Thousands of tired but exuberant bicyclists started arriving in Provincetown around 2 p.m. yesterday bringing to a close a two-day ride that garnered millions in dollars in pledges for cancer research.

The 30th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge — a 240-mile bicycle ride across the state — drew more than 5,000 riders this year, said event spokeswoman Jacquie Herskovicz.

With them came $30 million in pledges that will go to the Jimmy Fund to support research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

"We had a great year. We were blessed by good weather. Everything went very well," Herskovicz said.

Since its inception the event has raised more than $239 million for cancer research.

The ride begins in Sturbridge and ends in Provincetown, with Bourne as an overnight stop for participants.

The challenge was first organized by William Starr, better known to friends as Billy. His mother, Betty Starr, died of melanoma in 1974 at the age of 49.

Starr decided to hold a fundraising bike ride in 1980. He and 35 other riders began in Springfield and rode to Provincetown. They raised just over $10,000. The next year the event was bigger and better-organized, and since then has grown to be one of the most successful fundraising events for cancer research.

It's not for the fainthearted among fundraisers, though. Getting into the challenge includes a $170 entry fee and a credit card as a sort of promissory note for the minimum pledge.

For a two-day ride participants must pledge a minimum of $4,200 to make the Sturbridge-to-Provincetown ride or to ride from Wellesley to Provincetown. They can also sign up for a one-day ride from Sturbridge to Wellesley for a $3,400 pledge. A one-day ride from Sturbridge to Bourne or Wellesley to Bourne requires a $3,000 pledge