Old Bike

New Bike

To say that I was nervous yesterday for the first long ride out on my  brand new,ultra light,racing bike I got for Christmas would be an understatement. I was shaking and sweating and actually found myself whining like a 5 year old to Susan …“I want my oooold bike back…” Although I had been riding a racing bike with very thin tires for the past eight years, it had straight across handlebars as opposed to the curved racing handlebars. It doesn’t seem like it should be a big change but it was. Not only do I have to learn to ride in a crouched down position but I have to manage the breaks underneath and learn a whole new gear system–I had 3 in front and 8 in the rear and now I only have 2 in front and 9 in the back.  Trying to navigate around the sand, the potholes, the hundreds of joggers and dogs out for the first nice Sunday since last year,was a feat of pure will and I didn’t think I was going to make it 2 miles up the rode.

Fortunately, the body adjusts to  anything and after about 15 miles I was feeling more confident. We ended up riding 30 miles which puts us ahead of last year when we didn’t do our 30 miler until May.  This is good because according to my sherpa, Susan, we have to ride about 2,000 miles in training this year since we are going an extra 40 miles from Sturbridge instead of Wellesley.  Last year we logged about 1,700 miles in training.  Not exactly sure where we will find the time, but if the weather cooperates, we should be fine.

Here we are on our first ride looking pasty and a little goofy.

I’ll be sure to keep you all updated as we progress through the summer months and will hopefully have few problems to report.

To those of you have supported team ‘Kicked by an Angel’ in the past few years, we give huge thanks to you.   This 192 mile bike  ride that supports Dana Farber and the Jimmy fund has raised millions of dollars and funded so many test treatments that have become protocol, not to mention the new Yawkey Way Cancer and Oncology Center. (See PMC blog article here): pmc-money-helps-launch-new-state-of-the-art-cancer-center-at-dfci (which I saw last month when I visited my oncologist and I must say is beautiful, open and airy.)

This year I ride for all those who have died from this horrible disease–my dad,my mom,my brother-in-law Bob, and for those on the front lines now fighting so hard for their lives, Meg, Steve, and my cyber-friends at Mothers with Cancer– Susan and Judy, and for all your loved ones who you miss dearly.  I ride with the soul purpose of raising money and awareness to keep the momentum going in research in hopes that one day not only will treatment be safe and easy but affordable to those in need and with the greater hope that prevention will cease the need for treatment.

If you would like to sponsor me please visit My PMC page.  Thank you!