On May 31, cyclists in the Texas 4000 departed from the Robert B. Rowling Hall Auditorium on the University of Texas Campus. Just 61 days after leaving Austin, Tex., the groups arrived in Whitehorse.

The Texas 4000 is the longest annual charity bike ride in the world. More than 80 students from the University of Texas at Austin are riding from Austin to Anchorage. The team will ride more than 4,000 miles over 70 days with the mission of fighting cancer by sharing hope, knowledge and charity at every stop along the route.

The 80 or so riders had a choice of three routes they could choose to take to Anchorage. The Sierra Route had the riders head northwest from Austin and cycle into the southwest of California then along the west coast before reaching Canada.

The Rockies Route had the riders head north from Austin and cut over to the Rocky Mountains. They rode through the western United States before crossing the border into Alberta.

The Ozarks Route took the cyclists east from Austin, then cut northeast through the American Midwest before crossing into Canada and travelling across four Canadian provinces.

On each of the routes, the riders are making stops along the way to present grants to cancer research and support service organizations. A grant was not presented in Whitehorse this year.

All three routes converged in Whitehorse, and the cyclists will be making the 10-day trip to Anchorage together.

Alyssa Schmidt was on the Sierra Route, and said it was gorgeous.

"You go through all the seasons as well as through such diverse landscapes," said Schmidt.

Schmidt heard about the Texas 4000 when she was a senior in high school and when she attended university, she thought she should try it.

"It is a big commitment," said Schmidt. "It is a unique, cool experience to do."

She had lost three important women in her life, two to cancer, and she wanted to honour them.

"I lost my grandma, an aunt, and my best friend," said Schmidt. "This is a great way to honour them. To walk in something similar to their footsteps.

"The riding is a metaphor for how tough living with cancer can be."

Before the riders can embark on the 71-day journey, they must first complete an 18-month training program, after undergoing an application process.

All the riders were required to raise $4,500 for the fight against cancer, ride 2,000 training miles with their team and volunteer more than 50 hours in the community and play an active role in planning every aspect of the ride to Anchorage.

Schmidt said she was not a big cyclist before she joined the Texas 4000.

"No, I was a big cyclist," said Schmidt, "but it continues on the metaphor. It's a new challenge. Cancer is something new to everyone."

The team will donate $300,000 throughout the summer to organizations in the U.S. and Canada.

“Each of these young women and men are leaders. They understand that leadership is about going where you are needed and doing what needs to be done,” said Scott Crews, executive director of Texas 4000 in a release. “They all have a story of how cancer has touched their life, and for that reason, they have committed to making a difference in the lives of others diagnosed with cancer by raising funds for cancer research and support services.”

Since the first ride in 2004, more than 800 students have made the trek from Austin to Anchorage, collectively raising more than $9.7 million in the fight against cancer.

The group of riders left Whitehorse today, and Schmidt said she is excited for the final leg of the journey.

"I'm excited that we are going to be in a big group," she said. "I'm going to be sad to see it finished, but I am looking forward to seeing my family."

Texas 4000 for Cancer is a non-profit organization with a mission to cultivate student leaders and engage communities in the fight against cancer.