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Why I PMC - Rachel Ravesi

Published Date:   July 02, 2018

Topic:   Why I PMC

#WhyIPMC guest blog post by Rachel Ravesi; 6-year rider

In 1999, my family and I were vacationing on Cape Cod where we biked the trails there every day. My father (Mike Ravesi) saw an ad in a flyer about the Pan-Mass Challenge. He signed up for his first ride. “I just figured that I loved biking and it was for a great charity,” he says today, 19 years later looking back. My mother, my 4 siblings, and I went every year to greet him as he crossed the finish line.

{picture of Dad at PMC}

I remember some years of extreme heat and some years of torrential downpours. And it never occurred to me the mental and physical stamina needed to bike all those miles. All I saw was my strong father crossing that finish line with a smile on his face every year. 

In 2011, the ride took on a more personal meaning. My Dad lost his lifelong best friend, Art, to stomach cancer.

{Picture of Art and our Family sailing}

They worked together side by side for over 20 years and Art was a big supporter of my Dad’s PMC ride. That same year after his death, I resolved to ride alongside my Dad. I had just turned 21 and we have been riding together ever since.  

As I've gotten older, my Dad has become my best friend. I look forward to our training rides and spending time with him. Every year during the PMC we will make small competitions with each other, betting who can make it to the next rest stop first and somehow he always beats me. My Dad is so impressive to me with how in shape he is and how dedicated he is to this ride and making a difference in some small way. It means the world to me to have him by my side and then the rest of my family greeting us at the finish line as we cross.

{Picture of Dad and I together}

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