Passes & Canyons Blog

John Metzger, of Boulder, is at it again and has announced the events for the Motomarathon Association‘s 2012 season. This year there will be five events–the most ever–and the Colorado Motomarathon is slated for July 27-30.

In case you’re unfamiliar, the Motomarathon, now in its fourth year, is a series of four-day rides through some gorgeous country. Every year at least one of the rides is here in Colorado, owing primarily to the fact that this is where it all started. While each day’s ride is fairly long, especially on slow-going mountain roads, they nevertheless top out at around 400 or 450 miles. This intentionally not as extreme as the 1,000-mile days that the Iron Butt Association puts on.

Mainly the idea is to have some fun riding through some beautiful country and sharing that with a bunch of other folks. As John says, “It’s not a race, it’s a vacation.”

Other events this year will be New England, New York, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

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Biker Quote for Today

Twisties: For some it’s a time to slow down. For others, it’s just a reason to get closer to the pavement.

I headed out on Friday on the first leg of this year’s Colorado Motomarathon, not intending to do the whole thing but just to get some pictures and talk with the guys who competing. The first thing that struck me was how fast most of these guys ride. Maybe it was just the exuberance of getting started, but they started right in dicing with traffic in Boulder and once we hit Boulder Canyon they really got going. I was in the middle of the pack at first but it wasn’t long before nearly everyone passed me. I picked up my speed above what I usually do but by the time we reached the first checkpoint, in Nederland, there was only one rider behind me.

Wanting to get a little ahead for the sake of photos, I took off pretty quickly from Nederland, along with two other riders. They soon lost me on the Peak-to-Peak but I did catch up with them nearing Black Hawk because of traffic that bottled them up. In the meantime, passing Rollinsville we saw that the police had already nailed two of the group, putting a bit of a damper on their exuberance I’m sure.

From Nederland on I did a lot of my riding on my own, which was fine with me. I believe strongly in riding your own ride and I just can’t enjoy the ride as much if I have to put so much of my attention to just riding. And when you’re shooting up Loveland Pass you’d better be paying attention to your riding.

I parted with the group–they were heading for Ouray that day–at the top of Loveland Pass. As everyone else left I hung around waiting for the one more rider I knew hadn’t arrived yet. Adam, of Woodland Park, finally arrived on his Kawasaki Vulcan, the only cruiser in the group of mostly Ducatis and beemers. Adam said he didn’t care about riding fast like the rest of the guys. For him it was just fun to take his time and enjoy the ride. He acknowledged that he doesn’t have as much opportunity to get well acquainted with the other guys because he doesn’t keep up with them, but no matter. I have a strong suspicion that if I did ever do a Motomarathon I’d be hanging out with Adam a lot.

So I’ll be meeting up with the group again today as they come on home. I’ll either ride out and meet them in Evergreen for the ride back to Boulder, or else I’ll just meet them in Boulder. Now I want to hear the stories of the last four days. I hope they have a lot of good ones.

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Biker Quote for Today

“You pay for the whole bike, why not use it?” — Jerry “Motorman” Palladino

Until two weeks ago I was expecting to be out in Utah right now at Speed Week. I was going to go out and work as crew for Jerry Pokorny as he set about breaking a couple more land speed records. Of course I was then planning to write about the experience for various publications but I also just wanted to experience it all for myself. Jerry has convinced me that it’s an incredible time and something I owe it to myself to experience.

Then I discovered that I had the dates wrong. Speed Week was last week and my wife, Judy, and I had plans to go to Seattle and British Columbia for 10 days. (That picture above is one I shot in Washington, on our way up to Vancouver. I don’t know the guy, it was just a cool shot and I figured I’d use it here.)

So while Jerry was out on the salt flats, I was way up north. Oops. And no, I’m not in Utah now.

OK, so I still plan to talk with Jerry and I’m sure he has some great stories to tell that I can retell. I know I missed a lot, too. The electric superbike boys are continuing their rapid development and improvement and they set new world speed records for electric motorcycles not once but twice. For the first time that record is above 200 mph. I wish I’d been there.

But as one door closes another opens. I had hoped to spend some time this year with the Motomarathon but the Colorado event on that calendar conflicted with my supposed plans for Speed Week. Well, no conflict now so the Motomarathon is back on my agenda. For those who aren’t familiar, the Motomarathon is a creation of John Metzger, of Boulder, and consists of four days of long days of riding some of the best roads in Colorado. Or California, or wherever the event is going on. I’m not going to do the whole thing but I do want to ride one day of it and shoot a bunch of pictures and talk with a bunch of the riders. Stay tuned.

Then I may get out to Utah in September for the Bonneville Vintage Grand Prix. I went out for that two years ago and had a great time and it’s on my calendar again. In the meantime, I need to do some dual-sport riding. I’ve got rides pending with three different guys and am just trying to squeeze it all in. This is all work, mind you. I wouldn’t dream of having fun doing any of this.

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Biker Quote for Today

The grass is always greener at the end of a 200-mile ride.

The Motomarathon is back in 2010 with four events on its calendar. “The Motomarathon Association,” says founding Route Master John Metzger, “sanctions an annual series of four-day rides over the best roads and most scenic routes in the nation, and now with organized sport-riding tours on both coasts.” Its first season was 2009.

Here is the list of this year’s events.

• Southern California Motomarathon – March 26-29
• New England Motomarathon – May 13-16
• Centopassi Motomarathon – June 25-28
• Colorado Motomarathon – September 17-20

With two inaugural rides last season, only six riders completed all the checkpoints out of nearly 100 participants. “With four events scheduled for 2010, it will be a challenge to nail every check,” said Metzger. “This should result in a national champion to be crowned by the end of the year.”

For more information visit the website or contact John Metzger, 303-641-1062, john@metzger.com.

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Biker Quote for Today

Ride Safe. Ride Hard. Enjoy the Ride!

I reported in April about the inaugural Motomarathon event and series put together by Boulderite John Metzger. Well, John and the Motomarathon Association are back with the second event in this first season, the Pikes Peak Motomarathon, scheduled for Sept. 11-14, 2009.

Here’s the skinny on the event.

Motomarathoners Arise!

You have nothing to lose but your chicken strips!

Pikes Peak Motomarathon

September 11-14, 2009

This 4-day endurance ride starts and stops at Pikes Peak Motorsports in Colorado Springs. It is on paved roads (with dirt options), averaging about 400 miles each day.

PIKES PEAK MOTORSPORTS
5867 N. Nevada Ave., #150
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

Motomarathon Association staffers will be taking a scouting ride this week to line up hotels and conduct route research and experimentation (no animals will be harmed).

Go to www.motomarathon.com to register and watch for updates.

The Colorado Motomarathon was the Central Rockies at their finest.

This ride captures the essence of the incredible San Juans and the immensity of the Pikes Peak region…

…and perhaps a dip into the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico). The Ancient Sport-Touring Ones considered these Sacred Places.

Wanted: Those who rode the inaugural Colorado Motomarathon, send us your photos to start our Gallery Section on the Web site, and…

We’re going to start tracking members’ bikes, so please let us know your year/make/model.

Stay tuned.

Anyone up for a ride?

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Biker Quote for Today

Never do less than 40 miles before breakfast.

Billed as a redefinition of motorcycle sport-touring, the Motomarathon Association will hold its inaugural event in Colorado June 12-15.

The Motomarathon concept is to ride “as many twisties as possible, over four full days. Routes are kept secret until the night before each event. Through a series of self- recorded check points, riders verify completion at the end of each day’s ride. This endurance ride promises to be a pass-bagging extravaganza with the best elevation-changing, rip-roaring twisties the central Colorado Rockies have to offer.”

John Metzger, of Boulder, used the Iron Butt Rally as a starting point in devising what he hopes will catch on as a new sport. He says he “soon realized that fatigue-riddled riding at high speed at night in a straight line on Interstates wasn’t my cup of tea. For me, it was all about making turns.” Just this year, the Motomarathon Association was formed.

Additional events are currently being developed and the association will post standings among the riders and a champion will be designated at the end of the season. The association currently has 19 members signed up, including Metzger and moto-journalist Brian Catterson.

Riders will be mounted on Ducati’s Multistrada, Hypermotard, and Monster bikes and Ducati is a sponsor of the event.

Describing the event, the association’s website says:

The Motomarathon Association’s goal is to establish a series of organized rides with the most challenging routes in the nation and around the world, giving members the chance to share the camaraderie surrounding the best experience in motorcycle sport-touring. Members are encouraged to chase points by participating and finishing in as many events as they can over an annual season. An overall championship will be awarded each year to individuals, and will eventually include teams.

Though some Motomarathons can be elaborate affairs with hotels, meals, support vehicles, mechanical assistance, celebrity bikers and umbrella girls included with additional fees, the basic philosophy is to make each event as automated and self-regulated as possible. The Colorado Motomarathon, for example, requires only that riders join the Motomarathon Association, pay an event fee of $75, have their own bike/gear/camera, make their own hotel arrangements, take care of their own meals, carry their own tools and luggage, and rely on themselves or the kindness of others if they get lost or run into mechanical problems.

The association is encouraging its members to develop their own ideas for events and will consider those submitted. Ultimately they hope to have half a dozen events set up around the country. The second event now being planned is Centopassi Colorado, a motomarathon scheduled for September 11-14, 2009, that is expected to include routes into Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.

Biker Quote for Today

Ride hard or stay home.