On Aug. 5 and 6, Roy Walter of Massapequa will ride in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PM), the nation's original bike-a-thon for charity. He will be among the more than 4,500 cyclists who will ride in the 27th annual event with the collective goal of raising $24 million for lifesaving cancer research and treatment Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.

PMC cyclists range in age from 15 to 80. Some will be on their inaugural ride and others will be trained tri-athletes. More than 200 PMC cyclists are cancer survivors. Thousands of cyclists ride to remember loved ones lost to the disease or in honor of those in treatment.

"Unfortunately, everyone has a connection to cancer in some way," says Billy Starr, PMC founder and executive director. "The PMC is one weekend a year when people work in harmony toward a collective goal - a cancer-free world.

As they travel across Massachusetts, PMC cyclists are inspired by thousands of appreciative onlookers, waving signs and cheering. The PMC spirit is defined in the bonds that PMC cyclists and the more than 2,200 PMC volunteers form over one summer weekend. The camaraderie shared by cyclists, volunteers and supporters is one of the reasons cyclists from 30 states and six countries return to ride in the PMC each August.

The PMC has donated more than $145 million to the Jimmy Fund since its 1980 inception. Last year, the PMC gave 99 cents of each rider-raised dollar directly to the Jimmy Fund, a rate of fundraising efficiency that is nearly unequaled within the $1 billion athletic fundraising event industry.