2015: Our 10th Pan-Mass Challenge!
We knew heading into the 2015 PMC that it was going to be a big year. It was our 10th anniversary and we picked up three new teammates: Kate, Michelle, Jenn, and Uncle Don. We now had the biggest team in our history and we had to set our goals equally high!
Our goal of raising over $41,000 was no simple task, but somehow all of our fundraisers seemed to click into place and deliver beyond expectations. Four of our team members achieved Heavy Hitter status by raising over $7,200 individually and together we raised $52,496 as a team for the Jimmy Fund. That’s a record amount for Bikes Fight Cancer.
For our cycling challenge, five team members added the unofficial Friday “Day 0” ride that began from the New York state line to the Sturbridge start. Brielle’s Brigade did a great job organizing the event that included a police escort from Westfield to Palmer! Cars were pulling over for us and our peloton could cruise right through red lights and intersections. When we arrived in Palmer, we couldn’t believe the reception at the Palmer Public Library! With such short notice, it was amazing to see how many people turned out. We owe so much of our team’s success to all of our supporters and it was great to share a moment like that at the library.
It’s always a pleasure for the team vets to watch how the newbies handle their first PMC and our newbies did great! During the 192-mile ride, we often get separated along the PMC route, but this year we rode together as a full team more than we had ever done before. We all have our mental and physical ups and downs along the way, but laughing, joking, and racing with your friends makes the ride go by so fast… and the great weather this year didn’t hurt either!
