Every August, thousands of cyclists come together to ride 186 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown, MA to raise money for Dana Farber Cancer Research. This will be my seventh year riding for team Nashua Rides for Hope, but really only my third time riding the traditional two-day, 186 mile ride!
In 2018, my best friend Pipes recruited me to ride the two-day ride for the first time and I was lucky enough to have my dad there to cheer me on. We lost fahjja in January 2019 to Multiple Myeloma. On the evening of his funeral, I signed up to ride again in 2019, but was 4 months pregnant with Emily at the time of the ride and chose to volunteer at the Brewster water stop with my mom (all while continuing my fundraising efforts!). In 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic, PMC shifted to a Reimagined Ride and my team rode a one-day, 108 mile ride along the NH and Maine coast! Then again in 2022, 7 months pregnant with Molly, I chose to sign up as a Reimagined rider to sustain my fundraising/participation streak, and found a spot on Cape Cod to camp out on early Sunday morning to cheer on the riders as a spectator. Being a spectator was an incredible experience and motivated me to get back on the bike last year.
Last year was my favorite ride so far. It was my brother Joe's first time riding the traditional two-day ride. We took the "party" ferry back to Boston from Provincetown and there was a live band playing on upper deck. As we pulled into the pier, they started playing "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)". Joe and I immediately gave each other a look of acknowledgement of this special sign from dad. Okay, maybe it was more of an "are you kidding me" look accompanied by watering eyes. Long story short, but if you're curious check out the Instagram post. Anyways, I knew after that weekend that I was absolutely signing up for this year.
This year is all about my team, Nashua Rides for Hope. Tommy Dufresne, one of our veteran riders and a long time family friend of Pipes, lost a courageous battle to pancreatic cancer this year. My team showed up to his wake wearing our blue t-shirts we made last summer to honor his fight. In June, we participated in the Veteran's Count charity ride to honor him. I have also had the opportunity to catch a few team training rides, which is a lot more fun than riding 2 or 3 hours by myself (and faster haha!). This team is packed with really good people who are an absolute joy to be around, and I look forward to August!
I have lost many loved ones to cancer, but I've also seen many friends and family members beat the odds and live long and happy lives following targeted treatment. I'm riding in memory of our angels, to celebrate the survivors, and to raise money towards continued research to find the cure.
Why PMC? Easy. 100% of rider-raised revenue for the PMC goes directly to supporting the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's tireless commitment to finding a cure for cancer. Over the past 6 years, I have raised over $36,000 for Dana Farber - THANK YOU for your continued support in the fight against cancer!
