A bit off topic: Pan Mass Challenge Gets SatNav

I got word from a friend and “perennial road crew volunteer” for this weekend’s 30th Pan Mass Challenge that TomTom had donated satnavs for the event. My contact at Tele Atlas confirmed that 30 will be in use in the event’s vehicles. Five thousand cyclists, including a team from TomTom/Tele Atlas, will cover six routes across Massachusetts to raise funds and awareness to end cancer.

The tricky part for the “road crew,” which includes “all purpose” support vehicles that do everything from fixing bikes to offering extra drinks and snacks, to taking folks to the hospital, if needed, have a tricky navigation job. They “follow a route” but must be able to skirt around it to reach those in need of aid. And, as you can imagine, the smaller roads in the commonwealth can get busy with the combination of weekend car traffic along with the bicycles. Add to that the fact that volunteers come from all over the region and you can see how the devices are going to come in handy.

I’ll be tackling a 150 mile route over the weekend in memory of two good friends who died of cancer.