10 miles to go: Cyclists make Pan-Mass pit stop in Wareham
Riders pedaled through Wareham on Saturday, Aug. 1 for the Pan-Mass Challenge. Photos by Nick Mossman
Cyclists were greeted with cheers as they made it to the Wareham water stop. 
Volunteers, including the Wareham Police Association, set up booths to refuel riders as they made their way to Bourne. 
A rider says "aloha" to the water stop.
This rider gives onlookers a thumbs up while passing by. 
This rider had a treat while making their way to the pit stop. 
Cyclists let their bikes take a rest too, stretching and eating before picking them back up to finish the trek to Bourne. 
A cyclist makes his way into the Wareham stop. 
Volunteers served food and water for the tired cyclists. 
From left to right: Josh Hurwitz, Larry Stein, Eric Shaff and Michael Silverstein pose for a picture with 10 miles left of the Saturday ride. 
Marion resident Andrea Green cheers on riders as they make their way toward the Decas School. 
The area outside the Decas School was packed with snacks, cyclists and bicycles. 
Almost at the finish line!
These riders were all smiles. 
A rider steers into the Decas School pit stop. 
The Pan-Mass Challenge is a thumbs up!
Riders pedaled through Wareham on Saturday, Aug. 1 for the Pan-Mass Challenge. Photos by Nick Mossman
Cyclists were greeted with cheers as they made it to the Wareham water stop.
Volunteers, including the Wareham Police Association, set up booths to refuel riders as they made their way to Bourne.
A rider says "aloha" to the water stop.
This rider gives onlookers a thumbs up while passing by.
This rider had a treat while making their way to the pit stop.
Cyclists let their bikes take a rest too, stretching and eating before picking them back up to finish the trek to Bourne.
A cyclist makes his way into the Wareham stop.
Volunteers served food and water for the tired cyclists.
From left to right: Josh Hurwitz, Larry Stein, Eric Shaff and Michael Silverstein pose for a picture with 10 miles left of the Saturday ride.
Marion resident Andrea Green cheers on riders as they make their way toward the Decas School.
The area outside the Decas School was packed with snacks, cyclists and bicycles.
Almost at the finish line!
These riders were all smiles.
A rider steers into the Decas School pit stop.
The Pan-Mass Challenge is a thumbs up!
The sounds of cheers and cowbells rang out at the Decas School as thousands of cyclists pedaled down Main Street for the Pan-Mass Challenge on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Riders trekked along an 84 or 100-mile route starting from either Wellesley or Worcester, respectively, and ending at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne. Along the way, many riders made a final pit stop at Wareham's Decas School, about 10 miles short of the finish line.
The Decas School hosted the final water stop of Saturday's ride. Cyclists grabbed food, took a break from their bikes and got cheered on by locals and volunteers as they arrived.
According to aid stop coordinator Barbara Robinson, organizers expected 5,000 riders to recharge at the Wareham water stop on Saturday.
The Pan-Mass Challenge started in 1980 and has since raised $1.125 billion for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a cancer treatment and research center in Boston. The challenge takes two days and according to organizers, many riders will continue cycling tomorrow from Bourne to Provincetown.
This year, the organization's goal is to raise $79 million for cancer research. Riders commit to raising or paying thousands of dollars to participate, all of which goes to the institute. If riders don't raise the minimum amount, which for the Saturday route is at least $4,000, the rest gets charged to their credit card.
Robinson said by the time riders get to Wareham, they're "tired, but still psyched."
Husband and wife Glenn Pransky and Terry Snyder-Pransky have been riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge for 30 and 28 years respectively. The couple, from Sudbury, said they started their ride at 5:15 a.m. from Wellesley. They were at the Wareham stop around noon.
Snyder-Pransky, 71, said she believes in the Pan-Mass challenge's mission and attributes a lot of her health to participating in the ride.
“There’s always somebody to ride for,” Snyder-Pransky said. She added that she "trains like crazy" to do it. Snyder-Pransky said she progressively built up longer rides before doing the full challenge, which she rode with her husband on a tandem bike for 25 years.
The two now ride separately, with Snyder-Pransky on an e-bike. They both said they are grateful for the Pan-Mass cause and to participate in the ride.
Alongside the riders taking a break in Wareham, a group of onlookers, many holding signs and ringing bells, cheered on cyclists as they arrived.
Marion resident Andrea Green said her husband is a cancer patient and she has lots of friends riding in the challenge, so she showed up to support them.
“I find this really energizing,” she said. Green added that she admires how the riders and the organization “put their hearts” into supporting cancer patients.
