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Cordelli and Team Ride the Pan-Mass Challenge to Beat Cancer

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Michael Cordelli and team mate David Hazard.

Michael Cordelli and team mate David Hazard.

By Chéye Roberson
Sentinel Correspondent

With a 200-mile path ahead of him, Greenwich resident Michael Cordelli committed himself to conquering the 2016 Pan-Mass Challenge in honor of “his superheroes”—his mother, who died of cancer recently, and his father, who is currently battling the disease.

“The emotional part is that thousands and thousands of people were lined up along the way,” Cordelli said of the ride across the eastern half of Massachusetts. “They were in their houses clapping and cheering you on. Some people were on the street corners.”

This was Cordelli’s first year in the Pan-Mass Challenge, which is an annual fundraiser that donates 100 percent of its proceeds to the cancer research conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, an organization dedicated to providing care to children and adults with cancer while advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer and related diseases.

Cordelli’s mother died on April 15 from bone cancer after fighting the disease with radiation treatments, and his father was diagnosed with bile duct cancer this past summer. He has undergone an emergency surgery and is now fighting the disease with chemotherapy.

“He’s had some setbacks—couple steps forward, a couple steps back. We’re fighting for him,” said Cordelli.

Cordelli said his mom died very quickly. She was diagnosed after his father around Christmas time last year. His mother would have been 84 years old on Aug. 22. His parents had been married for 54 years.

Cordelli’s father just turned 81, and the chemotherapy is “knocking him down pretty hard.” This month he was supposed to go to a study at Yale New Haven Hospital, which uses stem cell treatment rather than chemotherapy; however, he needs to be in a healthier condition before he can take part in the study.

“It could be a couple more weeks to get him up there to get evaluated, or see if he is healthy enough,” said Cordelli.

Cordelli had friends by his side during the Pan-Mass challenge who had also suffered losses from cancer. He rode as a part of a riding team created by his friend, David Hazard of New Canaan, called Team Velominati, which had eight members.

Hazard lost his wife, Cynthia, to cancer in July of 2013. She was diagnosed with cancer 11 years ago. They had been married for five years. She was deeply involved with the American Cancer Society, serving as the breast cancer research vice chairman, raising funds for cancer research. She was awarded Mother of the Year by the American Cancer Society.

Hazard said he wanted to devote time and effort to fighting against cancer, as his wife had done.

“I was looking for something to support her. I was never able to ride while she was with us,” said Hazard.

Hazard experienced terrible weather during his first year in the challenge. Fortunately for Cordelli, his first year riding was nothing like his teammate’s.

“It was the worst weather ever in Pan-Mass history,” recalled Hazard. “It poured rain, about three to four inches that day, and some people needed to go to the hospital for hypothermia.”

Teamm Velominati from left to right ; William Budd Jr.; William Budd Sr. Scott Logie Michael Cordelli; Earl Grossman; David Hazard, and Tim Sweeney.
Teamm Velominati from left to right : William Budd Jr., William Budd Sr., Scott Logie, Michael Cordelli, Earl Grossman, David Hazard, and Tim Sweeney.

Team Velominati also rode in honor of 12-year-old Kevin Hillman, who was the team’s pedal partner.

“The pedal partner doesn’t ride with you, but he’s a partner in the sense of why you’re riding,” said Cordelli.

Last Thanksgiving Kevin had to have emergency surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. Hillman’s parents are both surgical nurses who saw alarming symptoms and decided to bring their son to a doctor, saving his life.

The goal for this year’s 37th annual Pan-Mass Challenge is $46Million. The collective goal for the Velominati team is $60,000. Each rider must raise a minimum of $4,500 by Oct. 1.

When a rider surpasses $7,500 in funds raised, he is known as “a heavy hitter.”

The event included 4,000 volunteers and over 6,300 riders, according to Cordelli. The ride begins in Sturbridge, Mass., in the central part of the state just over the Connecticut border. On the first day, the riders set out at 5 in the morning and ride for 112 miles to Bourne, Mass. Later they crossed the Bourne Bridge onto Cape Cod, and rode another 80 to 90 miles to Provincetown at the end of the Cape.

The bikes in the challenge are equipped with an electronic device that tags and keeps track of the bike’s location along the ride. Later riders are able to go online and see how fast they rode and other details.

“You ride maybe 30 miles then take a break, ride another 20 miles and take a break,” Cordell said. “There’s plenty of food, bananas, candy bars, and water at the rest station. There’s also a lot of camaraderie. There are a lot of people who have done this 20 times in a row. You see their commitment and their cause. It’s mind boggling.”

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