Sisters’ Descendants Amped For Ride

SPRINGFIELD – Sarah Van Buren and Skyler Ruderman are following in their ancestors tire tracks. They are the youngest descendants of pioneering motorcyclist sisters Adeline and Augusta Van Buren, who rode cross-country on Indian motorcycles in 1916, that are participating in the Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride from here to San Francisco.

Van Buren has only been riding since November, while Ruderman has been riding for two years. She’s the great-great niece of the sisters. He is Addie’s great-grandson. She’s riding a company-supplied Kawasaki Vulcan S. He’s riding a company-supplied BMW F 800 GS.

Chatting Tuesday – the day before departure – at a launch party at Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, they both exhibited excitement over the adventure.

Given her lesser experience riding, the coast-to-coast ride is a bit more daunting for the 35-year-old Van Buren, who lives in Hudson, NY. “It’s amazing. You just have to learn by doing it,” she said.

Van Buren compared riding to martial arts. “You really have to have discipline and be focused,” she said, adding that her mindset is “one day at time. I’ve been pretty nervous about it.”

The 30-year-old Ruderman, who recently moved to California from Great Barrington, MA, calls the ride “the real deal. This is my first one with a group, so I’m really excited about that,” he said.

Ruderman recalled that the story of how the Van Buren sisters rode cross-country, which earned them induction into the AMA’s Motorcycle Fall of Fame in 2002, was part of family lore. “It was a story that we all talked about. It was a story that was regularly told,” he said.

This ride 100 years later will be a lot easier for the riders thanks to improved technology. “I have ABS and traction control. I feel very fortunate to be riding what I’m riding,” Ruderman said.

– By Bud Wilkinson