Lance Armstrong to Ride the Pan-Mass. Challenge This Weekend

One of the estimated 5,000 riders participating in the 2011 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge this weekend will be Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France, will join the 5,000 cyclists from 34 states in the 111-mile route from Sturbridge to Bourne. Riders will pass through the local communities of Wrentham, Plainville, Attleboro and Rehoboth on Saturday morning.

Cyclists choose from 11 routes that range from 25 to 190 miles.

Armstrong expressed via Twitter his excitement on riding in the PMC.

“Excited to be riding @panmassbike w/ all of you. Been trying to get there for years! Riding bikes and kicking cancer’s ass,” posted Armstrong.

Armstrong, a survivor of testicular cancer, founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997. Since that time, the foundation has raised more than $325 million for cancer research. 

The 32nd annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is held on Aug. 6 and 7. The goal is to raise $34 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.

For more information, including race routes, on the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge visitwww.pmc.org.