This August, I will be riding in my first Pan-Mass Challenge, a 200 mile two-day bicycle journey across Massachusetts to raise money for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I will riding in memory of my father, Joseph Leggio, who passed away from a brain tumor in 2012, and in honor of my partner's sister, Samantha Janower, who is a pediatric brain tumor survivor. My dad was never really a cyclist, but cycling has become one of my biggest passions since moving to New York City, where it's my primary means of transport.

To make this a little more interesting, I'll bike all 200 miles on my self-built titanium fixed-gear bicycle. I have one gear to get up the hills of Central Mass and Cape Cod. I cannot coast back down them: if my bicycle's wheels are moving, my pedals are moving, too.

The PMC raises more money than any other athletic event in the country, and every $1 of the $1 billion donated since 1980 goes directly to Dana-Farber in their search for cancer cures, so every dollar we raise has a tangible impact. Please consider donating to my PMC Fundraising Campaign to help us put an end to cancer for good.