In my previous post celebrating 100,000 miles on the bike, I promised an upcoming post about the motivations that underlie my passion for cycling. Here it is, with a shorter bonus postscript listing some things I actually dislike about cycling.

I started pedaling when I was around five years old, when my parents first plunked my ass down on a Marx Big Wheel plastic tricycle and turned me loose in our driveway. I’ve been pedaling ever since, with the only break happening during college (when I got my first car) through my first full-time job (and my first new car).

That tallies up to about 45 years where cycling has been a central part of my life.

It might seem a little late to think about this, but I’ve decided to take a look at why. What is it that motivates me to keep pedaling, aft »more

In mid-October of 2000, I bought a bike: my Devinci Monaco. Although I’d done a little riding off and on before then, that’s the date I began logging how many miles I rode. And thus, I consider that the start of my career as an adult cyclist.

A little over 25 years later, today my cycling log ticked over 100,000 miles. Mathematically that averages out to 4,000 miles per year. Or roughly an hour-long, 11-mile ride, every single day for 9,226 consecutive days without break.

That may or may not sound like a lot to you. But as I said in my recent 2025 year-in-review, 100,000 miles is a common expected lifespan of a typical automobile. It’s the equivalent of riding around the Earth at the equator… four times. Or perhaps it’ll make sense if I tell you that it’s like traveling t »more

Welcome to 2026! A new year has begun, and with it, new aspirations and goals. By far my biggest objective for the year is my 20th Pan-Mass Challenge.

In a sense, this will be my most ambitious PMC ever. Not because of the riding, but because – instead of riding remotely as I’ve done since 2020 – this year I’m undertaking the trip back to Boston to take part in the mass in-person event for the first time since 2014, while also surpassing a lifetime fundraising total of $150,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Having never traveled with my bike before, the logistics of getting myself and my bike to Boston, renting a vehicle, securing lodging, and doing the ride are intimidating. That’s why I‘ve done my last five PMC rides solo and remote »more