As I do every year, I took some rider’s eye video of my Pan-Mass Challenge ride, and include my excerpts below.

Day 1 took me from Newton, MA to the Wellesley start, and down to the Mass Maritime Academy at Bourne. Day 2 took us from Bourne, MA (and a little spill on the Bourne Bridge) all the way around Cape Cod to the finish at Provincetown. .

This is my third PMC and the scope, organization and meaning of the event still strike me. More than 5,000 people cycling against cancer (and yes, keeping ourselves in good health to boot), along with 3,000+ volunteers makes for something rare– a once-on-a-lifetime experience that we can have every year!

The PMC was especially meaningful this year in ways that I have not publicized- let’s just say everybody knows someone who has been touched by cancer, and the closer we come to better treatments and cures, the better for all of us.

If you would like to sponsor my ride, the page is still open! Please go to http://bit.ly/PMC2010.

A huge thank you, to those who have supported me and those who will.

Doug

Pan-Mass Challenge 2010: Day 1 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Pan-Mass Challenge 2010: Day 2 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Yesterday (Aug 8), I finished my third Pan-Mass Challenge, riding 170 miles in 2 days, and raising money (thanks to many of you) to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

This event means a lot to me, not only because I love cycling and it was a great way to get to a higher level of riding, but because the event benefits a cause that has (unfortunately) become very meaningful to me and many of you who support me- the fight against cancer- and I feel it is making a difference.

This year, I was able to come close to “Heavy Hitter” level in fundraising- $6,300, thanks to many of you being so generous. I’m only $200 away, and the site to sponsor me is at http://bit.ly/PMC2010 if you would like to help.

As for the ride itself, I felt good and the riding was good, though I was tired and sore after- more so than last year. The route is beautiful, as always, and I will have some video edited down in the near future. For now, I have some photos (I promised myself I would take a few more this year):

I also have a couple of raw pieces of video. The first, from my first ever fall/crash- a low-speed oopsy on the Bourne Bridge Sunday morning (no cyclists were harmed in the filming of this video):

Pan-Mass Challenge; Bourne Bridge Fall from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

…and a rider’s POV of the finish line at the Provincetown Inn.

Pan-Mass Challenge: Provincetown Finish 2010 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Again, thanks to everyone for supporting me. I definitely want to go for my 4th PMC next year!

The Pan-Mass Challenge takes place in about one week- August 7-8, to be exact, and I am ready (I think)! By the time next Friday rolls, I will have amassed 1,000 training miles and my bike is (had better be) in game condition (update– I need a new shifter now, too! Awesome!).

Most importantly, fundraising has gone very well so far this year. Thanks to a number of you generous folks, we have raised nearly $4,400 in sponsorships for my ride alone, and every cent of that goes to help fight cancer.

No, we are not done yet. Another $1,900 gets us to the new goal of $6,300. Can we do it? That’s a lot in a week, but I am asking your help:

• If you have not sponsored my ride yet, please consider doing so at http://bit.ly/PMC2010. 40 people giving $50 each will make the goal (ok, 80 people at $25 each- but any amount is welcome!)
• Pass the link to friends: Use Twitter, Facebook, email, or your favorite message service or social network– a quick message to friends, if you feel comfortable doing so, will help tremendously. Again, the link: http://bit.ly/PMC2010.
• Wish me luck! I will be posting here, as well as at Twitter (http://twitter.com/DougH) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/doughaslam) during the ride with updates, photos and goings-on. I will also be taking more ride videos, as I have done the last two years, to post here later.

Remember- 100% of the funds I raise goes directly to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. No administrative fees, no corporate salaries, nothing gets skimmed. The PMC is trying to raise a total of $31 million, and every donation helps.

Thank you!

Until the ride begins, one more training video. I used a Kodak PlaySport mounted on the handlebars this time (thanks for tip Steve Garfield), and thought it came out nicely.

Pan-Mass Challenge: 07-24-10 training ride from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Music Credits:

Broken Dove: “Move On”

Lightning Jeff: “Wicked Twisted Toad”

An overdue Pan-Mass Challenge update.

First off, thanks to many of you, I have met my minimum fundraising requirement ($4,200) for the ride in record time! With a full four weeks to go from last weekend, I think it’s worth sticking with and see if I can hit “Heavy Hitter” status; $6,300. There is time, and I think we can do it!

“Heavy Hitter” status has a little bit of prestige to it, but what it really means is an extra $2,000+ to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. 100% of the funds I raise with you goes straight through to the DFCI, which to me is one of the best parts of this whole venture.

So, let’s do it! If you have not sponsored my ride yet, please consider doing so at http://bit.ly/PMC2010. Thank you!

As for riding; we had been increasing our speeds on training rides lately, so we had a new challenge; average 19 mph for a short ride. We hadn’t come close before, but with a little push at the end, we (for this ride, my friend Ed and I) did it! some of the keys (aside from being in shape) were to draft each other (ride close behind in single file) to save energy, and then just give those little extra pushes along the way for a stronger ride. There are still four weeks to go  but I’m feeling close to ready.

This video captures a few highlights along the way (and a bonus “double rainbow” reference).

Pan-Mass Challenge- Speed Challenge from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Pn-Mass Challenge preparations are coming along nicely– first off, fundraising, has passed the $3,000 mark, thanks to many of you. I have only $1,200 left to meet my initial goal. You can help beat cancer by sponsoring my PMC ride at bit.ly/PMC2010 (and by telling your friends).

Training update: we finally stretched things to 50 miles! A bunch of us at various stages of training- one who does 100 mile rides year-round, another who was joining us for the first time, and the rest of us in-between- rode together for a 54.5 mile ride through several Massachusetts towns: Newton, Wellesley, Wayland, Natick, Framingham, Sudbury, Lincoln, Concord and Weston.

Some nice scenery and good paceline riding made for a great ride. Almost ready for the Big One August 7-8!

Pan-Mass Challenge Training: 50-Miler from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Again, you can help by sponsoring my ride at http://bit.ly/PMC2010. All money raised goes directly to the Dan Farber Cancer Institute.

Thank you!

What a weekend– I got out 3 of 4 days, ending with our first 40-mile ride of the training season, and I really feel like we’re snapping into shape as we train for the Pan-Mass Challenge.

Fundraising, as I mentioned in my last post, is going well, but we are still only 60% of the way to my personal $4,200 goal. If you would like to help beat cancer by sponsoring my ride, please go to: http://bit.ly/PMC2010.  Thank you!

The video from Memorial Day is a little different, as I tried out a music soundtrack while working out the other audio problems associated with my new Kodak Zi8 camera. It adds a different dimension, which I think I like. Further experimentation will follow.

Pan-Mass Challenge: First 40-miler from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

If you get the impression I started thinking 40 miles is a real accomplishment; the fellow I passed near the end of the video told me later he was 56 miles into a 70 mile trip, with a 6-mile run scheduled later. He’s a triathlete. I’m just some guy on a bike, having a great time.

May has come to a close, and there are only two months left until the Pan-Mass Challenge. There has been lots of good news on both the training and fundraising fronts:

As of this writing, many of you have helped me reach 60% of my $4,200 minimum goal. Still, there is more than $1,600 left to go, but with your help I know we will keep up the pace and make the goal. To help beat cancer by sponsoring my ride, please go to http://bit.ly/PMC2010.

To those who have been supporting me so far, an those who will– a huge thank you!

As for training: this weekend, I managed consecutive 30-mile rides Friday and Saturday. I have been feeling stronger, and we (my training partners and I) have been going faster, and while there is work to do here as well, I feel we will be ready for the PMC on August 7.

(UPDATE: Managed our first 40-mile ride today, May 31. Still feeling great!)

Here is a little video from the second ride:

Pan-Mass Challenge: Training Ride and New Camera from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

Technical note: on this ride, I was trying out my new Kodak Zi8 camera. It seems to have a little better image stabilization than my old Flip Camera (which conked out on me), but the microphone is not so great. The good news is I can try using an external mic, which I might do later. I was also using a new, sturdier handlebar mount. Please let me know what you think based on this brief video.

With May here, I want to make sure I get some riding in any day I can, as I train for the Pan-Mass Challenge (to sponsor my ride against cancer, please go to http://bit.ly/PMC2010)

What’s bike training season without a good weather disaster? Ignoring the forecast this morning (Saturday May 8), I saw it was not raining and headed out, only to get soaked. As I say, you only get wet once- but of course, you stay wet…

Pan-Mass Challenge Training May 8 2010 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

The Pan-Mass Challenge is a charity ride in which we raise money to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. 100% of the finds we raise passes through directly to the charity. Last year riders raised $30 million, and over 30 years that figure has totaled $270 million!

Please help me fight cancer by sponsoring my ride at http://bit.ly/PMC2010, and help by spreading the word. I finished April having passed 50% of my fundraising goal, but there is still at least $1,900 left to raise.

Thank you- everyone- for your support!

As April rolls to a close, I am happy to say many of you have already helped me raise $1,790 for my Pan-Mass Challenge ride to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. That’s way ahead of last year’s pace, but at 42% (of the $4,200 minimum goal) we still have a way to go. Those of you who would like to help beat cancer by sponsoring at any amount, please go to http://bit.ly/PMC2010- and thank you!

Also, a big thank you coming for the Ban Asbestos Now folks. In exchange for helping raise awareness of their petition to ban cancer-causing asbestos, they will be making a donation to sponsor me as well.

Despite travel and the usual April weather, I actually got four outdoor rides done this month. For the most recent ride with my training group, we went our normal early short ride, only to get to the halfway point and say, “That felt short. Let’s keep going.” We did, adding a short leg to bring our ride to just under 30 miles, a significant (almost milestone) as we get ready to start doing rides of 40 miles and longer in May.

Also, I fought through a balky front derailleur, which had been sticking. My fix? I kicked it until it shifted properly. That’s going to lead to some very bad habits and come back to bite me later I’m sure, but it worked.\I also fought a dying camera battery (I think the rechargeable battery in my Flip camera is coming to a premature end) to capture a little flavor of our first (almost) 30-mile ride of the season. I also wouldn’t mind making some of my shots a little less shaky, but I’ll figure something out.

Pan-Mass Challenge: First 30-mile Training Ride, April 25, 2010 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.

The PMC is a charity ride in which we raise money to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. 100% of the finds we raise passes through directly to the charity. Last year riders raised $30 million, and over 30 years that figure has totaled $270 million!

Please help me fight cancer by sponsoring my ride at : bit.ly/PMC2010, and help by spreading the word. April is almost done as I write this, and would love to go out on a high note.

Thank you!

After a winter of spin classes and other workouts, my training group got together on Saturday, April 3 for an honest-to-goodness outdoor ride- our first of the year- in preparation for the Pan-Mass Challenge August 7-8.

We went a short but good 24 miles, starting out slow but increasing our average speed to 15 mile per hour before tackling a huge hill at the end– for good luck, or something. At the midpoint, we reached Dover Falls at the Dover/Needham (Massachusetts) line, and saw some of the effects of flooding by the Charles River from the recent 15 inches of rain we had.

The rides will get longer and faster very quickly, as the Pan-Mass challenge dates of August 7-8 loom closer every week. So does our fund-raising deadline. We are 40% of the way to our goal of $4,200. Several generous people have helped so far (including the Ban Asbestos Now folks, who are still conducting a drive for petition signatures, each of which means $1 to sponsor my ride).

To sponsor my PMC ride directly, please go to http://bit.ly/PMC2010 to donate. Any amount is welcome, and I appreciate the generosity of my friends, old and new, that keep us all pedaling closer to a cure for cancer

Pan-Mass Challenge 2010- 1st Training Ride of the Season from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.