Well, we were late getting there, so I did not meet Dave at the prearranged spot. We ate our usually stuffing of pasta, then headed over to opening ceremonies, stopping at the exhibition hall along the way. At this point, I realized that I still had a bunch of checks which I hadn't handed in. So, I left Chris and his friend Bob Hwang at the exhibits, and I went back to the registration area, handed in my checks, and turned back to find Dave and his cameraman! He already had 50 interviews, but wanted one more. We did some q & a. And then... there I was on the 11:00 news, along with 3 or 4 other PMCers and some file footage. So, mission accomplished! Combined with my 15 seconds last year for the Second Harvest Food Drive here in Mountain View, I've got about 14 minutes left.
We were off at 6AM, as usual. Chris and Bob disappeared ahead. John K. and I rode off into the sunrise - although it was not visible since it was totally overcast. As seems to be a new tradition, a bagpipe player in full dress greeted us a few miles in by the Charlton police department. Most impressive and moving.
We pulled into the first water stop in order to fix my derailleur which was not staying in gear. Between 20 and 40 miles, John and I rode with a small group. One first-year rider, Libby, had recently moved to Mass from Palo Alto, CA. On one hill, someone groaned about how steep it was. She and I shared a grin, knowing that this hill was half as steep as the shallowest part of Page Mill Road.
Strangely, the hills were less bothersome than the flats, perhaps because I could get out of the saddle. We rode straight through to the 60-mile stop. Although my left knee occasionally reminded me that it was "there", generally I was leaning on the right one, so the left was getting an easy ride. This process would come back to haunt me later.
Around 85 miles, we were riding through the cranberry bogs. Two women who have been supporting the ride as long as I have been riding, were on the roadside dressed as monkeys, and holding signs urging us on. John K. stopped to take a picture with them. We pulled in at the 98 mile stop. Several kids on the side of the road had hands out for "high-five's". 1, 2, 3, 4! Got them all. It's always a warm feeling when you see people who have come out to support us along the route. They're always excited and it really helps move you along. Things were still ok with 15 to go.
Somewhere in this stretch, at about 107 miles (or about 35000 pedal revolutions), my right knee (also known as the "good" knee) had had enough. This made the last 6 miles uncomfortable, to say the least. Thankfully, John K. was there to keep me company and tow me along. We rolled into the Mass Maritime Academy at 1:00. After a shower, a massage, and some lunch, I hit the medical tent for some ice, and tried to get the knees ready for Sunday.
By 3, the sun was out, and the MMA was in full-swing. Things seemed bigger; there were more people everywhere. Nearly 1900 riders and 1500 volunteers were involved this year, about 25% more than last. One of these volunteers was tying a plastic bag around the saddle of each bike in the bike parking area because (a) it was outdoors, and (b) there was a good chance of fog Sunday morning. That's service! I met several new people who were impressed that I (and others) come all the way from places like California and Colorado to ride in the PMC.
We spent the afternoon eating, icing sore knees, snoozing, and cheering in the last rider who arrived at about 7pm. As if we hadn't eaten enough, we headed in for "dinner", after which there didn't seem to be much else to do but call it a day, as reveille is at 4AM on Sunday.
I expected my right knee (now the "bad" knee) to last me through about half of the access road, and I was right on. That left 75 miles. Although there's not much in the way of downhill on Sunday, I managed to coast down whatever there was. I spent a lot of time out of the saddle, even in the slightest rolling hills. This seemed to make the ride a little easier.
We stopped only at the halfway point. After passing the 60 mile stop, I must have suggested that I should quit (this part of the ride is something of a blur). John knows how stubborn I am, and thought the fact that I even mentioned stopping was somewhat of an alarm. So, a short time later, he made the same suggestion: "Sag it" (that is, pull over and wait for a sag wagon to take me the rest of the way). Might have been the word "sag", or that 'ol stubborness, but I just couldn't do it. In some way, a little pain made the ride more meaningful, and with only 20 miles to go and nothing broken, it was a walk (limp?) in the park.
At the one significant hill in Truro, Saturday's monkeys had become Sunday's pink bunnies (or was I seeing things?). A good sized group of supporters cheered us up the hill: "Only 12 miles to go!" Turning onto route 6, a pace line running at just about our speed came along and John and I latched on. John moved quickly to the head of the pack and towed us along into Provincetown.
One of the more difficult parts of the PMC is that when you're in sight of Provincetown, about 2 miles from the end, the route turns right for one final set of rolling hills through Race Point, making the home-stretch 5 miles. It's not much, but after a ride like this one... Anyway, we rode through these hills, which are quite striking, exiting back onto route 6 and the final turn to the ProvinceTown Inn. No sprints this year. Just a hearty "thanks" to John who had towed me along for another 80 miles. Also, this year, Beth flew east with me, and was at the finish to meet me for the first time in 3 years! This made the end of the ride even more special.
As usual, we ate and ate and ate. We rejoined Chris and Bob, who had turned in a great time, arriving in P-town before 10. Bob was heading back on the bus. Beth, Bob, and I walked through Provincetown, depositing his bike at the bus, and mine at the B&B where Beth and I would spend Sunday night. We walked around Provincetown for a bit, looking at the shops, after which Bob headed for the bus, and I for the B&B for a long overdue nap.
To date, my great sponsors and I have raised about $3300 for 1996, and fundraising continues through November. In 6 years, I've raised nearly $20K! I will keep you posted; the official numbers are released in early December.
Although I do the riding, I like to think that we all participate in the PMC: my wife, Beth; my family; my sponsors; the people that just wish me "good luck". I sincerely thank you all for your support, and I hope you will all continue to support me as I continue to ride to end cancer.