Pan-Mass Challenge will steer through town this weekend

Bike riders in the Pan-Mass Challenge will make their through Wareham on Saturday, Aug. 1 as they ride with a goal of raising $79 million for cancer research.

Participants will start riding in either Wellesley or Worcester and ride all the way to Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne. Those coming from Worcester will be riding nearly 100 miles and those from Wellesley will ride over 80 miles as they make their way through Massachusetts on Saturday. 

In Wareham, residents can expect to see riders enter town through Pierceville Road in West Wareham, ride down Main Street and make their way through Onset before crossing into Bourne. Like last year, the 2026 ride will include an aid station at the Decas School on Main Street. A detailed map of the route is available on the Pan-Mass Challenge website. 

According to the Town of Wareham, thousands of cyclists will pass through town from roughly 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents should expect heavy, rolling bicycle traffic and minor road delays. 

The Pan-Mass Challenge started in 1980 and has raised $1.125 billion for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a cancer treatment and research center in Boston. Riders raise money to participate in the challenge.

Ten Wareham residents are participating this year: Peter Yates, Belynda Crick-Flynn, Ariel St. Germaine, Matthew Chaput, Christine Klaver, Christopher Moulding, Maureen Yates, Nichole Wade, Katie Moulding and Harris Drucker.