This trip report will detail the event, from the opening ceremonies on Friday evening to the finish line on Sunday, and the travel experience to and from Mass. (There may even be some talk of a party for all of you; at least those of you on the west coast). But before getting into that, I'll first highlight the vital statistics of the event. I usually leave this stuff until the end, but it's sooooo good, I just want to lead off with it. Then, you can read the rest at your leisure:
Saturday: 109 miles
6:00AM - 12:15PM (riding 19.0 mph)
Place: approximately 45th of 1500
Sunday: 80 miles
5:35AM - 10:15AM (riding 18.3 mph)
Contributions to Date: $3069
I'll probably say it several times in this report, but it's really
fantastic to have such great sponsors - THANK YOU! I expect that when
the final tally is done in November, I will have raised over 50% more
than last year. Although I do the ride, you make the difference.
In addition to your contributions, your words of encouragement and
well wishes gave me a tremendous boost. So, thanks again!!
Now, on to the story.
Saturday, we woke up at 4:10AM, and headed over to breakfast and the starting line. I was riding with my long-time buddy, Chris Spear, who got me involved in the PMC to begin with. The riders are separated into three groups: fast, steady, and touring. We parked ourselves at the front of the fast group. The weather looked good - the humidity was gone. The start is like a 100 lane toll plaza, funneling down into about 10, then 4. We were off at 6AM. I set up a pretty fast initial pace, and we decided to skip the 20 mile water stop.
One thing about the PMC that is always heart warming: the people that get up at the crack of dawn to stand by the roadside and cheer us on. It's a great feeling. I make sure that I wave or yell "hello" to each one. Included is a set of "high 5's" to the kids that line the path into the 60 mile waterstop. I got all three of them this year.
Massachusetts may be many things, but it is not flat. However, one thing about training in the hills here is that the hills there become very slight. I certainly remember them being much more steep. I was leading pace lines much of the morning. We pulled into the 60 mile stop at around 9:15. Right on schedule. By the 72 mile stop, we had slipped a little. I really wanted to finish by 12:15, so shorter stops and faster speeds were necessary!
Chris stayed with me most of the time. At one point, the pace line I was leading split while going up a slight incline. Since we were close to the 96 mile stop, the three of us at the front just kept cranking. Chris caught up and we left the 96 mile stop together. I felt strong enough to lead right to the finish. We caught up to another rider that we had ridden with earlier, so we created a small pace line, and headed for Bourne on the Cape Cod Canal. It really felt great to be in the lead. In this leg of the ride, we're very close to the water, and the wind picks up. We had a reasonable headwind to deal with, but I didn't mind. The three of us got to the finish at the Mass Maritime Academy at 12:15. Approximately 45 riders were in. I felt strong, and could have kept going. A first!
About 100 massage therapists donate their time for the finish of the first day. I made an appointment, showered up, had a great massage, and lots of food. We sat by the finish line for an hour or so and cheered in some riders. After dinner, we listened to the band for a while, then headed off to the dorms for some sleep.
Reveille on Sunday is at 4:15. We were already awake. Very important to get to breakfast early on Sunday morning because (1) the cafeteria only seats about 400, (2) there are about 1500 riders, and (3) it's FREEZING outside at 4:30 AM. After a small breakfast - bagel, muffin, a little coffee - we retrieved our luggage and bikes from the dorm, and we were ready to leave by 5:30. It is pretty neat to cross the Bourne bridge from mainland Massachusetts onto Cape Cod first thing in the morning. This is the only part of the ride where traffic is blocked off - we get our own lane. We follow the Cape Cod Canal northeast to Sagamore, and we're always just in time for sunrise. It's a pretty sight.
The ride on Sunday is mostly rolling hills as we make our way up the Cape. We hit each of the 3 water stops, keeping them short. Chris and I traded places much of the day, and he led a good part of it. We also followed a pretty long pace line several times. In the town of Truro, the route was different this year - they removed the one really steep hill. I have dreaded "Corn Hill" for years, but was actually disappointed that they skipped it. There was an alternate, which was very short, so I sprinted up for the Truro supporters who are out there every year.
When we entered Provincetown, I set the pace for the last 5 miles. We kept it steady until just before the last turn, where Chris caught a draft from, of all things, a Saab 9000! Since there was only a mile to go, I went full steam ahead, and gave it everything I had for one last sprint. I passed him doing about 30, and we finished within seconds of each other! After years of trailing by tens of minutes to hours, I was delighted that we finished both days together.
So, it was another great day. Only one minor injury to report. At the 20 mile rest stop, I was feeling good. Chris didn't really want to stop, so I was hurrying to get tanked up, etcetera... Of course, wierd things happen when you're in a rush, especially when you're walking on cycling cleats. Later, the conversation with the medical staff at Provincetown went something like this:
Me: I need to ice my left foot and achilles tendon.
Them: Rough day on the road?
Me: No, not really.
Them: Really pulled hard through the hills in Truro?
Me: Well, yes, but that's not the problem.
Them: So, what happened?
Me: I slipped getting into the bathroom.
The bruises were truly minor, except perhaps to my ego. We all had a good laugh, and after a few days, all was back to normal.
There were even more intertesting things going on in Provincetown. The National Guard was having a problem keeping the hot water running in the shower tents that they set up, so that was probably about the fastest shower on record. The post-ride lunch was great as always: a little BBQ chicken, some clam chow-DA, and all manner of side dishes. Also, someone that looked suspiciously like Elton John was walking around congratulating riders, signing autographs, and taking pictures. We are expecting such a picture soon. Was it him? I don't know. Up close, he seemed the right age, and he was dressed appropriately, and I imagine it's tought to fake a gap between the front teeth! Rumor has it that he was in town, and that the Jimmy Fund is one of his charities. So, who knows?
So, that was the ride. We were picked up in Provincetown, and on our way home by 1:30. Some riders were still out there. We honked some support in their direction.
I used frequent flyer miles for this trip. I think "frequent flyer" means "sub-economy" to United. They allow very few FF's on each plane, so getting a reservation was tough. Just before I was ready to get the tickets, they cancelled the reservation, because I missed the ticketing window. Argh! At the last minute, they were able to get me back on some flights, but I had to change planes in Chicago.
I rented a special flight case in order to bring my new Specialized Epic to the east coast. Turns out, I had to do a little more bike disassembly than I expected. The case has a fork stand and a bottom bracket holder. The bike was attached to both when we took off...
I arrived 1/2 hour late at Chicago due to bad weather. In fact, on the way, we fell through a mighty deep hole at 37000 feet! Anyway, I had only a half hour to make my connection. No problem. They cancelled it. How handy. Anyone who has ever been through the massive United complex at Chicago knows the distances that must be travelled to get anywhere, and that pandemonium breaks out when weather gets in the way. There was shouting, arguments, ... a real mess. I found an agent who was able to get me on the next flight which was leaving in two hours. She gave me the additional option of trying to get an American flight in 20 minutes, which she said was standby only.
Me: What's the probability that I'll get on that flight?
Agent: Well, it's standby only.
Me: You already said that.
Agent: Well, it's standby only.
All this after I diagnosed the problem with her computer! Anyway, with no further data, I tried to get to American. The gate was two terminals and nearly a mile away. I could make some parallel to O.J., but that commercial has been cancelled! I got to the gate in time, but the flight was booked solid. After a long, slow walk back to United, I got on a plane, and finally to Boston by 11:45 PM.
The next day (Thursday), I opened up the bike case. Big mistake. Not in the fork mount. Hmmm. Sort of in the bottom mount. Hmmm. The bike, to coin an airline term, was free to move about its cabin, and did so. Both wheels were out of true, the derailleur was bent, the cranks were loose, and one of the brakes was bent. The whole bottom of the bike was scratched up. But all was not lost.
On Friday morning, I took the bike to a shop that I used to deal with. They fixed the mechanical damage. So, a somewhat happy ending there. For the trip back, I put the bike back in the case, added extra foam to critical areas (like the derailleur), over tightened the mounts, taped the bike to the mounts... Then, I put the case in a cardboard box and shipped it back UPS, 3rd day select. I think the "select" means that they "select" when to deliver it, because the driver certainly selected not to deliver it on the 10th, when I expected it. I called UPS to have them hold it for me to get it the following day. When I got to UPS - you guessed it - the bike was still on a truck. Eventually, I got the bike, and if nothing else, at least UPS was able to handle it without destroying it.
So, the moral of the story is:
So, what's it all about? People. 1500 riders. 1000 volunteers who work the water/food stops, massage tired bodies, lug luggage around, drive staff around, dispense medical care, repair broken bikes, etc. Probably upwards of 60,000 sponsors. Corporations which donate tons of food, cycling supplies, sound equipment, mobile communications, ... Supporters who line the route to cheer us on. And, ultimately, those who depend on all of us: the kids at Dana Farber.
So, one more time, THANKS for your support!