FEBRUARY 2, 2009 -- TEMECULA, CA - Former motorcycle racing world champions Roger DeCoster and Eddie Lawson are known as two of the toughest men ever to don a racing helmet. Their well-documented exploits on the global racing circuits have filled books, movies, and websites and for any racing fan worth his paddock pass, a chance to simply meet either of them would rank as a lifetime highlight. Chance encounters with these greats routinely involve a quick handshake, sometimes an autograph or snapshot, and that's it. But the idea of riding a motorcycle with either of these greats? Pure folly. That is until now.
Enter AMA Hall of Fame champion, Broc Glover. In late 2007, Glover and his family learned the tragic news that his then 6-year-old son Dayne was stricken with cystic fibrosis (CF). Now faced with the most important challenge of his life, the 6-time motocross #1 plate holder got immediately to work creating a way to find the money necessary to find a cure for CF and secure a future for young Dayne.
"Nothing I'd ever encountered in my racing career even comes close to the challenges Dayne faces each day with CF," said Glover. "It's a battle to help him lead as normal a life as possible and I'm very thankful that good friends like Roger DeCoster, Eddie Lawson, and so many other greats from the motorcycle community have reached out to help. With their help last March we were able to kick off the inaugural Breathe Easy Ride Against Cystic Fibrosis and it became a huge success. We raised $86,000 for the CF Foundation and with their help we'll surpass that amount on March 29th."
In addition to providing a conduit for CF research funding, Broc Glover's Breathe Easy Ride Against Cystic Fibrosis has demonstrated once again how caring and compassionate motorcyclists can be. In 2008, hundreds of riders from throughout California converged on Old Town Temecula to participate in the event and fill the CF Foundation coffers. Despite gloomy morning weather, Glover and his event team stayed the course and staged the event with the confidence that the motorcycle crowd would come rain or shine. "They won't let us down," Glover insisted. And he was right. One at a time and in groups both large and small, the riders arrived. By noon when the kickstands went up, the Southern California skies had cleared, the smiles had widened and the ride began.
"A little rain wasn't going to keep me away," said one damp but enthusiastic Harley-Davidson rider from downtown San Diego. "Where else can I hang out with Ricky Johnson, Jeremy McGrath, Danny LaPorte, AND Roger DeCoster at the same time? Nowhere but right here. And the fact that all of this will help little Dayne makes even more sense."
The 2009 edition of Broc Glover's Breathe Easy Ride Against Cystic Fibrosis takes place from 9am-4pm on Sunday, March 29, 2009 in Temecula's Old Town California Row. AMA Hall of Fame sports announcer Larry "Supermouth" Huffman will get the proceedings going at 10am with pre-ride festivities including rider check-in and registration, prize drawings, raffles, autograph and photo ops, interviews with the stars, food and fun. Attendees, both rider and non-rider alike, are encouraged to bring their cameras (don't forget fresh batteries and empty flash cards!).
At noon all registered riders will embark on one of three different motorcycle rides: the two 100-mile street options will have intermingling Cruiser and Sportbike routes, and the other a dual-sport ride guided by AMA Hall of Fame off-road champion Scot Harden. All rides will begin and end at the same Old Town Temecula venue. It's important to emphasize that these rides are not "races" and all riders, regardless of skill level, are invited to participate so long as the rider is aboard a licensed, street-legal motorcycle.
Riders are encouraged to pre-register the event online at www.BreatheEasyRide.com. The website is also hosted at www.BreatheEasyRide.net