R4C ‘24 DISPATCH: PART 2
The day of the Ride for Claire 2024 started for me at about 7:30 in the morning on Saturday, July 13th. In some ways, this added to the difficulty as the 4 PM estimated start time would mean I'd already have been up almost 10 hours, and if you add that to the 24 hours I intended on riding later that day, it meant that at the end of the ride I would have been awake for nearly 40 straight hours with 24 of those being actively ridden on a bike. There was no way I was ever sleeping past 7 AM based on being an adult with a 5 1/2-year-old. So, I got to bed super early on Friday night and banked almost 10 hours of time in bed. The rest of the day was spent eating some pancakes, hanging out with Claire, and continuing to tinker with my bike and all the little things that would be needed for the ride.
Shortly after Logan arrived, we were ready to go. We said our goodbyes, took a few pictures with the family, and headed on our way. I can’t leave out the awesome crew that led us out of the neighborhood.
We started the ride at 3:47 PM on Saturday, July 13, and headed south through areas like Foxborough, Raynham, Taunton, Lakeville, Wareham, and then onto the Cape. We ran into some friends as we were getting into Southern MA, and they were able to join us for about an hour, which was awesome. One of my favorite things about these rides is when friends show up (planned or by chance) and join in for a while. It's such a great boost to the spirits and a general mood lifter.
After we went our separate ways, with dusk not yet setting in, we inched closer to the Cape. As we rolled through the coastal towns before the Bourne Bridge, it felt like we were really on our way since a large part of this ride was on the Cape. We were getting into the thick of it. Once we navigated the roundabout and crossed the Bourne Bridge, we began the Cape portion of R4C on the western coast through some really pretty towns, gorgeous houses, and the night vibes of people heading out to dinner. We passed through Falmouth, Hyannis, and the southern part of Barnstable. With dusk firmly in place, we had 100 miles in the bank as we reached my in-laws' house in West Yarmouth (think center of Cape for point of reference). We quickly restocked our supplies, snagged a picture with Mimi and Poppy, and headed out in the dark towards Provincetown, which was our ultimate out-and-back destination for the Cape portion of the ride. The timing of the supply refresh was about 9 PM, and we expected to hit PTOWN a little before midnight.
Welcome to the Cape!
Our Cape Cod Aid Station Captains
Riding the Cape Cod Rail Trail at night was fantastic. I am pretty sure we encountered just three people while on it during the night. One of them was an older woman on a hybrid who was wearing a bathrobe and smoking a cigarette at about 10:30 at night. Standard fare for late-night bike trail shenanigans. Otherwise, it was empty, and we were able to ride unimpeded with minimal stops and minimal slowdowns.
I have to say that my favorite part of riding on the Cape is when you get to what I would call the forearm of the Cape. This is where you start heading north towards Provincetown. With the strip of land between the water much smaller, you can sense that you are close to the ocean. At parts of the ride when we were right along the coast, even at night, you felt the enormity of the Atlantic Ocean to the right. It’s one of my favorite parts of this route and has some memorable points like the giant lighthouse and the winding roads. It was a treat to take Logan on these roads as he had never been before. The roads out there did not disappoint in their quality as well as their emptiness. We were able to zoom around with confidence from our bright lights, and that made it all the more fun.
Descending into Provincetown
As we crested a final hill before we descended towards the shore, which leads to Provincetown, you could see the lights appearing and sense the general activity happening. We arrived in the heart of Provincetown around 11:45 in the evening when I think most of the bars were starting to close down, and there was definitely a stellar vibe going on. Lots of people out and about, walking back to their hotels, houses, or Airbnb's, and you could tell that they were having a good time. We were too. We stopped a couple of nice fellows who were not wearing any shirts and asked them to take a picture of us. They gladly obliged, and this is the picture you see below. I will say that Logan was in much better spirits than he looks.
Provincetown - 11:45pm
During our stop in Provincetown, we rode out to the end of the pier and found an amazing public water fountain. Remember that if you ever find yourself out there and need a fill-up. With fresh water bottles in hand, we headed back to the in-laws' house in West Yarmouth, where we had another chance to refuel and recharge before making the push back towards Boston. As we rolled out, we had over 200 miles logged, and to be honest, spirits were beginning to suffer on my side. I could sense that the next hundred were going to be really difficult. Thankfully, Logan was still riding high, and he just told me to follow his wheel, and we'd be all set. I would say the 3:30 to 5:30 AM period was the most challenging. It was the point where physically I didn't feel like I could produce much power, and my energy reserves were on low. When you’re at this point, all you can do is eat, drink, and carry on. Things will eventually turn around. Just like the peaks and valleys talk our doctor gave us with Claire. There are going to be good times and bad times; you have to always just keep moving forward. After one stop in particular, things began to take a turn.
We had just crossed a little bridge somewhere after Miles Standish State Park, and we found a lovely patch of grass to sit down on for a bit. Logan let me have a little regroup session and gave me a gel that has some caffeine in it, which would be the first caffeine I'd had since the day before with my morning coffee. I didn't think caffeine was going to change my outlook on life at that point, but I gotta tell you, after 15 minutes, things changed, and maybe that was because it coincided with daylight beginning and my body thinking that it was time to wake up. But after that, things definitely started going up for me. So yes, those miles from 200 to 300 were tough, but they are necessary, and frankly, the halfway to three-quarters point of any race, I think, is the toughest. There is still a long way to go, and the finish line isn’t quite in sight. The excitement of the start is gone, and you are truly in the thick of it. Nonetheless, we made it north quickly and stopped at the Millis Dunkin' Donuts for two iced coffees. Mine was a frozen iced s'mores concoction with whipped cream. It was amazing. Frozen coffees and donuts consumed, we headed back to my house to reset before tackling the final part of our ride. We both jumped in the shower, found fresh kits, and restocked our bottles. This stop was amazing, to tell you the truth. Really set us up to finish strong from the 9 AM-3:45 PM block of Sunday.
The final block ended up being just about 100 miles. I knew in the back of my head that hitting 400 miles for the ride was still in play if we kept a good pace and finished strong. The plan was always to head to a classic cycling meetup spot for a loop of the CRW 42 course—a standard Saturday morning group ride that countless Bostonians have done. We met up with Robin Carpenter, who made the effort to join us and help finish the job! As we rolled out, our group of three was boosted to four when another local, Matt W., joined our growing peloton. While we weren’t a large group, the two extra riders brought great energy and horsepower when we were 300+ miles deep. Cruising through the 42-mile loop, we chatted and had a great time. Even the rising temps heading to 90 couldn’t dampen our good vibes.
Stopping in Dover for fresh drinks and food, I ran some math through my foggy brain and figured out that 400 miles for the ride was definitely in reach, but we had to get moving. I can only say that I think it was the fact that we were so close to a milestone like 400, but personally, I felt like I had a new set of legs. Robin took the lead over the next hour or so, and we ripped laps of Dover/Westwood roads at what felt like a race pace. Mind you, this coming from the person who had 360 miles straight in his legs at that point. Regardless, the MPH’s were high, and the miles were clicking by. I can’t thank Robin and Matt enough. It was awesome to have that new energy at the end of this ride. Really made the difference.
The Welcome Party!
It’s always been my hope that Ride4Claire would be more than just myself on bike rides. It’s a goal to make this inclusive of all kinds of riders who want to partake in the adventure or create adventures of their own. Not everyone is going to ride for 24 hours, but there are lots of ways to take part.
At its core, Ride4Claire is about doing good for others and, in my case, using something I love (cycling) as a vehicle to earn your donations. Ride4Claire can also be Swim4Claire or Run4Claire…anything that motivates you to get out and make a difference. Completing this fundraiser for its 5th straight year is something I am immensely proud of, and I could not have done it without all the support that has been given. Together, we have raised what I believe is very close to $70,000. That is a HUGE number, and it’s $70K that Boston Children’s Hospital has to use for all the great things they do.
I am honored that so many people donate towards this effort, year after year. This is something that inspires and challenges me. I look forward to finding new ways to make Ride4Claire great. Thank you to all who have supported this fundraising effort over the years. You ALL make the difference.
Ride4Claire!
Matt, Kait, and Claire
UPDATE: 7/31 - We are currently at $8,600 raised this year!!! With an expected donation match from work we will be over $9,000 soon.
