When thousands of bicyclists ride through Massachusetts to raise money for cancer victims, Windham’s Steve Horaj will be among them.

Horaj will put his endurance to the test when he rides 163 miles over just two days. He will be participating in the Pan-Mass Challenge, whose organizers hope to raise $34 million this year for the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute.

“Who doesn’t know someone who hasn’t been affected by cancer?” said Horaj, who will ride from Wellesley to Provincetown on Aug. 2 and 3.

Since 1980, the annual bike-a-thon has raised more than $204 million through the Jimmy Fund for cancer treatment and research. The event raises more money for charity than any other athletic event in the country.

More than 5,500 cyclists are expected to participate this year. Each cyclist chooses from seven routes and rides one or two days.

Horaj, 20, a 2006 Salem High School graduate, began cycling while doing a college externship in Los Angeles as a way to beat heavy traffic. His enthusiasm for riding grew – fueled in part by coverage of the Tour de France – and by the end of his time in L.A., he was riding about 60 miles a day for exercise.

“I got really into it,” said Horaj, who was cooking at a hotel in Beverly Hills at the time. “I loved riding, I loved exercising.”

Horaj has found inspiration from Lance Armstrong, the road cyclist champion who battled testicular cancer and won the Tour de France seven times. Armstrong established a foundation that helps cancer victims.

“I think he’s a great motivator. That’s what I look up to,” said Horaj, who is reading Armstrong’s autobiography, “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.”

Horaj recently earned an associate’s degree in culinary arts from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and is now working as a line cook at a Boston restaurant and bakery shop.

Although this will be his first charity bike ride, he has previously helped others. He participated in a Relay for Life, held at Salem High School, to benefit the American Cancer Society. And he was in a peer outreach program, No Butts About It, that brought an anti-smoking, anti-drug use message to younger students.

Horaj, who has committed to raising $4,000 for the bike-a-thon, is willing to put the name of cancer victims on his jersey if people would like him to ride in honor of a loved one.

The Pan-Mass Challenge can be an emotional event for its riders. Loved ones of cancer victims express their thanks and hold signs of cancer patients. Riders have been known to wipe away tears, said Horaj.

“It’s supposed to be a very emotional thing,” he said.

How you can help

To help Steve Horaj raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, go to www.pmc.org. Click on “Donate” in the upper left hand corner. When “Sponsor Rider with Donation” appears on the screen, you can donate to Stephen Horaj using his eGift number, SH0148. Or you can mail a donation, made payable to PMC, and send it to Horaj at his home: 6 Red Fox Road, Windham, NH