by It was 5000 miles on the bike for me in 2019. That was about 350 hours of time on the bike saddle. About half of that mileage was commutes on the bike. The other half was mostly road cycling, with a few touches of riding a fat bike through the woods.
Here are some of the highlights from my year on the bike:
Pan Mass Challenge
The centerpiece of cycling for me each year is the Pan Mass Challenge. I ride for almost 300 miles over three days to raise money for cancer treatment and research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute with Team Kinetic Karma. Most of the riding before that first weekend in August was in preparation for this ride.
This is always a special event. Cancer has touched my life, my family and my friends. 6000+ riders come together during that weekend for the cause. Team Kinetic Karma raised over $470,000 this year to fight cancer.
Bike for Brent
This was my second time on the Bike for Brent. This is a fundraiser for my son’s and daughter’s summer camps. That’s 130 miles of riding over two days from Newton to Becket, Massachusetts. The riders are all alums, parents of campers or camp staff.
LiveSTRONG
This was my first year cycling the LiveSTRONG Challenge in Austin. LiveSTRONG’s mission is to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. I joined Team Kermit on this ride for a fun-filled long weekend in Austin. The Challenge ride I chose was 100 miles. I also pedaled another 173 miles in top of that while in Texas. As a bonus I got to see my college roommate Scott and his family.
JDRF Saratoga Springs
This was my first year biking a JDRF Ride in support of juvenile diabetes research. I dragged The Boy with me to Saratoga Springs and he volunteered in support of the ride. It was a spicy and fast ride for me. And a cause that has suddenly become very important to me.
CCC Back Home and Out Again
While the Bike for Brent was a two-day cycling event, I did the trip in one day twice this summer. After we dropped off The Girl at Camp Chimney Corners, Mrs. Doug allowed me to cycle all the way back from camp. It’s a much easier ride this way because the first 15 miles are all downhill. I experimented a bit on the route and found some great stretches of the Mass Central Rail Trail.
Two weeks later, I needed to be back out for dad’s visiting day for camp.So I jumped on my bike and pedaled back out to arrive mid-day at camp to see The Girl. Mrs. Doug had spent the weekend at camp. She was my ride back home.
Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend is the annual kickoff for the training of Team Kinetic Karma. This year we invited Team Kermit to join us. Our traditional route is along beautiful roads on the South Shore, with a big chunk of it along the coastline. A great route with some great friends.
There are a few days left in the year, but I’m unlikely to get back on back given my schedule.
