if you don't read anything else on this page at least read this :)
Twelve years ago, my aunt, Rosemary Mulligan, was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We're blessed that, since then, she has been healthy and cancer free. Despite our luck that her form of cancer was diagnosed so quickly, that time was difficult for my family. There's no wake-up call like the realization that you could lose someone you care about, and that life is so much more fragile than you could ever imagine. However, not so many families are as lucky as mine. The solemn truth of cancer is that no one can really see it coming or prepare for the devestating imprint it can leave on the lives of countless family members, friends, and coworkers.
Cancer is a terrible affliction, and--like any tragedy--it can bring out some of the worst moments in our lives. But, rather than focusing on that, it's undeniable that, for as tough as cancer can be, nothing can surmount human willpower and the support from loved ones. Cancer is an ultimate challenge that my family didn't step down from, that countless families haven't stepped down from, and that my quiet but fiercly strong and tenacious aunt didn't step down from. In Auntie Rose's honor, I won't step down from fighting either. I could hardly hesitate at the opportunity to do something that I love to support people that I love. Please consider supporting the Pan Mass Challenge, and join our mission to end cancer, one rider, one mile, one pedal stroke at a time.
Thank you!
As this process has gone on, the more I've realized that there are people close to me who have struggled in the fight against cancer as well. One person that I'd love to highlight is the mom of one of my closest friends, Max Abduhalikov. I remember when I first met him as a freshman, he had told me she had just gone into remission for breast cancer. Now as a rising senior that seems like an eternity ago haha. Since then, she's shown me nothing but kindness each time I've had the pleasure to stay at their house in NoVa. For her too, I have all the more reason to keep riding.
Two years ago, I started cycling during the pandemic to address my intense boredom. On April 7th, 2020, I went on my first bike ride at 15.66 miles. On that ride, I got passed by a cyclist in his sixties and it was a wake up call for how much I had let my body go. Ever since that day, I would go out trying to find him, getting faster every day just to redeem myself. In the end, I never found him, but I did find a greater sense of passion and intimacy with the world around me.
Since then, my short fifteen to twenty mile rides have evolved into 200+ mile training weeks, racing up Mount Washington, windy criterium races in the Netherlands, a 113 mile ride from my hometown in Connecticut to New York City in the bone-chilling 25 degree winters of the northeast, a 146 mile journey from Brussels to Amsterdam, explorations into the Sierra Nevada around Granada, and climbing through the Southern Alps around the Côte d'Azur. Most recently, I biked from Florence, Italy to the Amalfi coast, a trip totalling 377 miles over the course of four days of riding.
Thanks to the inspiration of a friend I made while I was abroad, I've begun taking film photos of the natural wonders and amazing people I've met along the way and there's a few of them in my gallery, but I'll attach a few of my favorites:
Additionally, this summer, I accepted an internship in Boston and have been living with the Mulligan family (my Auntie Rose, Uncle Richie, and cousin Maddie). As a show of gratitude--for both their hospitality and supporting my... eclectic affinity for cycling--I'd love to dedicate myself towards the fight against cancer by doing one of the things I love most in this world for my family.
I made it into the Hartford Courant! Check it out!
Catch my Strava to keep track of my training leading up to the PMC! Also, feel free to check me out on Facebook or Instagram (@drew_laird_).
I'm more than conditioned to handle the Pan Mass Challenge and I'm excited to crush this ride!
if you don't read anything else on this page at least read this :)
Twelve years ago, my aunt, Rosemary Mulligan, was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We're blessed that, since then, she has been healthy and cancer free. Despite our luck that her form of cancer was diagnosed so quickly, that time was difficult for my family. There's no wake-up call like the realization that you could lose someone you care about, and that life is so much more fragile than you could ever imagine. However, not so many families are as lucky as mine. The solemn truth of cancer is that no one can really see it coming or prepare for the devestating imprint it can leave on the lives of countless family members, friends, and coworkers.
Cancer is a terrible affliction, and--like any tragedy--it can bring out some of the worst moments in our lives. But, rather than focusing on that, it's undeniable that, for as tough as cancer can be, nothing can surmount human willpower and the support from loved ones. Cancer is an ultimate challenge that my family didn't step down from, that countless families haven't stepped down from, and that my quiet but fiercly strong and tenacious aunt didn't step down from. In Auntie Rose's honor, I won't step down from fighting either. I could hardly hesitate at the opportunity to do something that I love to support people that I love. Please consider supporting the Pan Mass Challenge, and join our mission to end cancer, one rider, one mile, one pedal stroke at a time.
Thank you!
As this process has gone on, the more I've realized that there are people close to me who have struggled in the fight against cancer as well. One person that I'd love to highlight is the mom of one of my closest friends, Max Abduhalikov. I remember when I first met him as a freshman, he had told me she had just gone into remission for breast cancer. Now as a rising senior that seems like an eternity ago haha. Since then, she's shown me nothing but kindness each time I've had the pleasure to stay at their house in NoVa. For her too, I have all the more reason to keep riding.
Two years ago, I started cycling during the pandemic to address my intense boredom. On April 7th, 2020, I went on my first bike ride at 15.66 miles. On that ride, I got passed by a cyclist in his sixties and it was a wake up call for how much I had let my body go. Ever since that day, I would go out trying to find him, getting faster every day just to redeem myself. In the end, I never found him, but I did find a greater sense of passion and intimacy with the world around me.
Since then, my short fifteen to twenty mile rides have evolved into 200+ mile training weeks, racing up Mount Washington, windy criterium races in the Netherlands, a 113 mile ride from my hometown in Connecticut to New York City in the bone-chilling 25 degree winters of the northeast, a 146 mile journey from Brussels to Amsterdam, explorations into the Sierra Nevada around Granada, and climbing through the Southern Alps around the Côte d'Azur. Most recently, I biked from Florence, Italy to the Amalfi coast, a trip totalling 377 miles over the course of four days of riding.
Thanks to the inspiration of a friend I made while I was abroad, I've begun taking film photos of the natural wonders and amazing people I've met along the way and there's a few of them in my gallery, but I'll attach a few of my favorites:
Additionally, this summer, I accepted an internship in Boston and have been living with the Mulligan family (my Auntie Rose, Uncle Richie, and cousin Maddie). As a show of gratitude--for both their hospitality and supporting my... eclectic affinity for cycling--I'd love to dedicate myself towards the fight against cancer by doing one of the things I love most in this world for my family.
I made it into the Hartford Courant! Check it out!
Catch my Strava to keep track of my training leading up to the PMC! Also, feel free to check me out on Facebook or Instagram (@drew_laird_).
I'm more than conditioned to handle the Pan Mass Challenge and I'm excited to crush this ride!
| 2022 | $7,600.17 | Sturbridge to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
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Drew Laird
