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Margo Phillips admits she's a "stop and smell the roses" cyclist. During the 192-mile route in last month's Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, the Fairfield resident soaked in the atmosphere as she pedaled over two days from Sturbridge to Provincetown. It was the third straight year she has made the journey.
"The weekend is such an amazing event,'' says Margo. "You turn a corner and there are 300 people cheering for you. The outpouring of the Massachusetts people makes it a joyous occasion."
The ride, with more than 5,000 cyclists, is a fundraiser for cancer treatment and research at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Cyclists can tackle distances ranging from 47 miles to 192. Phillips rides for Team Brent, a 52-member team based mostly in Fairfield County. Team Brent is named for Brent McCreesh, a Westport boy diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was 2. Brent has been cancer-free for five years. "We ride with joy because we're so happy for him,'' says Margo, who is a friend of Brent's family. "Many people do it with sorrow behind them."
All of the proceeds go to the Dana-Farber Institute. Team Brent's donations over the past six years have helped build a radiation room there.
Phillips' first day began at 5:30 a.m., and she finished at 3 p.m. The next day she spent seven hours on the ride with Southport's Sharon Siegel and Greenwich's Len Moscati. "The last 10 miles are the hardest,'' Margo says. "It's boring. Every year I say I'm going to quit right at the end. Then you're on a high for four or five days afterwards. It's such an outpouring of love."
Margo received donations from Honda of Westport and Zichy Construction of Norwalk. A Westport clothing store, 4 @ 1, is donating 3 percent of its September sales to the cause. It also is holding a fashion show on Sept. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at which it will donate 5 percent of sales. People can also donate to Margo on the PMC website.
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