Wheels Are Turning...

"Work is Hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short. "
    -- Adam Hochschild

Over the last 14 years I've noticed a trend. Each year around March when I get back on the bike:
I find that I am noticeably slower.
I find that all my biking clothes have mysteriously shrunk.
I start to wonder how on earth I'm going to beat myself back into enough of a shape to bike 100 miles -- let alone do it 2 days in a row.
Speaking only for me, this year's start has been more annoying than any previous, full of all manner of delays, distractions and my usual procrastinations. But now I am started -- and I can't stop -- because I have committed to the PMC mission. And after all, none of this is about me anyway.

The PMC mission is simple: ensure that the doctors, nurses and researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have the necessary resources to continue their vital work and discover cures for all cancers. That's it. This year, however, they're up against an additional challenge: In 2017 the federal government budgeted an almost 20% reduction in funding to the National Institute of Health (NIH). The NIH is the agency that distributes most federal support for biomedical research in this country, so this will have a serious impact on Dana-Farber -- as well as just about any other biomedical research in the US. Cancer research and treatment have been advancing rapidly, but federal budget cuts like these against biomedical research threaten to send us backwards.

As you can see, this year more than ever I and all my fellow PMC riders have our work cut out for us -- and it is not about training for a bike ride. We now need to work harder than ever to offset these funding headwinds and ensure that Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers get the resources they need in the fight against cancer.  But how?

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
-- Arthur Ashe

All that said, our PMC 2017 is fully underway and you can clearly see that we need your help like never before. There are so many ways you can help us:

You can sponsor a PMC rider. The PMC's prime focus is raising money.  100% of every dollar you donate through a rider goes directly to Dana-Farber. You can donate online by clicking here.

You can become part of the PMC yourself.  It's too late to register as a rider for 2017, but there is still time to register as a volunteer. The spirit of the PMC lives as much in our volunteers as it does in our riders, teams, partners and sponsors. By volunteering for the PMC, you can transform your energy, compassion, and encouragement into furthering cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Volunteer registration closes in July, so register soon,

You can share your story with me. If you have a story to tell, I want to hear it. Over the years I've ridden in memory of and in honor of a lot of people; family, friends, neighbors and people I'd never met in person. Every name, every story and every picture is a constant reminder and a passenger that I take on the ride with me.

You can share our our story with others. Tell your friends about the PMC. Help spread the word and ask them to support a rider, too!

Finally, before I end I have just one more quote -- ostensibly from John Wesley -- that I think sums up my call to action here:

"Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can."
    -- John Wesley, et al

So thanks for reading. I should be posting more ride pics and stories over the next few weeks,  And I hope to hear from you all soon.