Meet The Returning Rider # 1158 Dennis Baker

Hi, I’m Dennis Baker returning rider #1158, from NJ. I’ve been married to my beautiful wife Allison for 40 years in August. I have 2 great boys (men), a future DIL and my sweetest granddaughter. I am a Navy Veteran, worked in financial systems for decades and am getting ready to retire.

 

I rode in 2024 Challenge and got as far as Jonesboro, AR, where I pulled my hamstring on my left leg.  I rode the next day but it just got worse and I made the tough decision to call it for safety. My son drove out from Jersey with the trailer to bring me home. 

 

I want to return to complete the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge because it is a Challenge. Daily life can become mundane and complacent and it’s easy to just trudge through the day to day. The Hoka Hey will test your limits, push your resolve and make you dig deep to push through it. This is my redemption / unfinished business ride.

The Charity I am riding for is Burlington County, NJ Toys for Tots (donation link and QR code below). They are a great organization located in the same county as Joint Base MDL and 40% of the recipients are our young Heroes and their families from the base. We are collecting toys and the link or QR code below will open an Amazon list to order from, you can order off the list or choose any other toy while in the list, and the toy will be sent directly to us for drop off.

 

 

Meet The Returning Rider # 1015 Rick Rogers

 

My name is Rick Rogers, Rider #1015. I am 73 years old and live in Yorba Linda, California, with my wife Paula. We are blessed with two daughters and seven grandchildren. I have been riding motorcycles for more than 60 years and currently serve as Ride Director for Lifestyle Cycles, Southern California’s largest motorcycle riding group.

 

2026 will mark my fourth Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. I successfully completed the ride in 2020 and proudly earned my patches. Although I was unable to finish in 2022 and 2024, those unfinished rides taught me more about the challenge—and about myself—than the one I completed. I still have unfinished business on the road, and I’m returning with greater experience, deeper respect for the journey, and a strong determination to bring home another finish.

I am riding to support Patriots and Paws, a Southern California veterans organization that assists veterans and active-duty military.  Ninety-five percent of those they help have recently moved from homelessness into homes. In addition to providing donated furniture to help service members and their families transition into furnished homes, Patriots and Paws partners with animal shelters and rescue groups to match retired service members with companion dogs. When asked about their dogs, Many recipients say, “I’m not sure if I rescued them, or if they rescued me.” The organization serves any veteran or service member regardless of disability, rank, or branch. Funds raised will help support their dedicated veteran volunteers and expand this life-changing work through their network of approximately 130 partner veteran organizations. HOKA HEY!

 

 

Meet The Returning Rider # 1220 Jason Setzer

 

 

 

 

 

I am Jason "Ice-Man" Setzer, a long-distance charity rider for Mile Monsters Inc., and the extremely proud father of Chase "Snapshot" Setzer. I own River City Design, a small drafting company and when i'm not riding or working I like to create things. 

 

 

The '26 Challenge will be my second time participating in the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing a part of the country I haven't yet spent much time in. There is no other challenge quite like this one. Saddling in for 11,000 miles of unexpected, unknown adventure revealing itself to me 1 mile at a time is just the kind of mental and physical reset my soul is looking for.

 

 

Mile Monsters Inc. is the non-profit charity I am riding for this year. The impact the Heroes of MMI have had on me—and the impact we Monsters have had on them—is not something I can easily put into words, but in short, it fills my heart. Whether I'm getting tattooed or tased, doing whatever I can to help MMI's Heroes live their best lives brings me both happiness and purpose. 

 

 

Sponsors:
https://nelsonrigg.com/ promo code "ICEMAN" for 20% off
https://www.wild-ass.com/ promo code "ICEMAN" for free shipping
https://givebutter.com/HH2026/setzerpendence Hoka Hey Fundraiser

https://icemanrides.com/

 

 

Meet The Returning Rider # 1174 Scott and Rebecca Smith

I am Scott Smith returning rider #1174 , this time, Rebecca Smith my wife of 13 years will be joining me riding 2 up. We've ridin thousands and thousands of miles together. She flew to the finish line in homer in 2024 and rode the 4300 or so miles back home to pa, she has also ridin a few  IBA rides 2 up as well.

 

 

      Rebecca works at the Masonic Homes where she's been for almost 30 years. She has the thankless very physical and sometimes heartbreaking job of taking care of our senior citizens. She works with alzheimers and dementia patients... In her spare time she likes walking in nature and being outside in general , sometimes she just wonders off on a trail to who knows where and it takes awhile to find her. Haha..

 

 

    I work at the United States post office as a mail carrier for the last 19 years.  Ive also been a rider coach for the motorcycle safety  academy  for the last 2 years.  I absolutely  love teaching new riders how to ride and seeing the joy they have has they progress through classes.

 

 

       2024 was my 1st Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. I was overprepared and overpacked. I allowed myself to be the victim of theft by turning my back on my cell phone for a second, I fell on my face  coming out of a gas station and busted my knuckles up. Which bled for days and days.   I bent a rim outside of Tok Alaska after tempting the hoka hey gods by saying "nothin will stop me now" BAM POTHOLE, rode just under 30 miles on a flat front tire to meet the tow truck. Used a torch and a rubber mallet to beat it back in place and after ride 900 more miles to finish.. It may seem like the world is against you out there sometimes but fight through it keep goin. Never quit. NEVER . The  best advice I can give is sleep when you need to sleep no matter the time of day. Hydrate  and get your nutrition right.
      Our charity will be the same THE CHILDRENS MIRACLE  NETWORK Chidrens hospital in hershey pa. This hospital  saved my sons life at 12  years old after he was in a near fatal motocross race accident. He had surgeries  numbering in the teens to save his life and his left leg which was very badly injured. I could never repay the Dr's and nurses  for what they've done. Theres no amount of money.  So we  raise money and help as many other kids as possible
If you'd like to donate go to the linc below.
https://www.cmnhershey.org/campaign/LVGRide-CMN26
      WE'LL SEE YOU IN WOODSTOCK!!!
                   MR & MRS SMITH 

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Meet The New Rider # 1120 Eric Parker

 

My name is Eric Parker, Rider #1120, based in Tampa, FL and participating in the 2026 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge for the first time. I'm a Marine Corps veteran and former Indianapolis police officer who later pivoted to a career in finance — now in my 16th year as an Executive Director with Morgan Stanley.  Motorcycling has truly been a lifelong passion for me; I've owned more than 20 motorcycles, from motocross and sport bikes in my younger days, to the adventure riding and long-distance moto-camping I've come to love in the last several years.  

 

I learned about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge through fellow Morgan Stanley colleague and Rider #1038, Gene Fiamma, whose firsthand accounts of the mental and physical demands of this challenge immediately captivated me. I've always believed that doing difficult things is where life's greatest satisfaction is found — and very few motorcyclists have ever attempted an endurance challenge of this magnitude. That alone makes the prospect of finishing it something truly extraordinary.  Even more, the friendships and the connections I am sure to make, and the bonds forged by the shared struggle make the challenge irresistible to me.  

 

Equally meaningful to me is the opportunity to raise funds through participating in this challenge for NorthStar Relief, a 501(c)(3) I've supported for nearly a decade. This outstanding organization funds faith-based and humanitarian efforts in Central America and Africa — providing shelter, medical care, nutrition, and education to families living in desperate poverty, with every dollar going directly to those in need. 

I'd be honored to have your support. Please consider donating here: https://www.northstarrelief.com/donations/.  

I look forward to seeing my fellow Hoka Hey brothers and sisters in Woodstock, IL when the 2026 Challenge kicks off on August 2nd! 🤙

Meet The Returning Rider # 1159 Tim Dickerson

 

Loko is a veteran, long-distance rider, and firm believer that life's best stories happen on two wheels. In 2024, he rode every single day of the year, logging 366 consecutive days in the saddle, and completed the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, finishing in 10 days 4 hours. Whether he's crossing deserts, mountain passes, or backroads in the middle of nowhere, Loko rides for the adventure, the challenge, and the people he meets along the way.

 

Returning to the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge , Tim is once again pushing himself through 11,000 miles of uncertainty, endurance, and self-discovery. The ride is more than a test of distance—it's a reminder that growth happens beyond comfort zones and that determination can carry you farther than any map ever could.

 

This year, Loko is riding to raise funds and awareness for Mile Monsters Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to creating unforgettable experiences for children living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. From helping kids meet their heroes to creating once-in-a-lifetime adventures, Mile Monsters gives families moments of joy during incredibly difficult journeys. Every dollar raised helps make those experiences possible, and Loko is honored to ride in support of these remarkable kids and their families. To support him in his fundraising efforts DONATE

 

Meet The Returning Rider # 116 Jim Herold

 

Hello Challengers, my name is Jim Herold, Rider 116.  I’m 79 years old and have ridden in every Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.  My wife (Janet) and I have been together since 1989.  Out of the 7 times I’ve ridden to Alaska, she has been with me 2 of them.  She also rode the 2011 Challenge with me.  Poor Girl

 

 

I want to ride the 2026 Challenge because I’ve ridden all the others.  With each ride we get to travel the beautiful secondary roads that so many others never get to enjoy.  I used to think there were parts of our country that had nothing beautiful to offer but riding the Hoka Hey has helped me to adjust my mind.  There is beauty everywhere.

 

 

I believe that Jim Red Cloud’s vision was to bring attention to the plight of the Native American people.  I have always supported the tribes that the Hoka Hey Challenge supported.  This year it’s for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Donations to Boys and Girls Club .  Scan the QR code and give generously.