My 11th Pan Mass Challenge

Team Lick Cancer riding in formation on Cape Cod

11th Pan Mass Challenge 

I ride for a reason and I ride for a cause and because of this,  I ride with No Pain, I Ride in the cold, I ride in the rain, I ride for hours upon hours so that I can help those who can’t ride.

This will be my 11th year riding in the Pan Mass Challenge.   It comes with great reward as I am building friendships and raising money for a worthy cause…cancer research.  It also comes with great heart ache.  The more friends and family I meet in the PMC, I unfortunately more and more that are battling cancer.  Charlotte who was only 6 years old and fought a long hard 4 year battle.  Charlotte had an aggressive brain tumor known as atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT). Despite treatment after treatment, trips into Boston on a daily basis, experimental medicine and everything some of the best doctors in the world could do for her; it was just not enough.  While enduring all of this, Charlotte taught us all how to live and to enjoy life to the fullest.  She never stopped being a kid!!!  My thoughts and prayers will always be with this special little girl who touched so many of our lives.  I must ride on, I must raise money, I am fighting cancer!!  DONATE

Our team is growing every year as we will have over  160 members riding in this year’s PMC.  Our team will raise over 1 Million Dollars this year alone.

The Pan Mass Challenge is exactly that….a challenge.   Anyone that knows me knows that I am not built for speed. But I knew in my heart that I could do something like this especially for a great cause. I train for months to be in shape to ride the 192 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown…riding to work a few days and taking long rides on the weekends. But there is something that I can never train for…the arrival day in Sturbridge.  The opening ceremony of the PMC, the stories of cancer survivors, the families involved and especially the Kids that are affected.  To hear and see what people with cancer must go through, gives me all the motivation I need to ride 192 miles in the middle of August.  DONATE NOW

As I ride along the 192 mile route, I see families lined up on every street holding up signs thanking me.  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this; to be thanked for riding for them.  They stand there holding signs, playing music and yelling to cheer me and my teammates on…it is such a motivating emotional sight to behold.  A sight that makes me tear up just thinking about it.  I know that my feelings are nothing compared to what these kids and families experience as they go through treatments.  It is for them that I ride.  I am officially a Pan Mass rider for LIFE!       I need your help to aid in the continued research for finding a cure for this deadly disease.   Will you help me raise money for this fight?

HELP ME RAISE MONEY TO FIGHT CANCER!!!!!   

Thank you for your continued support!!!!  Bill Nickerson

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My Personal Passion: The Pan Mass Challenge

Bill Nickerson

In 11 days I will be riding in my 9th PMC, raising funds for The Dana Farber/Jimmy fund.  I’m very excited to have the opportunity to once again ride for a great cause!  Please help me, help them by donating to my ride this year.  Click the link to Donate to Bill’s ride.  Thank you for helping to make a difference!  Ride On Baby!!

To learn more about this great cause, I have enclosed some basic information about the Pan Mass Challenge.  Please see below.

About the PMC:
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon and a pioneer of the athletic fundraising industry that today raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. The organization was founded in 1980 and has since raised $338 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a model of fundraising efficiency. The PMC donates 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. In 2011, the PMC generated 60 percent of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue and it was Dana-Farber’s single largest contributor. Over 230,000 individual contributions were made to last year’s fundraising campaign. In 2012, PMC cyclists will ride with the goal of raising $36 million for Dana-Farber.

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The Ride:
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a fully supported bike-a-thon — with food and water stops, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage transportation, and lodging — that runs through 46 towns across Massachusetts. Approximately 5,500 cyclists ride in the event. Cyclists choose from 11 routes of varying mileage designed to cater to all levels of cycling strength and fundraising ability. There are six two-day routes that range from 153 to 190 miles and five one-day rides that range from 25 to 110 miles. In 2012, cyclists are required to raise between $500 and $4,300 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route.

When:
The 33nd annual PMC is Aug. 4 and 5, 2012. The ride has two starting lines on Saturday, Aug. 4, in Sturbridge and in Wellesley, and five finish lines in Provincetown (2), Bourne, Wellesley or Sharon on Saturday, Aug. 4 or Sunday, Aug. 5.

Bill Nickerson

Who:
Cyclists travel from 36 states and eight countries to ride in the PMC. Nearly 300 riders are cancer survivors or current patients. Some PMC cyclists are weekend warriors, others are trained triathletes. Most PMC participants ride in honor of a family member or friend fighting the disease. Cyclists range in age from 13 to 88. The average PMC cyclist is 45 years old, trains for three months, solicits 40 sponsors, and raises more than $6,000. During PMC weekend and throughout the year, more than 3,000 volunteers donate their time and 200 corporations provide over $4 million in products and services. The PMC was founded in 1980 by Billy Starr, who remains the event’s executive director, an annual cyclist and a fundraiser. It is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and New Balance.

YEARS RIDERS VOLUNTEERS DONATION
1980 – 1989 4,968 1,778 $3,665,800
1990 – 1999 16,668 11,921 $38,750,000
2000 – 2009 39,972 22,575 $227,200,000
32 Year Total 71,955 42,244 $338,000,000
2012 GOAL $36,000,000