My Pan Mass Ride
Wow, the Pan Mass Challenge was a truly an amazing thing to be a part of. Yeh, I'm a little sore right now (the day after), but let me tell you, the sense of accomplishment and purpose far outweighs any muscular aches and pains.
The day started early with a six o'clock wake up call at the hotel I was staying at in Newton. By 7:15 I was standing in a massive group of bikers gathered on the grounds of Babson College in Wellesley pensively awaiting our 7:30 start.
This was actually the second start of the day. Another three thousand riders had begun their ride from Sturbridge an hour earlier with the courses converging in Rehoboth and then everyone descending upon the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne.
The Wellesley to Bourne course is 83 miles and the Sturbridge to Bourne course is 108 miles. The second day of the Pan Mass ride goes from Bourne to Provincetown, another 78 miles. Given my lack of cycling prowess, I whimped out and signed up for the one day Wellesley to Bourne leg.
After official speeches and the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner", approximately two thousand riders boiled out through the starting gates. Initially, the only thing you could do was to walk alongside your bike and chat with the people around you. Then, as the pace picked up, you threw your leg over the cross bar and not so gracefully duck-walked until the crowd thinned out enough for you to start pedaling.
I've got to say though; this was one of my favorite parts of the ride. Not because I hadn't started pedaling yet, but because of the overwhelming feeling of camaraderie I felt with this amazing group of people making this incredible effort for a very worthwhile cause. A lot of the riders were wearing pictures of loved ones (many of them children) who have been afflicted by cancer. Other riders were carrying names on their shirts, as I was. I'm not ashamed to say I actually got a little choked up about it.
Now, an 83 mile bike ride may seem a little daunting to some of you, however you might be surprised at all the shapes, sizes and ages of people that do the Pan Mass. It really is quite inspirational to see all these bodies, mostly clad in the same biking shirts, swelling out onto the road - some pedaling hard but most going at their own pace.
The first leg of the course (to the first water stop in Wrentham) was 21 miles. My longest bike ride up until this point had been approximately 30 miles so I was in pretty good shape and feeling quite relaxed. By the second water stop, which was the 44 mile mark and the designated lunch stop, I was definitely ready for a break.
I guess this is a good time to talk about the organization of the Pan Mass Challenge and of the wonderful people who volunteer their time to help make it all happen. These are the people who direct the riders, who prepare the food, who serve the riders, who make sure there are enough cold drinks, and who pick up the trash. Volunteers man just about every level of this finely tuned machine and it works brilliantly. Riders need only get themselves to the starting line and then everything is done for them, except the riding of course. Needless to say, you could get just about any high energy, high carbohydrate food you wanted for lunch, as well as a much-deserved rest.
After about forty minutes and three more Aleve later (I was eating them like candy that day) it was back on the bike for stage three - a 14 mile leg to the next water stop in Lakeville and the 58 mile mark. It was during this leg my body started to complain a little about the abuse I was putting it through. For those of you who have done long ride bikes before, you'll know how "bike butt" feels. For those of you that don't, imagine sitting on a rather small and uncomfortable triangular shaped seat for hours on end (every pun intended). With each bump in the road comes a spreading of the cheeks, so to speak, until it seems like there's nothing but tailbone between you and your bike. This is when you tend to do a lot more riding out of the saddle.
By this time in the day the strength of the sun had really started to heat things up so you constantly had to keep hydrated. If you weren't drinking water, you were pouring it over your helmet, down your back or anywhere else that would cool you off. Some of the people who were standing outside their houses cheering on the riders would actually be spraying them with their garden hoses as they rode by. Earlier on a lot of riders were avoiding this perceived annoyance, but by the third leg riders were lining up single file as they approached these welcomed cooling showers.
The third water stop was a bit of a blur��a little food, some cold water spiced with electrolytes, and soaking my head under a tap. The final water stop before the run into Bourne was now 17 miles away and I was not happy, as were many of my fellow riders who were now feeling the heat. I was beginning to form a whole new appreciation for the pros that do races like the Tour De France and the incredible effort they put out to ride up the face of a mountain�..and these guys ride twice as far and don't stop for refreshments!
Pacing ones self and working through some of the pain became very important in this next leg. At one point my left quad started to cramp up, probably due to dehydration. The muscles in my lower neck where also screaming. The only thing to do was back off the pace and drink a lot more from the Camelbak I was wearing, which I had filled with Gatorade. That, and to find every garden-hose-wielding, cheering spectator I could. I was soon back on pace and before I knew it I was pulling into the last water stop before the finish in Bourne.
"Only 7.5 miles to beer" was the sign that greeted the riders at this oasis. The thought of an icy-cold, water-bead-covered brew certainly fired me up. So after some food, drink, a mandatory soaking under a tap, and a massage it was back on the bike. I'm not sure what it was, exhaustion, a sense of accomplishment, the thought of a beer, or a combination of these, but I rode this leg with the kind of euphoria and energy I had when I began the ride. The cheering crowds lining the roads I pedaled down certainly helped motivate me - all of them thanking me and the other riders for making this effort to raise money for the fight against cancer.
The final hundred yards into the grounds of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy was pretty special with friends and family of the riders, two or three deep on either side of the road, all cheering and congratulating us for a job well done. It may seem strange but after crossing the line I actually wanted to keep on riding. However, that feeling only lasted a few minutes then it was onto higher priorities such as a shower, food, and oh yes��a beer!
Now that the Pan Mass Challenge is all over and I've had time to reflect on this amazing event, I find myself thinking about how very gratifying it was in so many different ways and I'm already looking forward to next year's ride. And, with a little more training and preparation, perhaps I'll do the second day ride out to Provincetown.
I want to thank you so much for supporting my 2007 Pan Mass bicycle ride. Having the names of your friends and family with me gave me strength when I needed it most. You can feel assured that your donation will be used in the fight against cancer and that some day soon we'll have a cure.
All the Very Best,
Geoff
My Pan Mass Ride
Wow, the Pan Mass Challenge was a truly an amazing thing to be a part of. Yeh, I'm a little sore right now (the day after), but let me tell you, the sense of accomplishment and purpose far outweighs any muscular aches and pains.
The day started early with a six o'clock wake up call at the hotel I was staying at in Newton. By 7:15 I was standing in a massive group of bikers gathered on the grounds of Babson College in Wellesley pensively awaiting our 7:30 start.
This was actually the second start of the day. Another three thousand riders had begun their ride from Sturbridge an hour earlier with the courses converging in Rehoboth and then everyone descending upon the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne.
The Wellesley to Bourne course is 83 miles and the Sturbridge to Bourne course is 108 miles. The second day of the Pan Mass ride goes from Bourne to Provincetown, another 78 miles. Given my lack of cycling prowess, I whimped out and signed up for the one day Wellesley to Bourne leg.
After official speeches and the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner", approximately two thousand riders boiled out through the starting gates. Initially, the only thing you could do was to walk alongside your bike and chat with the people around you. Then, as the pace picked up, you threw your leg over the cross bar and not so gracefully duck-walked until the crowd thinned out enough for you to start pedaling.
I've got to say though; this was one of my favorite parts of the ride. Not because I hadn't started pedaling yet, but because of the overwhelming feeling of camaraderie I felt with this amazing group of people making this incredible effort for a very worthwhile cause. A lot of the riders were wearing pictures of loved ones (many of them children) who have been afflicted by cancer. Other riders were carrying names on their shirts, as I was. I'm not ashamed to say I actually got a little choked up about it.
Now, an 83 mile bike ride may seem a little daunting to some of you, however you might be surprised at all the shapes, sizes and ages of people that do the Pan Mass. It really is quite inspirational to see all these bodies, mostly clad in the same biking shirts, swelling out onto the road - some pedaling hard but most going at their own pace.
The first leg of the course (to the first water stop in Wrentham) was 21 miles. My longest bike ride up until this point had been approximately 30 miles so I was in pretty good shape and feeling quite relaxed. By the second water stop, which was the 44 mile mark and the designated lunch stop, I was definitely ready for a break.
I guess this is a good time to talk about the organization of the Pan Mass Challenge and of the wonderful people who volunteer their time to help make it all happen. These are the people who direct the riders, who prepare the food, who serve the riders, who make sure there are enough cold drinks, and who pick up the trash. Volunteers man just about every level of this finely tuned machine and it works brilliantly. Riders need only get themselves to the starting line and then everything is done for them, except the riding of course. Needless to say, you could get just about any high energy, high carbohydrate food you wanted for lunch, as well as a much-deserved rest.
After about forty minutes and three more Aleve later (I was eating them like candy that day) it was back on the bike for stage three - a 14 mile leg to the next water stop in Lakeville and the 58 mile mark. It was during this leg my body started to complain a little about the abuse I was putting it through. For those of you who have done long ride bikes before, you'll know how "bike butt" feels. For those of you that don't, imagine sitting on a rather small and uncomfortable triangular shaped seat for hours on end (every pun intended). With each bump in the road comes a spreading of the cheeks, so to speak, until it seems like there's nothing but tailbone between you and your bike. This is when you tend to do a lot more riding out of the saddle.
By this time in the day the strength of the sun had really started to heat things up so you constantly had to keep hydrated. If you weren't drinking water, you were pouring it over your helmet, down your back or anywhere else that would cool you off. Some of the people who were standing outside their houses cheering on the riders would actually be spraying them with their garden hoses as they rode by. Earlier on a lot of riders were avoiding this perceived annoyance, but by the third leg riders were lining up single file as they approached these welcomed cooling showers.
The third water stop was a bit of a blur��a little food, some cold water spiced with electrolytes, and soaking my head under a tap. The final water stop before the run into Bourne was now 17 miles away and I was not happy, as were many of my fellow riders who were now feeling the heat. I was beginning to form a whole new appreciation for the pros that do races like the Tour De France and the incredible effort they put out to ride up the face of a mountain�..and these guys ride twice as far and don't stop for refreshments!
Pacing ones self and working through some of the pain became very important in this next leg. At one point my left quad started to cramp up, probably due to dehydration. The muscles in my lower neck where also screaming. The only thing to do was back off the pace and drink a lot more from the Camelbak I was wearing, which I had filled with Gatorade. That, and to find every garden-hose-wielding, cheering spectator I could. I was soon back on pace and before I knew it I was pulling into the last water stop before the finish in Bourne.
"Only 7.5 miles to beer" was the sign that greeted the riders at this oasis. The thought of an icy-cold, water-bead-covered brew certainly fired me up. So after some food, drink, a mandatory soaking under a tap, and a massage it was back on the bike. I'm not sure what it was, exhaustion, a sense of accomplishment, the thought of a beer, or a combination of these, but I rode this leg with the kind of euphoria and energy I had when I began the ride. The cheering crowds lining the roads I pedaled down certainly helped motivate me - all of them thanking me and the other riders for making this effort to raise money for the fight against cancer.
The final hundred yards into the grounds of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy was pretty special with friends and family of the riders, two or three deep on either side of the road, all cheering and congratulating us for a job well done. It may seem strange but after crossing the line I actually wanted to keep on riding. However, that feeling only lasted a few minutes then it was onto higher priorities such as a shower, food, and oh yes��a beer!
Now that the Pan Mass Challenge is all over and I've had time to reflect on this amazing event, I find myself thinking about how very gratifying it was in so many different ways and I'm already looking forward to next year's ride. And, with a little more training and preparation, perhaps I'll do the second day ride out to Provincetown.
I want to thank you so much for supporting my 2007 Pan Mass bicycle ride. Having the names of your friends and family with me gave me strength when I needed it most. You can feel assured that your donation will be used in the fight against cancer and that some day soon we'll have a cure.
All the Very Best,
Geoff
I have chosen to keep all of my donors' information confidential; therefore it is not displayed on my PMC public donor list.
| 2011 | $4,200.00 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
| 2010 | $4,235.30 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
| 2009 | $4,237.00 | Wellesley to Provincetown Monument (2-Day) |
| 2008 | $3,700.00 | Wellesley to Bourne (1-Day, Sat) |
| 2007 | $2,600.00 | Wellesley to Bourne (1-Day, Sat) |
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Geoff Van Gorkom
