PMC Riders Cross Finish Lines To Benefit Cancer Research

WELLESLEY (CBS) -- Thousands of bike riders completed the Pan-Mass Challenge by crossing finish lines in Massachusetts on Sunday.

Many of the riders ended up in Provincetown, but some opted for a shorter ride from Wellesley-to-Foxboro.

The Pan-Mass Challenge aimed to raise $45 million this year for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through The Jimmy Fund.

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Gov. Charlie Baker and his wife had to borrow bikes to join the ride Sunday -- he said he hasn't biked in more than 20 years. But he said the cause was worth it.

"You're talking about an organization, I think, that with this year's ride has raised half a billion for cancer research," the governor told WBZ-TV.

"You've got thousands of people climbing on their bikes, literally hundreds of miles, for a great cause."

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh also joined Baker in Wellesley.

The ride was personal for Walsh, who survived his battle with lymphoma at the age of 7.

"It's a little emotional today," the mayor said. "You're looking around and seeing so many people that are actually riding that the Pan-Mass Challenge probably had a direct impact on them getting cured."

After finishing the ride, riders told WBZ-TV's Jim Smith some of the reasons why they participated in the event.

Rider Jeff Protentis says "I've had a number of relatives that have lost their battles to cancer, and my wife has breast cancer right now and her brother-in-law has brain cancer so I'm doing it for family reasons."

"Well, my mom died of cancer so that was kind of the impetus to get me started, and a good friend's daughter that I went to high school with," she says.

"It's just become part of my life."

Nearly half a billion dollars have been raised in the three-and-a-half decades the event has been up and running.

Founder Billy Starr says it didn't happen overnight.

"It was an organic process, but it's an unbelievable model and I can only encourage people to get involved and support their friends," he says.

WBZ is a proud sponsor of the Pan-Mass Challenge.

For more information on the Pan-Mass Challenge, visit the organization's website.