Mattapoisett sixth-grade teacher Kyle Letendre will spend one weekend in August bicycling 163 miles in the name of cancer research.

Letendre is preparing for his second ride in the annual Pan-Mass Challenge, which runs this year on August 4 and 5.

The Old Hammondtown School educator, who is finishing up his ninth year of teaching, is raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a cancer treatment and research center in Boston. This year, he's hoping to raise $4,900 for the charity, every penny of which will be donated to the organization.

The Institute has, in the past, developed leukemia treatments that produced complete remission in up to 50 percent of patients, as well as identified a gene that increases the risk of colon cancer.

Letendre rode in last year's Pan-Mass Challenge, but last year he didn't get close to the tri-town; he rode a 50-mile route through Wellesley and Foxboro.

Now that he knows what to expect from the race, he said, he's signed on to ride in the 163-mile ride that begins in Wellesley and ends in Provincetown. That means that this year, friends, family and students can catch Letendre biking through Rochester and Wareham on his way to the Bourne Bridge and Cape Cod.

Personal charity isn't Letendre's only motivation for the ride; he sees his work as good inspiration for his students. "I'd like to provide a role model for them in giving back," he said. He said that he hopes his students will be inspired to make their own contributions and help others.

Letendre noted his appreciation of the Pan-Mass Challenge volunteers, as well as the response he received both this year and last year from local residents. "The response has been so great," he said. "People are so helpful and responsive."

To help Letendre get to his fundraising goal, visit profile.pmc.org/KL0231 or visit pmc.org, click 'donate' and type in Letendre's name.