Ride for Kids

This past Sunday was the Ride for Kids... We couldn't have asked for a better day. The weather turned out gorgeous and the event was excellent.

The day started out little early and a little chilly. But with the right layers on, it didn't matter and made the rising temps more appealing. One stop for gas on the way out and we were on our way to meet up with the rest of the BBQ Brothers.

We got to Jordan Lake, took care of registration, grabbed some donuts and biscuits to eat and left some time for meeting and greeting. Got to talk to Bob from Bob and the Showgram. He'd been out for a couple weeks so it was good to see him again. I was really impressed when I introduced my son to him and he took the time to talk to my son and told him a story about when he was younger and rode bikes with his dad.

After the blessing, it was off for the ride. A nice 60 mile, police escorted ride through the beautiful North Carolina countryside. The event has been going on long enough that people line parts of the route to watch the motorcycles go by. Especially as we go around the courthouse in Pittsboro. That's an impressive site as a a 3 mile long line of bikes loop around, passing each other and filling the streets.

Some pictures my son took while we were riding.

Once we got back from the ride, it was time to grab some lunch and celebrate with the Stars of the ride. This is the best part of the event because the Stars share their personal stories and we get to talk to them and their families.

In the end, our club raised almost $12,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and the event raised almost $88,000. It was quite an honor for our club to take top honor for raising the most money for a motorcycle club.

So with the end of this year's event, it's the beginning of our efforts for next year.

Check out the ride map...

Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month...

Today kicks off Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month. Seems like a good time get back to updating this blog and to remind everyone watch out for motorcyclists. As we get past this grueling winter we've had and the weather gets nicer, we're going to start seeing more and more riders out on the road. Well, the hope is that we do *see* the riders.

May is also kind of the kick-off to my riding season. Not that I really ever stop riding for the year, it's just the first few organized events kick-off this month. Especially this year since I couldn't ride in the Cape Fear 1000.

It starts this weekend with the Ride for Kids. Our team, BBQ Brothers, has put a small chunk of change together, with more to come!! I'm thinking the weather will be nice. It will be good to share some time with my son. And, best of all, it's all for a good cause.

Towards the middle of the month, I'll be teaching, so that'll give me a chance to ride to/from class. Although I don't really need a reason to ride. Just need to do it!

The month will wrap up with Rolling Thunder. I'm really looking forward to that weekend. A chance to take a longer ride with my son and spend some time with him. And he really seems to enjoy it as well. I think he likes both the time out on the road riding as well as Rolling Thunder - what it stands for and what it means. This year we're even contemplating riding in it instead of just observing from the side. About the only thing that will change all that is if my wife decides to come along and ride instead. And I can't say I'd be disappointed if that happened. In fact, I think it would be great if she came along. Well just see what happens.

he's famous (almost!!!)...

at the beginning of the month, my son and i went on the ride for kids with our club... at the event, my son got interviewed by greg white from greg's garage tv. today greg posted his report on the ride for kids and my son made the cut!!! i must say, i'm proud of the way he represented himself and the club. his piece is towards the end but the whole video is worth watching...

Show 7 - Part 6 - "Ride For Kids" from Greg's Garage on Vimeo.

ride for kids...

this weekend was a busy 'giving' weekend... saturday we participated in the arthritis foundation's triangle area walk in support of my wife. it was colder than we expected and the sun never quite came out. we had the option of a one-mile or three-mile route and my wife chose the longer route - she's so awesome! we had a lot of fun.

yesterday my son and i took part in the triangle area ride for kids with our club...

the day started early, overcast and cold. what better way to kick off the day than with a hearty breakfast from waffle house?? we even talked my wife into joining us - which was even a better start to the day.

after breakfast it was time to head to jordan lake for the ride. we were meeting up with the rest of the club outside the park and had about an hour ahead of us. luckily it was early enough so we didn't have to deal with traffic. and although we were prepared for colder weather, it didn't feel as cold as we were expecting.

we met up with the rest of the club, topped off tanks, emptied bladders and headed to the park. i'm not sure how many years they've been doing they ride but they are very organized. as we pulled into the lot, they lined us up to make exiting for the ride much easier. as we got off the bikes, volunteers were nearby to have us sign waivers and get wristbands. then it was to the top of the hill to register for the event, get another wristband, a t-shirt and register for prizes - which we didn't win!

then it was time to enjoy some breakfast of donuts, biscuits, coffee and hot chocolate while visiting vendors. of course the geico gecko was there. geico was also giving out fake one hundred dollar bills. alex and i took the opportunity to drop a couple on the ground and watch unsuspecting people go from excitement to disappointed as they discovered the bills weren't real.

we milled around while we waited for the ride to begin.

listened to a story from a mom about her thirteen year old son about their battle with a brain tumor. i don't think anyone in the crowd had dry eyes as she told of their trials.

then it was time to head out for the ride...

we went on a nice fifty mile ride around chatham country. of all the group rides i've been on, this was the latest outside of rolling thunder. and probably one of the most impressive moments of the ride was making the round-about in pittsboro. as we approached the courthouse, the lead bikes had already looped around and were heading towards us. we were surrounded by bikes. then we went around the courthouse and started heading away from the courthouse. as far as we could see in front of us were bikes on both lanes - those heading towards the courthouse and those that had already been around. it was quite a site!

after riding around the beautiful countryside, it was back to jordan lake to celebrate with the 'stars.' the 'stars' are the kids that have battled and/or are currently battling brain tumors. it very touching to hear their stories in their own words.

to top things off, greg white, from greg's garage tv, was on-hand to document the event. and he asked alex if he would mind being interviewed. of course he didn't mind. now we'll have to be on the lookout to see if he actually makes the cut!!

it was quite a day and quite a ride! i wasn't sure what to expect but it blew my expectations away. so much so that i'm already looking forward to next year. what really impressed me about the ride for kids is how the 'stars' are an integral part of the event. most of the other charity rides i've been on, money is raised for a cause and donated to the cause. but the people that we're benefiting aren't part of the event. at ride for kids, the 'stars' are there and involved in the ride. it's nice to have them there and know who you're helping. i was talking to one of the organizers and she was saying the ride also gives the 'stars' strength to know there is a large community there to support them. so it's not just about giving money to help fund research, it's also being there to show support.

i can't wait for next year...

ims 2013...

took my son to the international motorcycle show this weekend in charlotte and had a great time - lots to see, lots to do....

not estimating the time right, we got to the convention center about an hour early. that gave me time to give my son a lesson in picking out the right person that might want to buy the extra ticket i had since my wife couldn't come to the show. our challenge was to weed out the people that might want to buy the ticket from the vendors (easily identifiable by the name tags around their necks) and the people there for other events going on at the convention center. and do it discreetly enough not to get caught by security - especially since we were less that twenty feet from a sign saying selling discount tickets was prohibited.

now you would think picking out motorcyclist in a group of people would be easy. that might be the case if we were at a harley event. but this wasn't and neither was picking out someone to approach. in the end, i was able to unload the ticket with only the second person i talked to - guess that speaks volumes to my son's ability to evaluate and pick out people in a crowd. and it was a cool experience to share with him.

once we took care of that, it was time to check out the show. first order or business was to pick up some gifts from progressive and have my son take his picture with flo...

next was checking out the motogp bikes...

we wandered around a little and decided to stop at the ride for kids booth. at a recent event for the club i'm involved with, my son was tasked with passing out brochures for the triangle area ride for kids. we chatted with the volunteers, telling them that we're looking forward to helping out for the ride in may. when i was asked who we were volunteering with i told them the name of the club and our president's name. immediately they had nothing but praise for the work and support our president has given to the program. then my son was challenged by the triangle area coordinator to provide ideas for what might be entertaining for kids at the event. while my son came up with a few ideas on the stop, he took the challenge and is looking forward to providing input.

then it was on to a presentation by greg white. i've been a fan of greg's for a few years - since two wheel tuesday on speedtv. lately he's been instructing and working on his soon-to-be released web show greg's garage tv. his talk was very interesting, including discussions of rpm management and reducing danger. his talk about being able to downshift gears by slightly pulling in your clutch and letting your rpms rise and just tapping it into the lower gear was intriguing and something i may have to try. if his school ever comes near me, i'm definitely going to look into signing up. after his presentation, i took a few minutes to talk to introduce myself and talk to greg. our discussion turned into a possible opportunity for greg to get more programming for his new show and for us to get more exposure for the motorcycle safety program in north carolina. now that would be cool...

we did some more walking around and ran into the gieco gecko...

we checked out the xdl stunt show with aaron twite and josh borne. these guys are simply amazing. the skill, coordination and control of the bikes is incredible. i'll have to get the video i have uploaded... after the show, both riders took the time to talk to each of their fans and have their pictures taken. it's nice to see how grounded and appreciative these guys are...

and of course it wouldn't be a motorcycle show without motorcycles...

finally, some hopped up honda minibikes!! just wondering why they weren't in the show. and who rode them to the show?? what will be next??