Why I PMC - Chris Nikolis

 

As I get ready for my 15th PMC ride, here are 15 things that make the Pan-Mass Challenge what it is.

 

I signed up for my first Pan Mass Challenge in 2009, with no idea what to expect. I didn’t own a road bike and hadn’t ridden one in 20 years. I didn’t know it then, but it was a life changing moment…so much more than just a long ride. A giant door swung open and it was totally unexpected, which makes it even better.  I only wish it was 35 rides and not 15.  

 

1) The People   

 

Like many important things in life, PMC is about people. You will meet no finer group of people than in the PMC world. I just about jump out of my shoes when I see someone wearing a PMC hat or shirt, “who are you, where are you from, how long have you been riding…?” On a ride just after 2019 PMC, I saw a man with the 2019 jersey in a part of Suffield where I don’t generally encounter other riders. Turns out it was  Doug Gray , one of only 4 riders that have ridden in all 43 PMCs and who had just been honored two weeks before at the 2019 PMC Opening Ceremonies. And he was leading two other younger riders up a short, but steep hill. He and others have set the standard and like many, I feel fortunate just to be part of all of this. And like Doug and others, I will ride as long as needed to beat this thing.

 

2) The Cause

 

Cancer wrecks lives. It is ice-cold, indiscriminate and brutally unfair. Anything we can do to better arm the staff at Dana-Farber, let's do it…We are thousands strong and all in.  

 

3) The Magnitude 

 

Being part of something so much bigger than yourself, knowing the impact it has on so many is a humbling feeling. One person on a bike can only do so much. 6,400 people on a bike and 3,000 volunteers and so many supporters, we can do some real damage.  

 

4) The Memories 

 

We remember the big things, start line, finish line, the party in Bourne… but the little things matter and they pile up beautifully over the years. 4:30alarms, lining up in the dark to get rolling, riding over the Bourne Bridge, the jokes and heartfelt conversations along the way, legs on fumes and seemingly done, a few Harpoons at the end of each day, the people that line the course, many in the exact same spot each year, riding into the wind (always) heading to the dunes in Provincetown, seeing old friends and making new ones, how good the shower feels after the ride, same for how good the Harpoon tastes, taking a nap as the band plays at MMA…. on and on. It's a lot of miles and a lot of training, but we have so much fun along the way. For most, after 2 full days and 192 miles, you almost wish for more just so it won’t be over.

 

5)  The letdown of an August Monday 

 

Waking up that Monday after my first ride was brutal. “I have to wait a whole year to do that again?”... a terrible feeling. Almost immediately I began thinking about what else I could do to fill that void. The PMC Kids Ride program seemed like a good idea. Once realizing that there were none nearby, Denise & I did what any couple with 3 kids under 4 should do, we started out own…and have added events all 12 months to satisfy the need to do all we can so that one day maybe we can do all of those same things just for fun   

 

6)  Suffield PMC Kids Ride

 

As much as I love the August ride, the Kids Ride is even better. The response we have received from our riders, families, local business, schools and civic groups in Suffield has been overwhelming. Everybody helps and no one says no. Volunteers and sponsors are so generous with their time and donations, raffle items, in-kind services, food and drink, live music, all donated. We spend virtually nothing. And seeing those kids out there, rain (mostly, it seems) or shine, some that know why we ride and many that do not, is the best day of the year.

 

With so much help, we have captured the PMC spirit and brought it to our wonderful hometown, with no intention of stopping any time soon. We’ve added events and made it a 12 month year deal..pasta dinners, concerts, auctions and a bottle/can drive for year that has raised $1,000s for the cause. Notes from parents about the lessons their kids are learning from the Kids Ride and how much they appreciate being part of it are frequent and always seem to come at just the right time.

I do not talk much about the August ride, but just the opposite for the Kids Ride. I am shameless in asking people about riding, donating, providing raffle prizes, food, services, music, any of it. If there is a way to increase our donation, Denise and I and our great committee are on it. And we are closing in on $500,000 raised through the KR.

7)  PMC staff

 

8) The miles

 

There are few things better than the thought of a 50 mile ride with a group of friends on a beautiful weekend morning. We all have different reasons for riding but ride on we do … Things you see every day just look different from a bike. And such a great time to catch up with friends, clear your head or maybe even talk to yourself (guilty).

 

9) Getting asked if my “seat" ever gets sore

 

Always one of the first questions we get. I am one of the lucky ones I guess, to date no issues. For those just starting, don't skimp on a good seat and really good pair of well-padded cycling shorts…

 

10) Merch

 

I wear PMC merchandise with great pride and if a supporter or fellow rider sees it and says hi, even better.   Met have 20 hats and yet can’t wait to buy more.

 

11) The Rush

 

Once you get a taste of PMC, you want more and then more after that. PMC operates the way the world should work every day. Compassion. Love. Passion. Teamwork. Commitment (we figure it out…). Selflessness. Giving back. Sacrificing for others. Men and women, young and old, new bikes and old, fancy and plain, coming together for a cause bigger that any one of us. Every single person has a story to tell and every story matters. And not just the 6,400 riders, but the 3,000 volunteers and 100,000s of donors and supporters and so on…it’s personal for all of us. I never ride faster that those two days, we all seem to find an extra gear…

 

12) Honoring my Dad

 

My motivation and personal connection to the cause is more than I would like…My grandfather, and the man I was named for, was lost to lung cancer when I was 13, with too many others lost since. My Mom is a 25-year breast cancer survivor and we hold stories of survival close to our hearts and minds. In 2015, it all went to a new level, when we lost our Dad to pancreatic cancer just 5 months after he was diagnosed and after a hell of a fight. The phone rings one day, the doctors found something, everything changes…it all moves so fast and we are all left behind trying to make sense of it all (nearly 8 years later).  

 

It provided extra motivation that I did not need, but it did allow me to see firsthand what  DFCI is all about, as he was a patient there. Everyone we met there was so gracious and supportive, doing all they could to make the toughest time we’ve faced a little easier.

 

Riding PMC has allowed me to honor my Dad’s memory in a way that I could not without the ride. All I do is for him, thinking about him on training rides and along the way in August and by extension, loved ones lost, friends and strangers alike

 

13) When your fundraising total flips to $0 each January   

 

We get to do this every year, but seeing the previous year's total reset to $0 each year is bittersweet. A lot goes into raising that money, but PMC does not rest and neither do we. I always try to get someone to donate early so I don’t have to look at $0 for too long.   

 

14) Generosity of friends and family 

 

It takes a village, many great things do. Without support in words, actions and donations from friends, family and strangers too, I would be nowhere. Just a guy in spandex riding his bike and collecting returnables, which is an image no one needs to see.

 

15) Spreading the Word

 

Over the years, I have been joined by my sister, a nephew, several friends and my cousin (whom I am now stuck with). 

 

So, if you are thinking of riding, just sign up. Don’t think you can ride 192 miles or any of the other distances? You can, I promise. Concerned about raising enough money? Ask everyone you can think of and you will get donations from people you never expected would help. If you are thinking about volunteering, do it. Worried that you won’t have time to train? We make time for the important things in life. If you haven’t yet donated to support a friend or this cause, clink their link or write the check. If you are thinking about signing your kids up for a Kids Ride, just do it. If you have thought about starting a Kids Ride, just start it, here are 20 other ride coordinators that will help.…

 

Commit to any and all of it, you will figure it out like the rest of us. And you will save lives and improve the lives of patients and their families. You will help arm doctors, nurses, researchers and staff with what they need to win a once un-winnable fight (and we will win). 

 

And you will feel really, really good about yourself too.

 

You will be tired from the training, but emboldened by the challenge you have undertaken. You will keep coming back to all of it and thinking of new ways to help. You will wear PMC gear as proudly as anything you’ve ever worn. You will change your opinions on riding when it is too cold or too hot. And you will be back in again next year.

 

It’s all right there in front of us, don’t wait for the phone to ring.