There are many ways that people raise money and awareness for cancer. Few are as unique as the Cancer Aware Harley Dare.

Brian Winans and Mike Taylor, of McClure Ill., started the first leg of a 3,000-mile round trip Oct. 13 from Black Diamond's Bootheel Harley-Davidson in Scott City to the southernmost beach of Florida. The goal: Raise awareness for cancer.

The plan doesn't sound difficult until you hear that their goal was to travel 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours.

"We had been planning a trip to for a while," Winans said. "We were introduced to the idea of riding for a cause, and we jumped on it immediately."

Rob Hocking, the owner of Black Diamond's Bootheel Harley Davidson, said he hopes this ride will change the stereotypical image people hold of Harley riders.

"Those gruff, heartless types, we call them '1 percenters,' and they aren't the norm," Hocking said. "All kinds of people ride Harleys, from pastors to journalists to students."

Winans said the Cancer Aware Harley Dare isn't about making money.

"We're just doing it to raise awareness," he said. "We're riding in memory of the ones that have lost their lives and the ones who are struggling now."

Taylor, a former pitcher for the Southeast Missouri State baseball team, said he hopes it does inspire people to donate to their local cancer-related charities.

"Everybody has been touched by cancer in some way," he said. "If people want to give, we encourage them to give however they can."

Winans and Taylor come from a small community, and they say that when somebody from their hometown is affected by cancer, that the whole town feel the effects. Winans' mother is a breast cancer survivor. He believes awareness and support is equally as important as money.

"I've had the chance to talk to a two-time cancer survivor," Winans said. "He said the most important thing for him was to have the support. People tried to give him money, but a stranger sitting down and playing video games with him meant more. It's about more than just opening your pocket book."

For this ride, Winans and Taylor did not have protection from the elements, riding bare-bones model motorcycles.

The ride kicked off at 6 p.m. Oct. 13, and they hit their goal of 1,000 miles in just under 20 hours. The duo didn't have any mechanical problems but did run into some weather-related issues.

"The ride's been great, aside from some cold weather we ran in to in Southern Georgia," said Taylor in a phone interview Monday night from Florida. "We've been blessed with good weather aside from that."

Winans and Taylor stopped riding when the sun came out to avoid heat exhaustion and had an encounter with an army of fire ants. Other than that, they had few problems.

Taylor said the response has been positive with everybody they've encountered.

"Everybody you talk to loves the idea," he said. "They're all thankful that somebody is doing something like this."

They made the trip to Florida and are making stops along the southern coastline spreading their message of cancer awareness.

One of their stops was in the smallest post office in the United States, which was painted pink for breast cancer awareness. They were also planning to ride around the track of the Daytona International Speedway, one of the world's most famous race tracks.

"When you talk to people, their expression says it all," Winans said. "We drove for 20 hours straight, and they are overwhelmed and they certainly appreciate it."

Hocking, who lost his father to cancer at age 12, said he wanted to make sure that people know it isn't just about breast cancer.

"Although this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we don't want to pigeonhole it to just breast cancer," Hocking said. "We want to make sure it's about cancer as a whole. Everybody knows somebody who has been personally affected by cancer, and it's not always the same type."

Taylor said he still had a major goal on the trip, and while he is enjoying himself, he can't wait to get back to McClure.

"I really want to get to the southernmost tip of the United States," he said. "I'm not looking forward to going back to work, but otherwise I'd love to be back home."