BETHLEHEM, N.Y. -- A total of 23 bikes and 23 riders made a pit stop at the Bethelem YMCA before taking off Monday morning. The Illini 4000 cyclists are on a mission -- to pump the breaks on cancer. 

"We spend our school year raising money for cancer research and patient support services before we begin a bike ride from New York City to San Fransisco over the course of the summer," said Nick Fishburn.

In 77 days, a group of Illinois University students plan to cover 13 states and more than 4,000 miles. Each biker has a goal of raising $4,000, hoping putting a new spin on cancer prevention.

"I've been lucky enough that no one in my family has had cancer yet, and I want to keep it that way," Hitarth Patel said.

Sofie Schwink is taking the path well traveled in her fight against cancer.

"My dad was a cyclist and he biked from the north from the south. And he actually passed away, so I kind of riding in his memory of my dad. He biked north to south and I'm biking east to west so our paths will cross eventually at some point, which I think is cool," she said.

The group says that cycling for 7 hours a day can be tough at times but encouragement along the way let’s them know they're on the right path.

"We were just stopped at a light and someone read the back of our jersey and said 'hey thanks, we really appreciate what you do,' and that just made it all the more real for me," another cyclist said.

Each mile creates a perfect portrait of why the ride is so important.

The 2018 Bike America Team has raised more than $85,000 and hopes to raise even more by the end of their journey.