Meet The Returning Rider # 875 Rick McLeod

 

 

 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge 2026 Rider # 875-Rick McLeod My wife Naomi and I have 5 children and 7 grandchildren. We are a military family, both of us Persian Gulf War veterans (she’s Navy, I’m Army). Three of our children and 1 son-in-law also served or are still serving (1 Marine, 3 Air Force). We love to travel and have been all over the nation and several countries, sometimes on 2 wheels, sometimes more. We are located in Arkansas.

 

I rode my first Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge in 2018 after hearing about it from my Dad. He saw an advertisement somewhere and knew I liked to ride long distance…but this was something new in its scale and timeline. I was hooked on the idea as soon as I heard the details! I rode that first time by myself, and other than getting turned around a few times, had a blast while making my way along the route, and riding alongside newfound friends, coming in as one of the Elite Finishers. In 2020, my brother Mike and I rode together right up to the point where I blew the engine up in my 2013 Ultra. After 17 hours, my home dealership, Pig Trail Harley-Davidson, delivered my newly-purchased 2020 Ultra to Van Horn, Texas, and hauled the old one home, allowing me to finish in 13 days. 2022 was another great adventure, with my brother and I finishing in 12 days. 2024 was perhaps the greatest challenge to me, as we rode through a hurricane in Florida before making our way to Alaska. I learned that I do
indeed need to bring a tent along for unanticipated foul weather!

 

 

I have fine-tuned my riding style and equipment over the last 4 Challenges, but know that each one provides a different set of problems that must be addressed. To me, the key facet of the HHMC is the battle within yourself. You are not competing against anyone else, but instead against your own abilities. I heard the phrase, “Ride Your Own Ride” for the first time in 2018 and have used it as my own mantra ever since. It’s a powerful statement and one that encapsulates what each rider should aspire to accomplish. The Challenge is real and one that cannot be taken lightly.

 

My chosen non-profit is the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank. They work diligently to provide food to those who are food-insecure in my home area. They work on this through partnerships with food pantries, store fronts where clients can obtain free food with no questions asked, and mobile food pantries that travel to various locations. The money raised through our efforts will go directly to the mission of providing food to those needy families.
Donations can be made directly to the NWA Food Bank via this link: Northwest Arkansas Food Bank DONATE and more information can be
found at Northwest Arkansas Food Bank