The longest leg of the challenge leads to Rocky Mount!!

Many challengers are expressing their kind regards to Bumpus Harley Davidson as they received excellent service, right before they embarked on the longest leg of the challenge leading to Rocky Mount Harley Davidson.

News just in from Rocky Mount!!

It's been an exciting couple days at Rocky Mount Harley-Davidson! The Hoka Hey Challenge has created a lot of buzz in our area with supporters coming out to cheer on all the riders. I'm sure by now most know that Will Barclay was the first rider to arrive at Rocky Mount Harley-Davidson. Before he "officially" checked-in he felt as if he had not taken the correct route into the Rocky Mount area. He briefly checked his instructions and was off again to recreate the route to his satisfaction. Once back at the dealership he officially checked-in and got some much needed rest. His instructions to us were "I want to sleep for 2hrs and 1min." We obliged!

Fast forward to the next day when we welcomed two more riders. They didn't arrive together, but they weren't far apart in the scheme of it all. Again, crowds were there to cheer them on as they pulled into the dealership. Rider 600, Florida State Trooper Shaun VanBeber, was the first to arrive despite being battered and bruised from a wreck in West Virginia. He showed off his bruises, laughing as he told us that he wasn't sure if his ribs were broken! Broken or not, it wasn't long before he was back in the saddle!

Rider 175, Frank Kelly was next to arrive. His arrival was wrought with emotion all due to a very loved blanket. The story goes... While traveling, his wife gave him a blanket to stay warm. Since he was already carrying so many supplies, she figured he would ditch the blanket by the time he reached Santa Fe. Well, much to her surprise, the first thing he did when he got off his bike was pull the blanket out of his pack and hand it to her. "You have my grandma's blanket!" she cried. They exchanged many kisses as only a husband and wife can. Afterwards, he told her "If you keep this up, I'll have to stay a little longer."

Later that night, Mike McGuire, rider 55, rode into the dealership, checked-in, bought some gloves and then sped off. His quick departure was due to the fact that he knew another rider was right on his heels. He wasn't joking. As McGuire rode over the bridge, his headlight illuminated the reflective riding gear of rider 16, Marc Story. (Queue "Tron" theme song)

As Story approached the dealership, he resembled the character of Kevin Flynn from the film "Tron." Under the brightly-lit moon, his Harley-Davidson reflective gear was blazingly colorful and geometrically intense--reminiscent of the sci-fi film "Tron." Thus he will forever be know to us as the "Tron Man." He left the ladies in the dealership with their hearts beating just a bit faster.

With the top 5 behind us, we looked forward to greeting the next riders. Dealership staff and customers huddled around a giant screen at the dealership displaying a large map for keeping track of each rider's current location. Particular attention was paid to rider 333, Whitney Crum. Rocky Mount Harley-Davidson is the proud sponsor of Miss Crum. Whittany arrived safely at the dealership and we all were sure glad to see her.

Every couple of hours, more riders are pulling in. They're battered and bruised, but all are in good spirits. Each is greeted by staff who are eager to assist and support them in any way. Refreshments are within easy reach and service technicians are on hand to fix anything that may need to be done to the bikes. The Hoka Hey Challenge has brought all Rocky Mount Harley-Davidson staff and customers together in support of such an infinitely challenging, yet highly rewarding experience. The experience is not over for we still have many, many riders coming in to tell you about. To be continued...