PMC2025

HoneyGurlRides - The HoneyGurl rode the Pan-Mass Challenge this year!! I've never done anything even remotely like this, and it was spectacular!! I mean... it was HARD, that's no lie... I rode my bike nearly 200 miles across 2 days... but I did it, and it is one of the coolest things I've ever done! I am so glad that I did the full Sturbridge start! This was the last year of the Sturbridge start, next year the main start will be at Holy Cross in Worcester.

There's still time to support my ride-please click HERE

First and foremost... Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone who supported me along the way-friends and family that cheered and donated, market friends, the Salem NH farmers market who matched $500 dollars of market donations... Kat driving me out, and Kat and Sam driving me home (and cheering from the side!!) Everyone who made the weekend possible!! The volunteers were amazing, it's a very well run machine!! Here's how I felt that weekend...

Kat drove with me out to Sturbridge to get all checked in and start the festivities on Friday afternoon ... My bike on the rack... the rear view :) 

It's important to note where you leave your bike (see another pic later for why...) We put my bike on row 10 :) 

Bike's all ready to go :) 

Of course we need a pic at the starting line before we head to the hotel

All the gear set out and ready to roll (for that crazy early start)!

4am school bis ride to the Host hotel! Sat and Chatted with a lovely young man from Texas who came up just for the PMC! His friend told him to sign up, and he did! He flew up with his bike just for this event!

Dude, where's my bike lol! There's an awful lot of equipment :) Drop your stuff off at the trucks (they truck your overnight stuff to the location of your "end" point), grab a bite of breakfast... then get your bike ready to roll!

Kat sent me with a little friend to keep me company on the ride :) 

Blurry starting line selfie (it's still mostly dark out at this point!)

Music playing... we're starting to roll! My phone is going in my bag until the first waterstop-I'm not that coordinated lol!

Water stop #1-Important to note... the "Water Stops" are essentially a carnival located about every 20 miles-ish. There's bathrooms, but also tons of food (the BEST peanut butter and jelly sandwiches lol), fruit, pickle juice, there's tents for med help (thank you for the advil along the way lol) and mechanical tents as well as DJ's and fun! I averaged about 15 minutes per water stop, and about 30 minutes at the day 1 lunch stop.

Water stop #2

Lunch!!

Water Stop #4

Last water stop of the day! Almost there!!

Can you believe it???? I finished day 1!!! 

Check out these stats! I certainly wasn't the fastest rider, but I was also not the LAST rider lol!! Just over 8 hours of pedal time... but 109.57 miles is no joke :) and... I did it!! Extra special thanks to Kevin and Sarah (and Rose), for picking me up, feeding me supper, giving me a real bed to sleep on, and also leaving at 4am to get me back to the MMA for day 2! I was scheduled to sleep in the Gym at the MMA, but in the words of my fabulous brother-in-law-we're too old to sleep on the floor... Truth!

Still smiling!! Dropped off at 4:15 am at the MMA-Hopefully remembered where I left my bike-Day 2 ready to roll!! Unlike day 1, day 2 is a rolling start... I was on the "road" about 5:15

This is one of the professional PMC photos!! on the Cape Cod Canal!! I love this one :) still early, not sun glasses yet :) 

Day 2, Water stop #1

Water stop #2-met up with one of my Monday Night Ride friends!! Hi Bri!!! So fun to see someone I knew :) I signed up and did the ride by myself-not with friends or a team, (but you're never really alone) but it was awesome to hear my name and see a friend!

Lucky to see one of my school friends too!! She saw me on the bridge-but I was trying hard not to crash lol, it's narrow... then she saw me again and grabbed this pic of me -somewhere on the Cape lol!

Water stop #3

That's ME CROSSING THE FINISH LINE!!!! Good Lord... smiling and trying not to cry all at the same time, so happy and so stunned that I actually did it!!

That's me!! I did that thing!!!

My Chickie picked me up at the end!! Special thanks to Sam for driving home too!!

Not too shabby!! just over 5 hours of pedal time on day 2!!

Something awesome about the PMC... There's a name tag that you wear, and one that you put on the back of your bike... and it includes how many times you've ridden the PMC. People who pass you call you by name! It was so cool... lots of "Go Julie-enjoy your first ride" (as they passed me lol), it was awesome!! There's vans that constantly pass by that are staffed with volunteers... med and mechanical, if you need help, there's someone coming by shortly to help! 

The people along the way??? AMAZING... cheering, cowbells, playing instruments, playing music, cold water and snacks, signs. I've never seen anything like it, and it was like the best of humanity along the road. Everytime I'd think I was getting tired, I'd come around a corner and there would be a group of cheer-ers!! 

"Fun" fact... the Cape is NOT flat, the hills in Truro are no joke, thankful that my friend Bri warned me so I was prepared and knew they were coming! A lovely man (who passed me, then I passed him, back and forth a few times through the cape) would also warn me :) he was so encouraging, and let me know when the last of the hills was coming :)  with an encouraging... "I knew you could do it" Like, seriously... PMC Riders are just awesome.

Was it hard? Indeed!! Was I fully prepared?? lol, no! Would I do it again??? Heck, yes!! 

#PMC #PMC2025 #HoneyGurlRides #CloserbythMile