Meet The New Rider Carlos Caycedo # 1011

Motorcycles have always played a huge role in my life. Growing up, my dad would take me to the annual Daytona Bike Week and that pilgrimage was like a religious experience. At the age of 18, I got my motorcycle license but would really only frequent bike nights at the local watering hole. In 2010, it was at one of those bike nights where I first heard of the Hoka Hey; I thought about how cool participating in something like that would be one day! In 2015, I made an attempt at long distance motorcycle riding by completing my first ss1k. Needless to say, I was hooked! In 2016, at the IBA Bike Week party, I met a few Hoka Hey riders and the rest is history.

I want to ride the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge because, since 2010 when I first heard about it, it has been a goal of mine to finish it and really test my limits as a rider. I expect to push both my physical and mental limits throughout the challenge and I also expect to successfully complete it.

The best piece of advice I have received from a previous rider was to: “ride your own ride, hydrate, and rest when you are tired.”

Since first hearing of the challenge, one obstacle or another had prevented me from competing.  It wasn’t until mid 2019, when the stars aligned for me to be able to participate in the 2020 challenge. When COVID 19 brought the country to its knees, the one thing I kept repeating was: “I’ll be damned if this keeps me from riding.” I feel that the difficult nature of the challenge and the “life changing experience” that everyone talks about is something that I have been seeking since starting my LDR career. I’m both anxious and excited to see what the 2020 Hoka Hey holds for me!

This year I chose to support the Fisher House Foundation. I first heard of this charity while doing a clinical rotation in graduate school at the Miami VA. Veterans have given so much to this country and supporting them and their families while they are being medically treated is not only necessary, but the least we can do. I think Fisher House’s contribution to vets, in providing housing for their families while they are hospitalized, is worth my support and yours as well.

See you in PCB!