THE HOKA HEY MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE PARTNERS WITH PALA CASINO SPA & RESORT

We are proud to announce that our 2016 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge will start June 21 at Pala Casino Spa & Resort in Northern San Diego County, CA.

The ride will leave the Pala Reservation and travel across the United States to the coast of Maine before ending on July 2 in the Wolf's Run on the Seneca Nation near Irving, NY.  

Pala Casino Spa & Resort is owned and operated by the Pala Band of Mission Indians. "Chairman Robert Smith, the Pala tribe and our entire casino team are proud to partner with the Challenge to help the Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce provide educational and employment opportunities for so many deserving people. It also is pretty cool to be the starting point," said Bill Bembenek, Pala's chief executive officer.

About Pala Casino Spa & Resort:
Pala Casino Spa & Resort includes a Las Vegas-style casino with 2,000+ slot machines, 81 table games and 15 poker tables; a 507-room hotel; a 10,000-square-foot, full-service spa and salon that features 14 treatment rooms; a state-of-the-art fitness center; swimming pool with 12 private poolside cabanas, and dual-temperature outdoor whirlpool hot tub. Pala also offers 11 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Pala Casino Spa & Resort is an AAA Four-Diamond Award winner for 12 consecutive years. Its state-of-the-art Pala Spa was named the one of the Top 10 spas in California, one of the Top 10 in the casino industry and one of the Top 100 in North America for 2014 by Spas of America. Pala Spa also was named the number one spa on the West Coast and one of the top 100 spas in the United States for 2013 by Spas of America. Previously, Pala Spa was named the 2009 Best Casino Spa by Spas of America, the 2009 Best Casino Spa by the Southern California Gaming Guide and in 2012 received a spaAward and was selected by Spas of America as one of the top 100 spas in the United States. In 2011, Pala Casino Spa & Resort was voted Best Casino in San Diego by the public in the 10News.com annual A-List poll sponsored by KGTV-TV 10 News in San Diego. For more information, visit http://www.palacasino.com/

Hoka Hey Challengers and supporters can book their room by calling 877-725-2766 and identifying themselves as being guests of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.  Reservations must be received no later than the 16th of May to receive the group rate.

Everyone is welcome to join us at our "Meet and Greet" on Sunday June 19th.  Even if you don't know someone that is riding the Challenge we would love to have your support!!

…said the spider to the fly.

The 2016 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge continues to come together and is, as previous years, going to be a difficult endeavor to say the least.  If you consider yourself an adventurous person then perhaps the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is tailor made to test your mettle.

However, considering yourself an adventurous person and being an adventurous person capable of navigating the adversities of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge are two distinctly different things.  The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge will entice you and promise you grand accomplishments and lead you to believe you are capable of doing anything.  The Challenge will whisper in your ear and paint a picture of you beating the odds when all others have failed.  But that is exactly what the spider said to the fly.

As you endeavor to conquer the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge will endeavor to conquer you.  That’s what it does and it is very good at what it does.  If I were a top salesman I would tell you how easy the Challenge really is and that the dialog depicting the unforgiving and unrelenting nature of the Challenge is nothing more than hype to make it seem hard.  I would tell you that because, as a top salesman, I want your money. If I don’t entice you to give me your money then I am no longer the top salesman—some other salesman, one more capable of painting a pretty picture, one comfortable with twisting the truth would take my place.

I am not a salesman.  I am a Hoka Hey Challenger and I know, first hand, just how unforgiving the Challenge can and will be.  If you stop riding for the day because your butt hurts then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL most likely break you.  If you depend on a GPS while traveling through new areas then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you.  If you are uncomfortable with the thought of being lost, then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you because you will get lost—more than once.  If you do not like being alone for days on end then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you.  If you cannot go a day without showering, if you do not like sleeping on the ground, if you require three meals a day (meals not from a gas station) then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you—twice.  If it is a frightful thought to encounter a deer (or any creature of the forest), as it dashes across the road in front of you in the middle of the night, then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you.  If riding in rain that turns to hail bothers you then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you.  Most importantly, if you are not capable of making responsible decisions when you are beyond tired, cold to the bone and in physical pain then the Hoka Hey Challenge WILL break you in the worst sort of way.

There are parts of the Hoka Hey Challenge that will leave you with sights, events and memories of moments in time that you will look back on fondly for the rest of your life—but to get there you must ride through the hail storm, the dust storm, the blistering heat in the middle of the desert, and the bitter cold of snow fall; sometimes all four in a single day.  While riding the Challenge you will be amazed, irritated, excited, humbled, astonished, exasperated, motivated, inflicted upon, overjoyed, annoyed and impressed—each of these emotions will present themselves in equal measure each and every day.  Muscles and bones you never knew you had will ache and burn.  There will be many times you will be so tired and sore that dropping your bike when you stop at an intersection will be a real possibility and most likely will happen.

The Hoka Hey Challenge is not for the meek.  It is not for the person who “thinks” of themselves as adventurous.  It is not for the casual rider—in fact the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is not for the vast majority of licensed motorcyclists.  It caters to a very small piece of the riding community.  The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge may call your name… if you can talk yourself out of it I suggest you do.  If you cannot talk yourself out of it, if it becomes an obsession, if you have ridden thousands of miles in a few days and look forward to doing it again, if you are truly the type of person who has a gut-wrenching need to push yourself beyond your known limits, then the Challenge is designed specifically for you.  Regardless, the Challenge will do everything it can to break you and make you regret your decision to enter this unique realm.  The question is, “Who is stronger?  You, or the Challenge.”  Let the journey begin; Icimani-Hoka Hey 2016.

Who Are You?

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is a long distance, painful and unforgiving test of a rider’s abilities.  It is 20% physical ability and 80% mental stamina; your body, your mind and your spirit will be put to the test.  Every mile will work hard to break you.  The riders who participate in the Challenge all leave the starting line at the same time as a group, but that’s where the “group” part ends.  You must face this ride alone; even if there is a fellow rider next to you on the highway it is a solo ride.  From that point on it is an individual ride and each rider comes out of it with a different perspective.  With some, as they ride those endless miles, the inner barriers that have been built and the façade that has been created by life’s events come crashing down because, with the pain that comes with long distance riding, the ability to maintain that inner barrier, the strength needed to maintain that façade, cannot be sustained.  Others learn just how much pain they can endure and they discover the inner strength to continue when every fiber in their body tells them to quit.  Sadly others learn they may not have the stamina they thought they had.  Truly, the test is not, "Can you finish the ride?"  The real test is can you face who you really are.  Are you comfortable with who you are?  Can you face the world after the barriers and the façade come crashing down?

To state what a person might learn about themselves or discover about their abilities during this test would be speculative at best; each person is different.  Regardless of who you are, regardless of what you think you know about yourself, this endurance ride will be an education in self-discovery.  Chances are you will learn that the person you thought you were is not really the person you are.  This is not a bad thing; to learn the truth about yourself is what must happen if your true desire is to actually be the person you want to be, the person your Mother brags about.  Learning the truth about yourself is the first step; the hardest step.

Whether you finish the ride or not is not an indication of success or failure, what comes after is the true indicator and the results are dependent on you and your level of resolve.  Do you go forward using your new found knowledge, or do you crawl back in a hole and rebuild the façade?  Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.  The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is just the beginning of a long and very hard journey.  Hoka Hey 2016; Icimani.

 

The Memorial Ride is Now History

 

If you find your name on the list of unfortunates who were not able to ride the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge Memorial Ride from Red Cloud, Nebraska to Hot Springs, South Dakota then the only thing I can say is you missed a pertinent piece of Hoka Hey history. Over 120 riders assembled in the Red Cloud, NE area and truly it was reminiscent of a family reunion. Many small communities, when invade by 120+ leather clad motorcyclist, might be concerned and might even act harshly towards these unknown riders. However the citizens and community of Red Cloud opened their doors and hearts to us and treated us like family. Businesses opened early and stayed open late to accommodate our needs—words cannot express the level of appreciation and gratitude.

 

The 505 mile group ride on the 31st of July went without a hitch and every rider rolled into Hot Springs without accident or incident. There were a couple of minor mechanical issues, but fellow riders stepped in to lend a hand and no one was left behind—everyone who left Red Cloud arrived in Hot Springs at the same time. We even picked up a rider in Ogallala, NE who had broken down and got him and his ride to Rapid City for repair—this rider was not part of the Memorial Ride, but he is now part of the Hoka Hey family. We made a friend that day and I feel it necessary to extend a shout out to Matt Wolf who went beyond what was expected, sat his own desires to the side, and ensured this rider and his ride got to his final destination. All that happened that day is a testament to the professional riders who were part of this great event. During this time old friendships were rekindled and new friendships were made.

On the 1st of August these same riders participated in one of only two sanctioned parades down Main Street Sturgis—which, in itself, comes with bragging rights.

Yea, I’m sorry, but you missed a great series of events that we would be hard pressed to duplicate.

To say Hoka Hey is a family is a gross understatement; I am proud to call these people family and friend.

2015 Hoka Hey Challenge Memorial Ride

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge Memorial Ride is fast approaching.  On the 31^st of July over 100 riders will depart Red Cloud, Nebraska for a 500 mile group ride to Hot Springs, South Dakota.  But, it doesn’t stop there.  On the 1^st of August many of these same riders and others will participate in an escorted parade down main Street Sturgis to kick off the 75th Anniversary of "Sturgis Bike Week" and that ride will culminate at the Indian Dealership.

We have all lost friends and family over the past many years.  This is our way of honoring those who gave all while riding the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.  The Challenge is unforgiving and we all know that when we started that long ride, but it did not stop us nor did it stop them.  We will ride the Memorial Ride and accept the risk associated with it because we know it is by this effort we pay on a debt we can never repay.

Obviously this ride will not ease the pain felt by family members nor will it fill the void created by their absence, but it is fitting that we make this attempt to honor them the best way we know how and by doing so we will rekindle the friendships lost.

Never forget.

Hoka Hey!!

Group Riding Is Risky Business! (Part 2)

Cagers are a looming threat to riders.  I don’t think they are a threat on purpose—at least not most of them.  The threat mainly stems from cagers talking on the phone, texting, reading and/or just not paying attention to their surroundings.  In Part 1 of Risky Business we covered a few of the most prominent cager antics that can ruin our day.  In Part 2 we will discuss the threat we can create by our own actions as riders.

Nothing good happens after a rider says, “Hey, watch this!”  More often than not the rider who initiates a self-destructive act is a new rider who has not yet come face to face with death because of a bone-head maneuver.  We’ve all been there and done that and, if you are reading this, you probably survived the episode and learned the valuable lesson of, “Don’t ever do that again.”

A group ride includes riders from every walk of life.  Some are experienced riders and some are not.  Some ride touring bikes while others ride a crotch rocket.  Some riders know the rider next to them and have ridden together a number of times while others you met just a couple of minutes before you started the ride.  Nothing wrong with any of these variables—until you add personality and attitude that is not conducive to the intent of the Hoka Hey Memorial Ride.

Every personality, every attitude must bow to the group dynamic.  If you like riding 10 MPH over the speed limit, but the group is sticking to the speed limit then you must set your preference aside and stick to the speed limit.  If you and your friends like riding side by side, but the group leader wants staggered riding then you must set your preference aside and ride staggered.

The list of things to NOT do while riding in a group is lengthy and any infraction can and most probably will result in an accident or incident—at the very least it may cause some bad feelings and/or an exchange of harsh words.  There is no reason to pass the rider ahead of you; it’s a group and everyone will get to the destination at the same time regardless of where you are in the group.  Do not pass a rider on the right, do not weave in and out of riders to get toward the front of the group.  When you come to a curve expect the rider in front of you to veer into your side of the lane; depending on the direction of the curve.  Expect it and act accordingly—meaning, give them room.  Don’t get angry at them because chances are you are doing the same thing.

Be diligently mindful of your surroundings.  If you focus on the couple of bikes in your immediate area you will miss a problem with a bike four or five lengths forward of you that WILL affect every rider behind them.  Follow the two second rule based on the rider directly in front of you.  Always have yourself in a position that offers an escape route.

We have all been in organized group rides where a Road Captain will stop in the middle of an intersection and stop cross traffic to allow riders to roll through the red light—this is known as “breaking the law” and might well result in multiple traffic citations.  The only person who has the authority to stop traffic is a police officer—a police office on duty and in uniform.  Do not stop cross traffic to allow fellow riders to roll through an intersection.  This adds great risk to all riders.  The cager who does not see the rider just before hitting them will also no see the rider in the intersection directing traffic.

I could spout off hundreds of examples of what not to do in a group ride, but won’t.  Suffice it to say all need to focus just a bit more and subdue a tendency to initiate an action that might add risk.  The worst thing that could happen would be a preventable accident that tainted the Memorial Ride.

If you see an obstacle on the road ensure you signal the rider behind you; a quick signal will give notice that something is amiss and needs immediate attention.

Weather plays a major role in any ride.  A nice warm summer day makes for a better ride than a summer day plagued with thunderstorms.  Same road, same riders, same bikes… but the addition of rain, high heat and/or high winds will change the dynamic in a drastic way.  A rider with a decent set of tires may be good on dry pavement, but once the pavement gets wet the decent tire now becomes one that might be lacking.  Tires are often the most ignored part of the bike, but in fact is the only thing between you and the harsh reality of road rash.

Be sure you hydrate as you ride and during stops.  Take care of your bike, take care of your body and, most importantly, take care of the riding attitude.

Ride safe, be vigilant, stay focused and ride not only for your own safety, but for the safety of every rider in the group.

Hoka Hey!

Group Riding Is Risky Business! (Part 1)

The 2015 Hoka hey Motorcycle Challenge Memorial Ride is fast approaching.  We will ride as a group from Lebanon, KS to Hot Springs, SD on July 31^st.  The quantity of riders has yet to be determined but the number is growing.  There are very few things that are more impressive than a long string of riders on the highway—and few things more risky.

Take a group of riders who have never ridden together before, add into the mix a wide range of riding styles and skill levels and you come up with a recipe for trouble.  All it takes is one rider to make a mistake or lose focus for an instant and the outcome can be disastrous.  That alone should give us reason to be concerned, but let’s add another variable—the cager.

Cagers do not ride, they do not understand the dynamic of riding nor do they care.  Below are a list of things that WILL happen during the Memorial Ride.

1 – A cager will drive up behind us and feel a need to pass the group—perfectly legal.  But a cager will not be able to pass the entire group in a single try which means they WILL cut into the group a number times depending on the number of bikes.  So, knowing they will pass and knowing they cannot pass the entire group we must be vigilant.  If you see a car passing on your left then assume they will cut into the right lane at some point and chances are they will opt to reside for a time in the patch of road you currently occupy.  Give them room, slowly back off on your speed and give them the room they need—not just space between you and the car, but enough room so the car can back off the hindquarters of the rider in front of them.  Take your eyes off of them for one second and they will put you in the ditch – or worse.

 

2 – A car following too close, in my mind, is attempted murder.  Were we to live in a state of anarchy we could remove this threat with just a few rounds of ammunition, but we do not live in a state of anarchy.  If there is a car tailgating then tap the brake just enough to engage the brake lights, but not enough to reduce your speed.  A conscientious cager will take the hint and back off a bit, but if they are too stupid to take the hint then move to the left or right of the lane to provide an escape route if needed.  Likewise, do not tailgate a cager—they will see that as an opportunity to slam on their brakes and watch you fly over and past their windshield; then calmly stand by and watch you die.

3 – Most head on collisions between a rider and a cager happens when the cager turns left in front of an oncoming rider.  Be very vigilant when riding through a town or when coming up on a county road intersection and there is head-on traffic.  They will see you, but your presence will not register in their little pea brain.  The last words you will hear while gasping for your last breath will be, “but officer, I didn’t see them!”  Something to be said for a state of anarchy.

Part two of “Risky Business” will discuss what we as riders can do to reduce the risk we pose to each other in a group ride.