In The Pink

Blackstone's LOH Ride For Breast Cancer
August 19, 2007

Jackson: Road Captain

I've talked here about many aspects of the ride, the camaraderie, the freedom, and the charity work. Those elements and many more came together in one of the greatest days I've spent not just as a rider, but as a man. I had been told by the members that the Breast Cancer ride was "huge," and they weren't kidding. The 200 bikes I wrote about for the Memorial Ride was barely half of what this ride would be. The line-up at our sponsoring dealer, Precision Harley-Davidson of Pawtucket, RI, was one of the most amazing things I've seen yet as a biker. Between the other HOG Chapters there in support, along with more independents than I've ever seen in one place at one time, there was literally a "sea" of motorcycles, each with a pink bandanna wrapping the handlebar.



The weather was hot, sunny and just beautiful, which no doubt helped with the turnout. As with all Blackstone events, the tireless efforts of the Officers, Members, and the Ladies of Harley contributed to things going perfectly. In this case, however, the LOH deserves an extra-special nod. Our LOH Officers Sue and Doreen(pictured above)worked their butts off for this event, and it showed in every aspect of it. Jackson lead us on a great back-road ride through RI and Southeastern Massachusetts with a full police escort the whole way. Crowds of onlookers lined the streets as the huge procession took over the road with a thunderous roar of V-Twins and police sirens. I only sat for one block during this monster ride and with no exaggeration, it took nearly ten minutes for the whole ride to pass through, while I roasted some nuts above my running motor. Yeah, I know, that's probably a bit more information than you wanted to hear!

We arrived at the North Attleboro Elks Club for a huge, outdoor end-of-ride party. There was a live band, a full bar, and a truck-load of steaks on the grill. My wife and kids attended this part of the event, and got to see Dad ride in with the pack. Ever resourceful, the LOH had a "kids table" all set up, complete with crayons, instant "tattoos," and lots of other stuff to keep the little ones busy. We had a huge Chinese raffle (I still don't know why they call it that) and there was even a brand new Street Glide signed by the late, great Evel Knievel which was also being raffled off at $20 a chance. No, I didn't win it! Between the registration fees from over 400 riders, and the raffles, Blackstone was able to donate $10,000.00 to Sturdy Memorial Hospital for Breast Cancer treatment and research.

Jackson gave a great "thank you" speech to the huge crowd for participating, injecting his wild sense of humor into it. Thanking all the police officers from the escort who had joined us for the meal, he said that it was "...great to see all those blue lights in front of me for a change..." He went on to thank all the independent riders, and all our fellow HOG members, for their support in making it both a safe and successful ride. Never passing up the chance to do a little Blackstone bragging, he explained the reason our Chapter wins so many attendance awards is because we're basically a "drinking Chapter with a riding problem." Being there to share in the experience of all these riders coming together to help against a disease that has tragically affected the lives of so many people is really beyond words. I'll never forget it. I wasn't just glad to be a member of Blackstone Valley HOG, I was really proud of it.