Bicyclists will be riding en masse through Wareham this Saturday, August 4, as part of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge effort to support the fight against cancer.

The Pan-Mass Challenge is an annual bike-a-thon founded in 1980 that has since raised $338 million for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.

Approximately 5,500 cyclists ride in the event, which consists of 11 routes of various mileage.

Wareham is a part of the route which starts in Sturbridge and ends at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne. Riders are expected to arrive at Mass. Maritime between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m.

The route enters Wareham at County Road in West Wareham. It then heads right on Pierceville Road and right onto Papermill Road before continuing on Main Street.

The route stays on Main before taking a right onto Gibbs Avenue, a left onto High Street, and then continuing onto Church Street before looping back to get on Minot Avenue.

Cyclists then take Onset Avenue until it reaches Cranberry Highway. They then take Route 28 to Mass. Maritime.

A rest stop will be located at Decas Elementary School on Main Street, where riders can receive water, food, and medical attention. It is the last rest stop on the route before the finish line.

The Pan-Mass Challenge features nearly 300 riders who are cancer survivors or current patients. But it also attracts volunteers who have a personal connection with the disease.

"A lot of my family members or close friends have had cancer or been involved with it," said rest stop Junior Coordinator and Wareham native Felicia Thomas. "It's always been something close to my heart."

Thomas has been involved with the Pan-Mass Challenge since she was a young kid on the sidewalk cheering on the riders.

"Some of the riders have even stopped and said, 'You have no idea how much you help,'" Thomas said. "It just encourages them not to give up."

Now Thomas helps the riders by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and filling bottles with Gatorade. She made 200 sandwiches last year, she said.

Active town volunteer Sandy Slavin is hoping the riders will have a nice view when coming through town. She is spending time cleaning up the litter on route.

Slavin is also hoping others will pick up litter on their own to help make Wareham shine during the event.

"Why can't Wareham look good … why can't the riders see the town and not the litter?" asked Slavin. "It's nothing formal, nothing organized. Just do a section, and if somebody does another section, we might" get the roads cleaned, she noted.

Visit WarehamVillageSoup.com for photos on the day of the event!