By CHRISTOPHER TREMBLAY Staff Sports Writer

In 2008 Northbridge’s John Phelan found out that his friend (Jim Rice) was diagnosed with cancer. To make things worse a few months later Phelan was notified that his sister Kathleen was also diagnosed with the disease. The Northbridge native found it hard to believe that two people close to him who were so young would be affected by the disease. 

 

“I wanted to do something to help out and having my dad die of cancer in 1995 I was familiar with the PMC,” Phelan said. “The following spring, I immediately signed up to do the 2009 PMC to do my part.”

The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) was founded in 1980 by Billy Starr and has become the nation’s most successful athletic fundraiser, donating 100% of every rider raised money to Dana Farber. The PMC accounts for 55% of the Jimmy Fund’s annual revenue.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic the PMC has raised more than $114 million for Dana Farber, bringing its 42-year contribution to $831. There are 16 different routes for riders to partake in ranging from 25 to 210 miles and catering to all levels of cyclists and fundraisers.

Having just confirmed to ride the two-day, 186-mile event from Sturbridge to Provincetown, Phelan had to get on his bike and begin training for the early August event.

“I had not been on a bike in a long time, and I was not in the best shape to ride it,” he said. “I got out on the bike that I had owned and did a 6-mile ride, but I had to keep stopping so I went out and bought myself a nice bike.”

For five months Phelan trained every other day, weather permitting. Unfortunately, during that time, he got the news that his friend had passed away at the young age of forty-nine. The loss of Rice gave the Northbridge rider even more motivation to take part in the event and he even dedicated his first year to his friend. 

During that first-year ride Phelan found that it was not only more than he could have ever expected, but it was something special.

“Once you get out onto the road the people that you meet while riding and at the stops are wonderful,” he said. “It is Simply Love, all with a common cause – to see the end of cancer. The organization does a tremendous job with everyone involved going to extreme lengths.”

Phelan noted that while the two-day bike ride wasn’t all that bad, it was the fundraising that was the hardest thing for him, but it’s all worth it.

With his sister’s treatment being a success, he originally decided on a five-year plan to ride in the PMC, but during his fifth year his world would be turned upside down when his wife Cathy, who was a nurse, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer.

“It was 2013 and as I was finishing, I scanned the crowd for my family, but my wife was missing. Cathy never misses anything, so I knew something was strong,” he said. “They were not giving her much of a chance and she eventually passed away after a seven-month fight. We talked a lot about our future, especially mine without her, and she wanted me to keep living and not give up; that’s when my five-year plan changed.”

August 6-7 will be Phelan’s 13th riding in the PMC and he is currently taking part in his fifteen-year plan, when he will be 60-years old, but he is looking to continue his cycling for Dana Farber as long as he can. 

“I’ll be 60 by the 15th year, if I can’t continue to do the full two-day event I can always switch to a shorter route,” Phelan said. “I can’t stop, it’s a big part of my life. I ride for Cathy, Jim, my dad and everyone else I know that has been affected by cancer and will do it as long as I am able.”

Phelan noted that once the ride begins and he leaves Sturbridge, the first water stop would be in Northbridge where his family would be waiting for him and cheering him on.