July 24th, 2008 | 
This will be my fifth year riding the Pan-Mass Challenge, a charity ride benefiting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. It’s a great ride that raises gobs of money for a fabulous charity and a truly worthy cause.
The ride is a two-day event that takes cyclists across most of Massachusetts. While there aren’t many huge climbs on the ride – it is Massachusetts after all – the challenge is in riding back-to-back very long days. For most, it’s about just finishing, but for some, with more testosterone than brains – like me – it’s about finishing fast. Which, of course, makes it a bit more challenging.
My training hasn’t been going great. Having been in Europe for a couple of weeks didn’t help. It’s also been raining almost every day for the last week. Serious bummer. So, I’ve pushed myself harder than normal to get ready. So hard, in fact, that I fell off my bike the other day and cracked a couple of ribs. Ouch!
I was told (or, I wanted to hear) that I can still ride by people with medical degrees – “yeah, it’ll hurt and it will take longer to heal, but you can still ride.” At least that’s what I heard. So, I’m going for it. It was getting too easy anyway . . . yeah, right.
If you’ve read this far and are asking yourself, “how can I contribute to this noble effort,” or, “I’ve been looking for a cool way to donate to cancer research and care,” here’s your chance (any amount helps – there is no donation too small). Direct your browser to this web page (https://www.pmc.org/egifts/ – for those who like to cut and paste). Click on “Sponsor a Rider with one donation” then “Select a person by eGift ID”. My PMC Gift ID is: wh0028 if you choose to “sponsor” me. Of course, you can make the donation anonymously or directly to Dana Farber, bypassing the sponsorship part, if you prefer.
Wish me luck . . .
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