What forest? What trees?

Pan Mass Challenge ride completed

(Reproduced below is the email I sent out to folks after I completed the Pan Mass Challenge ride in August. Yes, this is way overdue. And why am I posting this now? Just for the record, I guess. And maybe to pick up a last-minute donation to the Jimmy Fund.)

Dear Friends,

First of all, thank you again to all of you who have donated to the Jimmy Fund this year. I do appreciate your support.

And yes, the ride is done, all 192 miles. It was a good weekend for riding, and even the rain showers Saturday evening in Bourne were not too disruptive (except for one of the wood beam supports holding up the Big Top tent getting knocked over by a wind gust). I took a short refreshing swim in Buzzards Bay to celebrate the first 111 miles. Salt water, gooood. Mostly everyone made it, 5,390 riders. 2,700 volunteers to help us on our way. A few folks ended up in emergency rooms but I'm told there were no serious injuries. Thankfully.

Once again I was with a group that stopped Sunday morning to have mimosas in Barnstable (an homage to the winner of the Tour de France, who on the last day of the race drinks—sips?—some champagne as the peloton makes its way to Paris for that last torrid bit of racing around the Champs d'Elysee) and we stopped again in Wellfleet to cool off in the pond there. (Clearly we are not interested in an early finish at Provincetown.)

Lots of scenic countryside. Lots of people lining the roads, clapping, and thanking us. And the young boys and girls with their arms outstretched, waiting for the bicyclists to veer towards them to slap hands. You start thinking everyone in the state of Massachusetts is out there rooting for you. Well, maybe not the fishermen we see beside the Cape Cod Canal at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, their lines casting out into the mist over the water. They had business of their own.

But I have to tell you one story. Last Wednesday I was out on a training ride and stopped at a red light in Newton. A car pulled up beside me and the woman behind the wheel rolled down her window and asked me if I was riding in the Pan Mass Challenge. "I am," I said, thinking it was interesting that this time of year everyone in Massachusetts assumes anyone on a bicycle is training for the PMC ride. And that's kinda cool. Then she said, "My daughter died of cancer two months ago." That was like a kick to the gut. She said it matter-of-factly, but you could see her struggling not to cry. This was a woman in her late 40s, so her daughter was what?, 20-something? "I'm terribly sorry to hear that," I said, and then she related how her daughter had worked at Monster, the job search company, and how her colleagues had raised all sorts of money for the Jimmy Fund. That was such a sad encounter. Your first reaction is to think you've failed this woman and her family. Daughter. Dead. That's so tragic. On the other hand, I think someone on a bike represents hope for this woman and I guess that's another reason why we all continue to do this ride.

So far, $21,000,000 has been raised. The goal is $34,000,000. If you'd still care to donate, you've got until October 1st.

I hope you're all having wonderful summers.

Thanks again,

-erik

(I didn't bring my camera so I don't have any pictures this year.)

To make a donation online: https://www.pmc.org/egifts/default.asp?Add=EH0050

Pan-Mass Challenge, again

I'm participating in the Pan-Mass Challenge again this year. The event is the first weekend in August. I'm deep into training, in fact will be riding 125 miles on Wednesday, from my front step to Provincetown. And then the fast boat home. Long time in the saddle but come August, have got to two of these rides on Saturday and Sunday.

In case you're not on my distribution list, here's the email I sent out. Would love to have your support:

Dear Friends,

I'm participating in the Pan Mass Challenge for the third time this summer. For those of you who supported me in this ride in the past, thank you again. Last year's event raised $33 million (!!) for the Jimmy Fund, which in turn supports cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This year's goal is $34 million and I'm sure we'll make it. 

For those of you who weren't included in my appeal last year, the Pan Mass Challenge is a 2-day, 192-mile bike ride (not a race!) from Sturbridge to Provincetown, MA, that takes place the first weekend in August. This is no cake walk. I've been training since April and will complete at least two century (100+ miles) rides in advance of this year's challenge. Billy Starr, executive director of the event, completed the first Pan Mass Challenge in 1980 to honor his mother who had died from melanoma at the age of 49. The challenge has grown every year since, and has contributed over $200 million to cancer research.

For those who donated last year, I hope you can do so again. And for those of you I'm reaching out to for the first time, please help me further the fight against cancer.

To donate online, go to this address:
http://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=EH0050

My donor ID is EH0050.

Thank you for your generosity. (100 percent of your donation is tax deductible.)

If you prefer to donate by check, please make it out to Jimmy Fund or PMC and mail it to me at the address below. If you've got other questions, please feel free to call or email me:
erik [at] erikhansen [dot] com
617 264 4717

You can get more information about the Pan Mass Challenge at this web address: www.pmc.org

My photos from last year's ride can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/5zue8p

Thank you again for your support.

-erik

Erik Hansen
228 Winchester St.
Brookline, MA 02446

Pan Mass Challenge photo

There are photographers all over the place during the Pan Mass Challenge ride. But last year they didn't seem to ever find me. This year they did. Here I am riding along behind Lee Gavris and Pete Espo. I think this is Saturday afternoon and we're in the final leg on the way to Bourne, MA. I like to believe we're really tearing along here. I think the fourth guy tried staying up with us but couldn't.

Pan Mass Challenge completed

The Pan Mass Challenge ride is over, for this year. Spent last weekend in the saddle of my bike, riding from Sturbridge, MA to Bourne, MA on Saturday and then riding from Bourne to Provincetown on Sunday. It was a great ride. It is a great event. 4969 people completed the ride. There were about 2500 volunteers. It's a massive logistical operation and it goes off without a hitch--at least from where I see it.

The ride may be over, but fund-raising still goes on. I don't know where we stand at the moment, but we hope to raise $27 million from the 2-day event.

I have to admit I'm relieved that it's over. I train a lot for this ride and I ride hard over the weekend. I am not and never will be a leader of the pack rider, but I like my time on the bike. And when I find myself out in front of a group, pulling them along, I couldn't be happier. In fact, at one point on Saturday I was pulling a bunch of folks along and we were hitting 25, 26 miles an hour. That is fast for me! I don't know what happened. (Maybe it was that little energy gel that I ate.) Friends later told me they were behind me wondering just what had gotten into me. Of course, when I pulled over and drifted to the back, I was so spent that I fell off the back end of the group. Oh well. I'll learn to pace myself better when I get older.

As I said, I'm relieved. On the other hand, there's nothing else like biking along the roads of Massachusetts with people cheering and saying thank you and knowing you're part of something that is much much bigger than yourself. One of my donors told me that his sister who is battling cancer finds great encouragement in the fact that all these people are out there riding to fight cancer. For that reason alone I would continue to participate in this event.

See my photos from the event.

Training

I arrive late for the Charles River Wheelmen's Saturday morning fitness ride at Nahanton Park in Newton and as I approach the entrance to the starting area, a small group of guys is heading out and I ask one of the guys what ride this is and he says "28 miles, 18 to 19 miles per hour" and even though I was planning on doing the 42-mile ride at 17 to 18, I jump on. I'm already moving, I figure and I'll just work a little harder to keep up with these riders. We cross the river and head up a small hill that takes us over Rte 128 because they all maintain their speed uphill I know these guys are strong. This isn't going to be easy, I think. But then I realize that the guy who responded to me is a guy I rode with a week ago and he and I were pretty evenly matched.

So we move along. I get in line. 5 or 6 guys in front of me. But the guy right in front of me isn't staying close to the guy in front of him. So you figure he's one of these guys who is just going to stay at the back and draft the whole time rather than taking his turn at the front, leading, or "pulling" as in pulling the other riders along in his slipstream. I pull ahead of him and fill the gap between him and the rider in front. We move along in a paceline. Pass a few other slower riders. Turn right. Turn left. Riders drop off the front and drift to the back, letting the next guy in line take the lead. Somehow I end up behind a guy who has already pulled once and I'm thinking that he's pissed off at the rest of us because he's going to be doing more than his share of work.

And, as guys drift back down the line after pulling, I say "good work" or "good pull." I don't notice other people doing that, but the fact is I appreciate a guy doing a good pull at the front. Just means that I don't have to work as hard for that stretch.

A long straight stretch with a couple of red lights. Across another river. Up another small hill and then a right turn with a small hill. The group begins to fall apart. I work hard to stay with the two guys in front.

Another right. Another left and we're on Claybrook road, which runs along the Charles, so it's a nicely winding flat road through a pine forest. Out of the sun it's cool and it smells good. I'm behind big guy, and I'm hoping he doesn't pull long because this is my favorite stretch. I can really move along. Then he drops back, I push hard on my pedals, drop my hands to bhe lower part of my handlebars and really kick it. I pump up the mph to 21, 22 mph and we fairly tear along. And I love this. Glance back to be sure the next guy is right on my rear wheel and I say ot myself, "pull for a mile." I started at 14 according to my odometer. I stare at the road in front of me, staying near the white line at the right side of the lane. And just push. I can feel my thighs straining, and then there's a little bit of a rise. I push harder to keep up the speed. Breathing hard. Five guys being pulled along behind me. And I know I make a good draft because my friend Lee calls me the Freightliner.

Then I hit 15 and I know we're not far from a stop sign ahead and so I pull off to the left and drift down the line of riders. One guy says "good lead!" Nothing could make me happier at the moment. "Thanks," I say, and look at him. Maybe I rode with this guy a couple of weeks ago. Make a mental note to check for him next time I'm out here on Saturday. We seem to move along at the same pace and we both believe in encouraging the others in the paceline.

Pan Mass Challenge

Once again I'll be riding in the Pan Mass Challenge August 4th and 5th. And just yesterday I sent out my plea letter to friends and colleagues. I'm pasting it in below. If you'd like to donate, there's a link further down the page.

-------------------------------------------------

I'm participating in the Pan Mass Challenge for the second time this summer. For those of you who supported me in this ride last year, thank you again. The 2-day event raised $26 million for the Jimmy Fund, which in turn supports cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. This year's goal is $27 million and I'm sure we'll make it.

I got involved in this event last year because cancer had just gotten too close to ignore. Friends are dead. My two older brothers have survived cancer scares. After a long hiatus I had started riding again and it seemed only natural to do something useful with my bike. Some friends who are long-time participants encouraged me to join the Pan Mass Challenge. And what really cemented the deal was riding in last year's event. From the moment we started in Sturbridge, people lined the route, encouraging the riders and waving and yelling "thank you" and there were folks with signs saying things like "I'm a 10-year survivor." It's hard to keep your bike on course when you're trying to wipe tears from your eyes. Then at one of the water stops, there was a young boy holding a sign that read: "I'm alive because of you." After a moment like that, you can't not do it again.

For those of you who weren't included in my appeal last year, the Pan Mass Challenge is a 2-day, 192-mile bike ride (not a race!) from Sturbridge to Provincetown, MA. (This is no easy ride. I've been training since May and just completed a 106-mile ride--including a climb up 2,000 foot Mt. Wachusett--this past Sunday.) Billy Starr, executive director of the event, completed the first Pan Mass Challenge in 1980 to honor his mother who had died from melanoma at the age of 49. The challenge has grown every year since, and has contributed nearly $200 million to cancer research.

For those who donated last year, I hope you can do so again. And for those of you I'm reaching out to for the first time, please help me further the fight against cancer.

To donate online, go to this address:
http://www.pmc.org/egifts/giftinfo.asp?EgiftID=EH0050

My donor ID is EH0050.

Thank you for your generosity. (100 percent of your donation is tax deductible.)

Completed the ride

Lee Gavris and me, originally uploaded by erikorama.

I did ride in and complete the Pan Mass Challenge this past weekend. I did manage to take some photos. You can find a set here

There's an article by executive director Billy Starr in a recent issue of the Boston Globe

Pan Mass first milestone

I've passed the first fund-raising goal for the Pan Mass Challenge, which is the $3300 minimum required donation. A big thank you to all of you who have contributed. I'm still hoping to collect more money to fight cancer, though. The ride is still two months away. I continue to train. And my goal is to collect $7500.

Pan Mass Challenge, asking for money

I entered new territory yesterday. Sent out my first fund-raising email ever. To a whole list of friends and colleagues, though I called them all friends in the salutation. That was the first big decision when writing the email. What do I call all these people? Yes, many are friends, people I spend time with outside of work, hang out with, eat meals with. But many of them are folks I only interact with Monday thru Friday. Are they friends? I think so, though I think other people would consider them colleagues and make a distinction between the two. I don't know, so I just decided to say "Dear Friends." Some may find that too impersonal.

I labored over the writing of the email. As I said, it was my first time asking people for money. And I was going to be asking them to give me money for riding a bicycle. I had to convince them that somehow the two went together. So, I wrote about how in 1980 I rode across the United States with people who were raising money for the Heart Association and beyond riding the bike, I wouldn't have anything to do with fundraising. Seemed somehow silly to me to ask someone to give you money for something you were going to do anyway.

I had my wife look it over. I asked a co-worker (friend) to look it over. I got some good feedback, mostly along the line of make it shorter. (Always good advice when it comes to writing.)

(And then one of my friends responds, saying the tone of the email didn't sound like me. Which pissed me off, of course. But he's right. Asking for money to fight cancer is a serious undertaking. I see this guy mostly at the gym where all of us guys try to be funny. I'm not a serious guy at the gym, and so he has never seen a serious me. A number of people have never seen the serious me. It's a problem. An identity issue. You decide at some point that you want to be known as funny. Face it, women like funny guys. And you make a decision like that about your life when you're still in the hunt on a daily basis.)

So I finally sent the email and then waited to see what would happen. A few emails came back right away with the Out of Office reply. A couple responded saying 'of course they would contribute.' One friend wrote, "I've got your back, Erik." I liked that. And then two people responded to the email saying they had already contributed. Cha-ching! I thought. When I came back from the gym later, I checked my emails and a guy wrote saying he had tried numerous times, but couldn't get it to work. "Shit," I thought, I should have tried donating money to myself. But I hadn't. I was worried. I checked in the system. I couldn't find evidence of any money having been registered in my account, even though I was pretty sure some of my friends had already donated. I tried calling the guy who had failed to donate online. How could I help? No answer. Oh well.

Next morning, I continued the online discussion about his attempts. He has a Mac. He's using—aaahhhh!!—netscape browser. Well, that's a problem, I'm sure. I think the PMC site is a navigation disaster, but was pretty sure the systems for taking in money were up to date, but somehow a netscape browser doesn't fit into that scenario.

Then I checked my profile and saw that $250 had been collected. That was exciting. So, now I'm checking my profile every hour like a first-time author checking her number at Amazon. Last I saw it was at $1,050. That's so cool. My goal is $7500. The minimum amount I must raise is $3300. (This fund raiser has become so popular that you have to in effect, guarantee this minimum amount. If you don't raise that much from others, you pay the balance out of your own pocket.)

Here I am, a fund raiser. I'm having a lot of fun so far. Raising money for cancer research. Striking up conversations with some folks I haven't been in touch with for a while. It's gonna be a good summer. Two months until I ride to Provincetown with about 4,000 other bicyclists.

Took a 17-mile jaunt at lunchtime. Out Commonwealth Ave. (into a wind, and headwind there usually means rain on the way) and back on Beacon Street. A good loop. A little too much traffic. Hot. Humid. (Could be, most likely will be, worse in August, so you gotta train in the heat.)