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The Pan-Mass Challenge is a sight to see, with tens of thousands of cyclists winding their way through historical New England, spectators cheering them on every few hundred feet in the event to support cancer research.
And for participants, it’s not an easy feat. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” said Danville resident and rider Lisa Pickard, “Mileage distance-wise, or fundraising.”
The entire ride’s course is 192 miles long, with a minimum fundraising requirement of $4,500. But, Pickard said, “It’s by far one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done, in a very good way. It may be exhausting, but it’s just an incredible experience.”
This weekend, over 6,200 cyclists from more than 40 states and eight countries will congregate in Massachusetts to participate in the 38th annual PMC ride. The goal of the event is to raise $48 million for critical research and cancer care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Among them are three San Ramon Valley residents: Lisa and Joe Pickard from Danville and Alamo resident Greg Williams.
Lisa Pickard and her husband Joe moved to Danville from Massachusetts in 2011. A few years later, their brother-in-law, Dave Parker, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.
“We were sitting on the beach one afternoon with him,” Pickard remembered. “We [used to live] in North Attleborough, which is where part of where the Pan-Mass rides through. We had seen the ride every year. We didn’t own bikes, none of us are really all that athletic, and we were sitting on the beach one day and talking with him after he had been diagnosed, and said, ‘You know what? We’re going to ride this for you.'”
When they returned home to Danville, they bought bikes and have ridden the course every year since. Their teammates have varied over the years, but overall they’ve raised about $125,000 in the last four years.
Greg Williams is also a New England transplant, though you could call him a Californian — he and his wife moved to the Bay Area from Rhode Island 26 years ago. He was just a casual rider until the late 90’s, when his friend Paul developed pancreatic cancer before his death in 2000.
“One of Paul’s passions was bike riding, so I went back in 2001 to honor Paul, because he had ridden in the Pan-Mass a couple years prior,” Williams said. “So that was kind of the impetus, and I thought I’d do it for a year or two or three, but that ride really gets in your blood.”
He’s ridden in the PMC ever since, though he took one year off due to a bout with cancer himself.
“For me as a rider and a cancer survivor, it’s always nice to reconnect, because the further away you get from the time you get your cancer or your particular affliction, it’s easy to start forgetting the importance of good health…This ride every year brings me back to what’s important, which is health and family and giving family,” he said.
Williams wants to bring back more people on the West Coast to join him in the PMC. “I’ve probably had 15 or 20 people in tow, from the west coast, one or two a year,” he said.
There are different courses for different bicyclist skill levels. The 192-mile course — ridden by the Pickards and Williams — is the longest and goes from Sturbridge, Mass. to Provincetown, Mass. Saturday is the more grueling, stretching 111 miles from Strubridge to Bourne, Mass., with a total ascent of 2,500 feet. The second day, Sunday, is slightly easier, traveling 81 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown, with just a 1,500-foot ascent.
“You get to see towns that you would never normally see, if you get to see if you were driving to the cape or around Massachusetts,” Williams said. “The good part of this is that you’re going into these great little towns on to Cape Cod that are so quaint and so cool. And supported by people for 200 miles that are clapping and holding up signs, because a large percentage of the riders are cancer survivors or people going through the throes of chemo or radiation right now.”
The ride ends with an overnight party at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
The PMC has raised $547 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since 1980, and is the largest single fundraising contributor for Dana-Farber. One hundred percent of money raised by the PMC goes directly to the center.
“We are thrilled to be approaching our 38th PMC ride weekend,” said Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the PMC. “We want to wish all of our riders and volunteers a safe and enjoyable ride weekend — I’ll see everyone out on the road.”
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Tony Bartley, Lisa Pickard and Joe Pickard (left to right) at the finish line of their first Pan-Mass Challenge in 2014. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Pickard) -
Lisa and Joe Pickard decided to start riding in the PMC after their brother-in-law Dave Parker (pictured here) was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. He was able to see them finish their first race in August 2014, before he passed away in October of that year. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Pickard) -
Bartley (Lisa’s brother) and the Pickard couple at their first ride in 2014. They call themselves “Team Parker.” Many bikers wear shirts or ribbons commemorating loved ones who have battled cancer. (Photo courtesy of Lisa Pickard) -
PMC riders rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on August 2, before their event over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of Greg Williams)
