Always Riding

ROCKINGHAM, VT – To my newcomer eyes, mud season in Vermont is nearly over, although If you ask a native Vermonter when mud season truly ends it’s likely the reply will be “mid-May.” My road, for example, appears to already be dry, but it has two areas where you can …

ROCKINGHAM, VT – Since relocating to Vermont I have been in awe. Some of the best riding I’ve ever done now begins at the bottom of my driveway.  With every ride  a new road takes me somewhere beautiful, which leads to someplace incredible. The riding here is nothing short of …

ROCKINGHAM, VT – Thanks, Connecticut, for costing me $800. That’s so far. Labor not included. And the job’s not done yet. I won’t go into my excuses for 2020 being my worst riding year to date. However, with the bikes being parked for the most part, it has allowed me …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – It was when approaching a left-hand turn this past weekend that I noticed two motorcycles coming at me. I put on my turn signal well in advance and not only scanned the road in front of me but, using my mirrors, scanned the road behind me. …

NANUET, NY – It’s 9:30 p.m. with a clear sky and 26 degrees when my sidecar monkey Paul Weinberg and I pull into a commuter lot. The plan is to ready my trailered 1989 Honda Gold Wing for the 101st running of the Crotona Midnight Run before we reach the …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – The Facebook notification from the Ramapo Motorcycle Club arrived Thursday while I was sitting at my computer working my checklist for my second Crotona Midnight Run. It had the word  “Postponed” stamped across the event flyer. Due to the weather forecast of snow, rain and anything else …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – If you were to ask me what I would give to go back in time to my teens, I’d never have imagined it would be $25. But that’s what it took this week. Since spending that cash less than 48 hours ago, I’ve made a new friend, …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – How the ride known as the “North East 7” came to be cannot easily be determined. I first heard about it two or three years ago from fellow CONREP instructor Dollie Fonseca during an instructor training class. She shared that her husband, Ralphie, led a ride that …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – Some free time last week prompted the thought that a weekday at midday is the perfect time to ride as the rural roads can be less congested.  Being someone who always take note of what other riders have to say about their rides, I am always on …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – It was 42 degrees Friday when someone in a car shouted at me, “It sure is a wonderful day for a ride.” With a big smile on my face, I replied, “It sure is.” The person’s motive in getting my attention was likely to get a picture …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – For days after that crazy Saturday night/Sunday morning, I waited impatiently for the results of the 100th running of the Crotona Midnight Run. I continually wondered if I was disqualified for missing a checkpoint when I wandered off-route. Checking the Ramapo Motorcycle Club’s Facebook page to see …

CONGERS, NY – It’s Saturday night at 11:40 p.m. There’s a strip of tape on the side of my helmet that says “9 PS.” After weeks spent riding at all hours and in all types of conditions to prepare for the 100th running of the Crotona Midnight Run, followed by …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – I’m exhausted. From nighttime training. And now the Crotona Midnight Run has been postponed a week until the night of Jan. 20-21. Conditioning for the 100th event has been quite revelatory, and I don’t know yet what I’ll do with what I’ve learned. We’ve had extreme …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – The benefits of weeks of conditioning – both of myself and my motorcycles – will soon be known. The Crotona Midnight Run is a week away, provided the weather cooperates, and my excitement level is thru the roof. For the uniformed, the Crotona Midnight Run is a …

NORTH GRANBY, CT – To say that I was dumbstruck when my friend Frank Tedeschi recently texted “Google Piet Boonstra. He is my friend’s father” isn’t sufficient. I damn near fell out of my chair before replying, “WHAT?!” because I knew the name of this iconic rider and author well. …