I'm planning to do PMC this year for the first time. I went to the website today to sign up and it appears both Ferries back to Boston are totally booked already? Other than the 11:30 AM fast boat, but I would like to hang in P town for a little while after rolling in and I doubt I can get in by 10:30 anyway.

Can some vets share their experiences on this with me?

Is it just the free spots on the boat that are booked? For instance can I make a reservation off the Ferry website and just pay my own way or does the PMC organization book the whole ferry?

How bad is the traffic getting off the cape? I'm not psyched to soend 4+ hours in a car or on a bus after riding for two days.

This transportation issue unfortunately may be the deciding factor on whether I do the ride this year. I had no idea the Ferry would be booked already. Crazy ...

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks ahead of time.

Also can somone please enlighten me on the difference between the Provincetown finish and the Family finish in Provincetown? It appears the Provincetown finish is sold out. What's the deal with the family finish?

So apparently none of the 3800 people that have registered for this year's event or the 4000+ that did it last year, frequent roadbikereview.com

... oh well, it was worth a try.

This will be my 8th year riding the PMC and I only took the ferry the very first time. While it is fun, the party atmosphere is a bit too much for me after a weekend of 200 miles and too little sleep. While dancing to live music in the hot sun on a summer day is usually great, I prefer to drive home after the PMC weekend. Since my first year, my PMC buddies and I arrange for one of our wives to pick us up around noon. The traffic going home has never really been bad, even last year when the PMC coincided with the Falmouth Road Race. We just throw the bikes on the roof rack and chill in the car, usually stopping for ice cream somewhere along the way. I should also say that several other friends take the busses home and have never complained about it to me. The PMC does a great job transporting the bikes by tractor trailor so that when the busses (or ferries) arive, the bikes are already there.

As for the two PTown finishes... The traditional finish ends at the PTown Inn and this is where we go. As the event has gotten larger, the Inn could not support all the riders so a seperate finish was instituted a mile or so away for riders who wanted to spend time with their families sharing in the festivities (only riders are allowed at the Inn). This finish doesn't seem as nice to me, but I only stopped there once on my drive home (out of curiosity).

Once you become an alumni rider, you will be able to register in advance of newcomers. This will give you the opportunity to choose your routes and travel arrangements first.

In sum, the PMC is a great time and supports an even better cause. It is the highlight of many people's cycling years. I would recommend that you ride the PMC even if you can't get the exact route or travel arrangements you had hoped for. Check out my friend Seth's blog for his account of last year's ride. http://www.truerwords.net/fundraising/pmc/2004/