Local riders participating in 33rd annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge

NASHUA – Of the diseases that affect modern society, cancer is one of the most prevalent. There is hardly anyone who hasn’t been touched by this affliction, be it themselves, a family member or a friend. Since 1980, the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge has attracted  hundreds of bicyclists who avidly put the rubber to the road in an  effort to fight this disease. On Aug. 4-5, a number of people from Greater Nashua will gather for the 33rd annual ride. They’ll be among 5,500 cyclists who’ll be aiming for the collective goal of raising $36 million to support adult and pediatric cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The event is presented by the Red Sox Foundation and the New Balance Foundation. But this massive event has  humble roots, PMC spokeswoman Jackie Herskovitz said. “It all started with Billy Starr, an athlete who lost his mother, an uncle and a cousin to cancer,” she said. “Starr was an athlete by inclination.