As a child I found my passion for riding my bike. I would make any excuse to ride it anywhere: to friends houses, to the grocery store, even to Blockbuster. I would ride my bike on trails, on the roads, and around my street as often as I could. I never rode more than 20 miles until after college when I learned that some people went over 100 miles on a single ride; that made me motivated to become one of those people. I borrowed a road bike from my uncle and started riding more and more for longer periods of time. I’ve now conquered riding a century ride and have no issues riding 50 miles plus and love every mile on the bike.

I love cycling and the feeling of success after a long ride on the roads, but mostly, I love what PMC stands for: 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Currently with how things are going in the world, Dana Farbers funding is being cut and every dollar means more that is donated to the cause.

As many people in my life know, I have a big loss in my life from cancer. My aunt Linda passed away in 2007 from cancer and it was a huge loss not just to me but to everyone in my family. She was one of my inspirations, along with a couple other family members to get into cycling. Before she passed, she was one of the top donors to the Livestrong foundations 2006 tour of hope ride that helped raise money for cancer research.

I’ll be riding from Bourne to Wellesley this August, and I would love your support. I’m riding for myself, for my love of cycling, for Linda, and for anyone that is affected by cancer. I appreciate any amount that you can donate - I’m required to fundraise at least $2,000 in order to participate. If you would like to donate, you can do so at http://profile.pmc.org/ME0126

Thank you for your support.

-- Mike