COVID19 has changed much in our lives. If we are lucky, we can find a few things that got better. Certainly, we have moments when we are begging for the good old days. I am gaining more time with my parents but missing the anticipation of riding with TEAM LUNGSTONG in the Pan Mass Challenge.

This year will be my sixth PMC. Each year I say that I experience something new and unexpected. This year did not disappoint. We are shifting to a reimagined Pan Mass Challenge as the safety of riders, volunteers and supporters has become the highest priority.

The traditional two-day event will not be built around a live ride across much of Massachusetts with the assistance of numerous volunteers and supporters. Instead, we will each participate in our own way. The thousands of individuals will get involved and give in their own way.

I plan on putting in my training rides and getting time on the roads that have become part of my summer routine. In particular, I have a 60-mile ride that lets me enjoy some of the same roads that are incorporated into on day two of the PMC. The ride includes a steep climb with the National Seashore on my right. I enjoy a climb when I’m on the bike, and everyone loves a great view of the ocean. I usually get to do this ride on a warm summer morning. This makes for a great time to think about the upcoming Pan Mass Challenge and feel good about what I’m doing. It’s often a sense of accomplishment that training is progressing and a feeling of excitement that the Pan Mass is right around the corner.

I will certainly miss the time with my teammates and a chance to enjoy Living Proof, a celebration of the participants that are battling or have beaten cancer. The Pan Mass Challenge has become one of the highlights to my year.

This year we will raise funds together. Donations may be a little different as the environment around us has shifted and the demands on each of our lives may have as well. We are still hoping to make a difference on the battle against cancer.

Please visit the PMC website at www.pmc.org and support my ride for Team LUNGSTRONG. I am hoping to make my sixth Pan Mass Challenge a good year for a great cause. Click the Donate button and enter my ID Number KA0095. I truly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Kevin