My Name is Chris Lumaghini, friends call me Luma, one of my least favorite things is talking about
myself but here is my story of how I got here.
I’m 42, Grew up in Quincy MA but I moved to Mississippi 20 years ago. I am very blessed to have an
amazing wife, Erica. We have been married 14 years and have four children Lily, Ava, Hallie & Lionel.
I started riding later in life, I grew up around motorcycles and would ride with my father as a kid but
never felt the urge to learn. It wasn’t until I started to become friends with the great guy named Joe
Lacey #802, He was president of a local group the Spirit Riders and I would frequently hang out with
them but unfortunately our friendship was cut short due to cancer. He is who told me about the
Hoka Hey Challenge, this was very intriguing to me, but I didn’t ride so I just followed along as a
spectator.
Then in 2018, one of my last conversations with my father, I told him we needed to sell
his bike, but he didn’t like that idea, He said no I’m going send it to you, I want you to ride learn to
ride, you will love it he told me. Although hesitant I did agree to give it a shot. Unfortunately, about a
week later he passed away from cancer also. This man was my best friend, my hero & mentor so the
last thing I wanted to do was not to keep my promise. I started riding shortly after and sure enough
he was correct, I was instantly hooked, it quickly became my biggest passion outside of my family.
I was just your typical rider and loved to travel but late one night heading back to Mississippi from
Daytona I stopped at Buc-ees in Loxley AL to get fuel and this guy pulled up a few pumps over with
his wife and we started to talk.
This man would literally change my thought process of how I ride with one sentence. I was in awe he was riding across the country, he started in San Diego the day before and was finishing in Jacksonville FL that night. Although I thought he may had been a little crazy at the time, but before he had me sign his book, he told me “There is nothing like watching a sunrise on one side of the country and seeing the sunset of the other side the following day”, Those words would change my entire riding style. I never thought I would see that man again after we said our goodbyes. I did get very serious about my craft & the new goals I wanted to achieve after this encounter.
Fast forward a few years, I felt it was time I apply for The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge
and I was accepted #1192. I went to the rendezvous in Eagles Nest NM. This is when it all came full
circle, The man that put this idea of LDR riding into my head pulls in, we quickly started cutting up
after finally remembering how we knew each other. This is none other than Bradley Thomas #1122,
also a rookie. I believe it was fate that god placed him in my life that night and then brought him
back to ride one of the most challenging adventures I have ever attempted.
I have been riding for 6 years now, made some amazing friends along the way and have logged
some serious miles while seeing more of the country than most will see in a lifetime. I feel I am well
prepared for the challenge with only minor concerns, being away from my family is probably going
to be the hardest part, staying under 100 especially on long lonely roads and then possibly the
directions. My plan is to just focus on my next turn and not to over think everything.
The charity I have chosen is Mile Monsters Inc. After riding in the Monster 100 last year, I began to
get more involved with them. They are an amazing organization, full of amazing people and riders.
Mile Monsters is helping make life better for children with DMD which is short for Duchenne’s
muscular dystrophy. Monsters (Us) ride for Heros (Kids) who are afflicted with DMD, this is a rare
aggressive form of Muscular Dystrophy that impacts boys. DMD will cause most of these boys to
lose their ability to walk at an early age robbing them of having the childhood experience that most
of us had and is still 100% fatal. Check us out at https://www.milemonstersinc.com/
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