston. We decided to head back to the road instead of climbing up to the observation tower.

In Ware we caught up to Ramon. We saw him go past the Dunkin stop. He must not have gone into Quabbin.

The next stop was the Rose 32 Bread in Gilbertsville for lunch. It was a great choice. A ham sandwich and an Arnold Palmer made me feel almost perky. Exhausted, but perky.

Four us had finished the Le Col Everest Challenge with the jerseys delivered in time for the ride. We decided it was an appropriate jersey for the day.

Now the sun was out and all that rain had turned into humidity. It had turned into a hot, summer day. With all the rain we decided to forgo the dirt paths of the Mass Central Rail Trail and stay on pavement.

The next stop was Mount Wachusett. Martin and I arrived at the ranger station side-by-side.

None of us had interest in climbing up to the summit. The heat was on. The mountain was crowded. Daylight was going to be in short supply later in the day.

Bryan and Alex decided to end their rides. They planned to cut down the mountain to the Wachusett train station to end the trip just like they started it. We tried to cajole them into coming all the way into Boston. It didn’t work.

After topping off our water bottles, we went flying down the mountain towards Sterling. I had only biked up these roads, never down. They were a lot more enjoyable going down.

The next stop was Sterling Ice Cream. Sweet treats to keep us going. The sunshine of the ice cream was marred by dark clouds looming overhead. A check of the weather app showed thunderstorms closing in on us.

The chase was on. Could we outrun the thunderstorm and make it to Boston before the rain? No. No, we could not. We were riding right on the edge of the storm. Dark clouds and lightning on our right in the south. Light skies on our left to the north. Plenty of rain. After the heat of the day, it didn’t feel so bad.

The rain also meant that the Boston river paths would be free of crowds so we could take that safe route into downtown. I showed the others my commuting route into work. We got a glimpse of the Hatch Shell being set up for the July 4 celebration. We turned up the Appleton Bridge and I knew we would make it.

I made the call to end at the ICA. I knew it would have a great view for the finishing photos. It’s big cantilevered top floors would give us protection from the rain. We got a beautiful sunset for pictures of the final six and the three round-trippers.

An epic day of bike riding.

164 miles
6700 feet of elevation
10.5 hours in the saddle, plus two hours of breaks