The Pan-Mass Challenge is Massachusetts’ great summer pilgrimage: on the first weekend of August, thousands of cyclists roll out at dawn and ride across the state, with routes ranging from shorter one-day options to a two-day, two-hundred-plus-mile trek that ends at the tip of Cape Cod. Start lines and water stops take over dozens of towns along the way, and whole communities turn out at the roadside with signs and cowbells.

Every rider fundraises for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund, and the PMC’s model sends one hundred percent of rider-raised dollars to the cause — it has grown into the biggest single-event athletic fundraiser in the country. It suits committed cyclists who want their training miles to mean something, and it’s nearly as moving to watch: pick a stretch of the route and cheer.