LoveRide attracts 20,000 motorcycle riders and over $1million
By the Staff of Clutch and Chrome
November 10th, 2008
The beautiful
California weather and a legendary motorcycle event brought out 20,000 motorcyclists from across the U.S. and
around the world to the 25th Annual Love Ride, which
convoyed from
Harley-Davidson(R)/Buell of Glendale to the
Pomona Fairplex on October 26.
With Jay
Leno as Grand Marshall, their efforts raised over $1,000,000
to benefit Southern California-based charities. Since first
revving up in 1984, Love Ride has become the world's largest
one-day motorcycle fundraising event, donating over $21
million to non-profit organizations. Following the 2008
Glendale kickoff with the Georgia Satellites, Cydney
Robinson and Magda Hiller, festivities rolled to the
Fairplex in Pomona, CA for a concert with the Tubes, Foo
Fighters and ZZ Top. Highlights included an all-star jam
with the Foo's Dave Grohl and Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagan
joining ZZ Top for classics including "Tush" and "La
Grange."
Love Ride Founder & Chairman Oliver Shokouh (pictured
right), owner of
Harley-Davidson of Glendale, said, "Love Ride is all about
helping those less fortunate -- and having a good time while
doing it. I am so grateful to all of our 25th Annual
participants. During truly challenging times, having such a
strong year really demonstrates the heart and commitment of
everyone that makes Love Ride possible. We're looking
forward to the next 25 years."
 In addition to Jay Leno, who's presided over almost every
Love Ride, celebrity riders for '08 also included:
-
Harley-Davidson legend Willie G. Davidson (along with
wife Nancy, son Bill Davidson and daughter Karen
Davidson)
- Neile
Adams (the former Mrs. Steve McQueen)
-
Two-time X-Games Gold Medalist and action sports
standout Mike Metzger
- Kiss's
Gene Simmons (Family Jewels)
-
musicians Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan (both Velvet
Revolver and Guns N' Roses)
- Miss
USA Runner Up and Miss Indiana Nicole Rash
- Peter
Fonda
- Robert
Patrick
- Rutger
Hauer
- Larry
Hagman
-
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar
- Michael
Trucco (Battlestar Galactica)
- Carmine
Giovinazzo (CSI: NY)
- Cast
members from FX's outlaw biker club drama Sons Of
Anarchy including Charlie Hunnam, Mark Boone Junior,
Tommy Flanagan, Johnny Lewis, Kim Coates and Theo Rossi
-
Cassandra Hepburn, star of the forthcoming Quentin
Tarantino-produced motorcycle gang film Hell Ride.
At a
post-concert ceremony, the Top 10 Love Ride fundraisers were
awarded prizes. Eric Schmoranzer, scoring #1 with a
$31,025.00 bounty for charity, won a trip for two to the
Swiss Love Ride 17 in Zurich, May '09. #2 fundraiser, Rick
Roussin ($6,017) won "Grant 50," an original
silkscreen/painting by former Andy Warhol assistant Steve
Kaufman, and #3 winners Jim and Kitti Carnes ($4,445.00)
took home a Stand-up 1 Bike Trailer by Kendon. The other Top
10 fundraisers are: Kirby Yale ($3,246), Melanie Postell
($3,035), Scott Siegel ($2,960), Rick Young ($2,935), Rodney
Houle ($2,751), William Speeg ($2,725) and Gerard McKenzie
($2,576.00). The top three fundraisers also received travel
prizes from Southwest Airlines, and all ten received a
signed & numbered limited edition artwork by Vinc and a
FairChild Sports leather backpack.
Raffle winners were also awarded prizes, with Muscular
Dystrophy Goodwill Ambassador Jared Schultz selecting the
ticket for the top prize -- a 2009 Harley-Davidson Softail
Crossbones motorcycle -- which went to Rachel Olmos of
Arleta, CA. Other winners included: a 2009 Ducati Monster
motorcycle going to Paul Reeves of Stanhope, NJ; a Vanson
"Captain America" jacket signed by Peter Fonda to Ami
Schenck of Little Rock, AK; and a Duane Ballard-designed
Love Ride belt and silver and diamond belt buckle to Steve
Cohan of Henderson, NV. The Best Buy Musical Instruments
raffle raised additional funds for Love Ride and awarded a
Fender guitar signed by both Foo Fighters and ZZ Top to
Frank Jordan.
Beneficiaries of funds raised by the 25th Annual Love Ride
include: Muscular Dystrophy Association, Autism Speaks,
Children's Hospital of L.A., Reading By 9 Child Literacy
Initiative, Providence Saint Joseph Foundation, Catholic Big
Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics of Southern
California, Frostig Center, Scleroderma Foundation, Glendale
Community College, Rett Syndrome Foundation, Optimist Youth
Homes & Family Centers, Diabetes Institute for Immunology
and Transplantation, Friends of Castaic Lake and the United
Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. 2008 Sponsors included:
Harley-Davidson Southern California Dealers Association,
Harley-Davidson Corporation, Best Buy Musical Instruments,
Sparkletts Water, Coca Cola, Anheuser-Busch, Spyder,
Southwest Airlines, 95.5 KLOS-FM, 106.7 KROQ-FM, Thunder
Press, FM94.9, LA Weekly, OC Weekly, Event 360 and 101 KGB.
Love Ride is also the climactic event of California Bike
Week (CBW), a 3- day rally and motorcycle lifestyle event
that enjoyed its second annual year in 2008 (Oct. 24-26).
CBW is jointly presented by the Love Ride Foundation and the
Southern California Harley-Davidson Dealers Association, and
is on track to become the West Coast's answer to legendary
bike events such as Daytona Bike Week and the Sturgis Bike
Rally. An interview
with
Love Ride Founder & Chairman Oliver Shokouh can be found on
Clutch and Chrome's Podcast #13
and interviews with some of the stars who rode on
Podcast #14. |
