Pan Mass Challenge Reimagined: John Day

I thought I might be done after the Pan Mass Challenge Reimagined: Zwift. I was wrong. Sunday came along and John S invited me to his Reimagined Pan Mass Challenge Ride. His imagination was for a punchy ride with lots of hills. I had helped design the route so I knew what was coming. John wanted to ride hard.

“I want to leave it all out there. I want to dig hard for Jared and all of your loved ones that have fought so hard.”

We gathered on the Weston Green. Most of the riders came dressed in their Team Kermit kits. Since this was the Sunday of the PMC, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing a team kit other than Team Kinetic Karma. John M felt the same and wore his Bruins kit.

I gave John as much competition as I could. I pulled the group hard on the flats. I chased him on town-line sprints.

I managed to sneak a win at the Concord town line by Walden Pond. John was up front, dominating the group. He looked back to see if anyone was going to challenge him. Once he turned his head forward, I mashed on the pedals, surging ahead of him. I kept it up, turned a corner, and realized the town line was further ahead than I thought. Oh well. I can’t give up that easily. I gave a quick turn of the head and didn’t see anyone on my wheel. Boom! I made it.

That sprint burned a lot of energy. We were only 12 miles into the ride.

I didn’t stand a chance of keeping John’s pace on the climbs. One of those climbs was the destination of the ride: the Fruitlands Museum.

Fruitlands is sited on the top of hill with open fields to the West and Mt. Wachusett in the distance. It was beautiful spot to sit and rest for a few minutes. It gave me just enough rest to stick with the group through the rolling hills.

John did a heroic pull of the group through Stow and Sudbury. The group came apart as we rolled through Sudbury Center. I pulled the second half of the group back up to the front. As I closed the gap, I got ready to tap the brakes to match speed. I paused for a second and thought about the location. The last town line sprint was just ahead as we crossed the Sudbury River. And there a bit of a downhill.

I pulled my hand away from the brakes. Instead, I stomped on the pedals. Passed John with my wheels spinning faster and faster. Did I catch him off-guard? Was he chasing me? I didn’t have the energy to turn my head. I cranked on the pedals. Once again, I misjudged the town line. It was further than I thought. Once again, I can’t give up that easily. Boom! I took it.

I was cooked. This ride drained what little fumes were left in my tank.