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. After a few months I doubled my 20 mile record and kept adding to it every few months. I am now a seasoned rider, and I feel ready to take on the Pan Mass Challenge.

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. The PMC donated a record-breaking $63 million to Dana-Farber in 2019, bringing the PMC's 40-year fundraising total to $717 million. The goal is to provide Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers with the necessary resources to discover cures for all cancers.

Many people might not know this, but cancer has affected my life personally. My aunt Linda died thirteen years ago from ovarian cancer. She watched my brother and I when we were young and helped look after us even into our teenage years when my parents were away. Her loss was hard on my whole family and continues to be today. Linda was a dedicated cyclist and loved going for rides whenever she could. When I was a child she would take me riding with her, and while I might have only gone a few miles, it was one of my favorite things to do. While riding with her is one of my fondest memories, she also inspired me to try more things in life and go outside my comfort zone. Linda was taken from my life too soon. I will always miss her but I know now that I can honor her memory by doing this ride and raising money for a cause that was close to her. I hope that I can make her proud.

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 $3,000 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