On Saturday, hope that cancer will no longer affect anyone, was in the air when more than 700 cyclists gathered in Fairfield on Saturday morning, for the sixth annual Connecticut Challenge bike ride. The event raises money to fight cancer.

"We raise money to support hospitals around the state to create cancer survivorship programs," said Connecticut Challenge Executive Director Bob Mazzone. "Many hospitals around the state do not have cancer survivorship programs, mainly because they cannot fund them or don't know how to start them."

The cyclists, who came from as far away as Florida, were as old as 80 and as young as eight. The ride started at 7:45 a.m. with a cancer survivor's lap at Greenfield Hill Congregational Church. Riders then rode distances from 12 miles to 100 miles.

The Connecticut Challenge has raised nearly $1 million this year for cancer research and treatment. The programs help cancer patients and their families through the battle with cancer and life after it. The goal of the Connecticut Challenge is to have all 30 hospitals in the state have a survivorship program. The nonprofit organization has helped fund programs at St. Vincent's in Bridgeport, Yale-New Haven, the Connecticut Children's Hospital in Hartford, among others.

Click here to see a photo slideshow of the event.