PMC still needs volunteers for the weekend of August 7th!

The PMC still needs volunteers at all hub sites and waterstops.

If you'll be in the New England area and don't already have plans for the weekend of August 7th (Sat or Sunday), then I urge you to volunteer for a few hours.

You'll be taking an active role in the fight against cancer -- and will have a great time, to boot.
I promise.     Don't worry if you don't ride or know anything about bikes.  All you need is a willingness to help.

Register online at www.pmc.org through July 16th.
For more information on volunteering, email Sarah: sarah@pmc.org
Or drop me a line if you have questions, too.

/doug

PMC 2010 Passenger: Jeff Pulliam

The gentlemen in the picture to the right is Jeff Pulliam.  A year ago today, June 12,  Jeff died from an aggressive form of thyroid cancer.  Jeff was one of my "passengers" for the 2009 PMC and I'm taking him along this year, too.

I met Jeff a few years ago, and wound up working on a large project with him a year or so later.   I liked
Jeff almost immediately.  Jeff was smart, funny and an unabashed geek.  He worked in DoD-related work, but wasn't your usual "Defense Contractor Lifer" -- he wasn't afraid to call bullshit when something didn't pass the sniff test.  At first I thought that Jeff was smart because he surrounded himself with smart, hard-working people.  After a while, I began to realize that he didn't surround himself with them; they were drawn to him.

It's hard to believe that Jeff's been gone for a year now.    I only knew Jeff for a couple of years before he died, but I find that from time to time I'll think about him, for no particular reason. So, I think I'd like to take Jeff along with me again on this year's ride. I don't think he'll mind.

/doug.

PMC 2010 Passenger: Heidi Yehling

This is Heidi Yehling, the sister of a friend if ours, Judy Grande.  Here's what Judy would like everyone to know about her sister:

"Heidi had non-small cell lung cancer - diagnosed about 3 years before she died.  She went through an extensive round of chemo (but told her doctor that it had to be done by January because she had a trip to the Holy Land planned, and she wasn't about to let anything interfere with it!).   

Heidi went on that trip, then into remission --  taking still more trips to places like Egypt, Europe and Bali, before the cancer came back.   She was planning more chemo, but had to have abdominal surgery because of a blockage (caused by the cancer) and never did recover from that, so she couldn't go back on chemo.  She fought all the way, and I miss her every day."

I never met Heidi, but if she was anything like her sister, then she must've been some force to be reckoned with.
There's a quote that's been appropriated by many people over the years and I'm not sure who first said it, but it rings in my ears every time I talk (or email) to anyone who's dealing with or dealt with cancer:    "Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it."    As someone so emblematic of that life-affirming character, it's an honor for me to carry Heidi along with me on this year's ride.

PMC 2010 Passenger: Rev. Bob Duncan

The gentleman in the picture here is Rev. Bob Duncan. (The woman next to him is his wife, Polly.)  Reverend Duncan is our good neighbor Colin Duncan's dad and I'm proud to be taking his picture along with me as another of my "passengers" on this year's Pan Mass Challenge ride.

After being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma (a cancer of bone marrow plasma cells), Rev. Duncan was treated in Boston at Dana Farber and Brigham & Women's Hospital over the last year or so.  Today, Rev. Duncan is at home with Colin's mom in Kingston, MA, making the most of each day God gives him.

I'm more than happy to add Rev. Duncan to my "passengers" so  people can see the faces and maybe learn a little about the actual people dealing with their diagnoses.  

I look forward having Rev. Duncan along on my ride, and only hope that should I get a flat, the Reverend will forgive any ensuing profanity...

Memorial Day Weekend: 2 Rides, 111 miles, Involuntary Yee-haas and Dead Guy Ale...

Just a quick training update... I managed to get in 2 rides this Memorial Day weekend: a quick 36-mile ride on Sunday and somewhat more strenuous 75-mile ride on Monday.   The Sunday ride was a quick out-n-back to Nashua NH, mostly on the Nashua River Rail Trail.  The weather on both days was remarkable, but the Memorial Day ride was the more memorable of the two...

The Memorial Day ride started with some nasty hills in Harvard.   Even though the hills around the Harvard/Berlin area can be brutal climbs, the downhills are thrilling enough to more than make up for the pain.   Case in point: after a mile-long ascent up Pinnacle Road to Oak Hill Road,  it's another mile downhill into Harvard Center on Oak Hill Road.   You can build up an awful lot of speed on a 1-mile downhill grade like that, especially on a recumbent bike like mine.   I got my top speed for the season (so far) on that stretch: 51 mph.  Speeds in excess of 50mph on a bike are known to induce an involuntary "yeeeee haaaaa" response from the rider. This weekend was no exception; the folks in Harvard out getting ready for their Memorial Day parade heard me coming...

After the hills of Harvard, Stow and Berlin I made it down to Northboro for a quick visit with my in-laws.  I topped off my water and got back on the road east to Marlboro.  In Marlboro I rode by the church where Sandy and I were married -- it hasn't changed a bit -- then found the terminus for the Assabet River Rail Trail to Hudson.  

The ride into Hudson was shady and seemed like it was mostly downhill.  Once in Hudson I stopped at my favorite lunch place: The Horseshoe Pub.  The Horseshoe has one of the best selections of  beers on tap (about 100, I think ) and I was pleased to find that they had Dead Guy Ale (from Rogue Ales in Portland,  WA) on tap.  So, sat down a the back bar for a burger and a couple of pints of Dead Guy Ale (just to balance my electrolytes) and another 2 pints of ice water (to counteract dehydration from the Dead Guy), then got back on the road a little after 2PM, refreshed and ready.  

I made my way north up route 62 to Stow then up to Acton and up Pope Road to route 225 where I got on the Bruce Freeman Rail trail.  I rode the BFRT up to Lowell and back down, stopping at Chelmsford Cyclery (nice shop) to pick up some chain lube for the bikes.  Then I biked home from Chelmsford, racking up a total of 75.27 miles for the day.   So, no "century ride" that day, but it was still a gorgeous day to be out and on a bike, so no complaints.