PMC Progress Blog

We had a wonderful experience in this year's PMC...

2007-08-10T06:46:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful experience in this year's PMC and immediately afterward we began making plans for next year. There were so many memorable moments and images along the ride:

the people along the route clapping, cheering, and thanking us for riding
the heartbreaking photos of pediatric cancer patients lining the road into the lunch stop
each of the "themed" waterstops
riding under the balloon archway just before the Wellfleet stop
the massive lunch gathering on Saturday
dinner at Mass Maritime Academy
riding over the Bourne bridge
the bike paths on the Cape
first glimpse of the monument in Provincetown
finishing!

We felt very well prepared for the ride; on Sunday we could have easily gone another 20 miles! All of our training really paid off especially in the hill-climbing department. We did not experience anything like the hills around Bucks County, so it was very easy for us to make it up "heartbreak hill" on Sunday. The headwinds on Route 6 made things interesting toward the end, but again, we felt very strong coming into the finish.

Weatherwise, obviously Saturday was brutally hot and we did worry about overheating in the blazing sun exposure. Janet's constant reminders to hydrate were most welcome! Sunday was just a beautiful day for riding and really made up for any discomfort the day before.

Once again, we thank everyone who donated to our rides -- your generosity enabled us to enjoy our weekend without the worry of being behind on the fundraising. The deadline for donations is 10/1 so there is still plenty of time for us to make $10,000!

I've put together all the photos I took along the way -- they are in a Flickr slideshow; or if that doesn't work for you, they are in a set here.

Well, it's time to wrap up the mobile blogging. We...

2007-08-05T16:44:00.000-04:00

Well, it's time to wrap up the mobile blogging. We'll be unwinding for a few days at this lovely little cottage at The Inn at Cook Street. When we return we'll fix up any posting mishaps and add some photos from the 'real' camera. Signing off from PMC '07...

Mileage: 161 -- we made

2007-08-05T13:38:00.001-04:00

Mileage: 161 -- we made it! Now it's time for some food and rest. More later...

Last hill before the finish.

2007-08-05T13:26:00.000-04:00

Last hill before the finish.

2007-08-05T12:45:00.000-04:00

Riding on route 6.

2007-08-05T12:36:00.001-04:00

Riding on route 6.

Mileage: 140 -- just before the last water stop....

2007-08-05T11:01:00.000-04:00

Mileage: 140 -- just before the last water stop.

Carol and Janet on the bike trail. Beautiful ridin...

2007-08-05T09:48:00.000-04:00

Carol and Janet on the bike trail. Beautiful riding.

Mileage: 123 -- awesome riding today; the local ...

2007-08-05T09:33:00.000-04:00

Mileage: 123 -- awesome riding today; the local support is inspiring. Much cooler still this morning. P-Town here we come!

Mileage: 106 -- first water stop, yay for coffee...

2007-08-05T07:59:00.000-04:00

Mileage: 106 -- first water stop, yay for coffee! Beautiful ride over the bridge and onto the cape. And, much cooler today.

Heading over the Bourne Bridge.

2007-08-05T06:10:00.000-04:00

Heading over the Bourne Bridge.

Ready to head out - 6 am.

2007-08-05T05:57:00.000-04:00

Ready to head out - 6 am.

It's 4:40, time to get

2007-08-05T04:48:00.001-04:00

It's 4:40, time to get up!

Mileage: 83.2 -- 4:00 arrival at MMA!

2007-08-04T16:35:00.000-04:00

Mileage: 83.2 -- 4:00 arrival at MMA!

Mileage: 76 -- last stop before Bourne! Did I me...

2007-08-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

Mileage: 76 -- last stop before Bourne! Did I mention that it's hot? Icewater, melon, and PB&J are going down easy...

Mileage: 58 -- water stop. It's still hot!

2007-08-04T13:28:00.001-04:00

Mileage: 58 -- water stop. It's still hot!

Mileage: 44.5 -- lunch! We're feeling good and t...

2007-08-04T11:42:00.000-04:00

Mileage: 44.5 -- lunch! We're feeling good and the lunch is hitting the spot. So far the most striking thing about the ride is the cheering and support along the way. Oh, plus it's really hot!

Traffic jam!

2007-08-04T11:20:00.000-04:00

Traffic jam!

Mileage: 20 -- first water

2007-08-04T09:22:00.001-04:00

Mileage: 20 -- first water stop. Easy ride out of wellesley, amazing feeling to be part of this group. More to follow.

Carol, Janet, Brian before the start.

2007-08-04T07:29:00.001-04:00

Carol, Janet, Brian before the start.

Getting ready for the start!

2007-08-04T07:21:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for the start!

Filling up.

2007-08-04T06:48:00.000-04:00

Filling up.

Up early and on our

2007-08-04T06:02:00.001-04:00

Up early and on our way to Wellesley from Carol's home in Boston. It's 78 degrees already!

Dropping the bikes Friday evening.

2007-08-03T19:21:00.000-04:00

Dropping the bikes Friday evening.

We hit the road around 12:15 and made decent time ...

2007-08-03T15:01:00.000-04:00

We hit the road around 12:15 and made decent time across the GW and into CT. Now we seem to be stuck in some heavy traffic on the Merritt. Also it's 99 deg out! Hope tomorrow is cooler...