July 2023

by Gary Klinker

Bikers in the Beltway

Last month I said I’d report on Bikers in the Beltway, but first I want to report that classes are going well. And the very good news is that we have two new Rider Coaches certified and ready to go to work. Abby Weis and Deven Felber completed the rigorous training and survived. We welcome them to our team and look forward to working with them. This will open our schedule for more BRC class seats so we can train even more students this year and in the future.

As for Bikers, we planned to meet at Pleasant Prairie on Sunday morning at 9 am to head east. I decided to ride to Waukesha on Saturday and attend the Region 1F Awareness Rally. I got to see many members from 1F and 1A at the event. It was well run and fun. Thanks to Bob T for putting some of us up for the night. Sunday morning five of us hit the road for DC. We had no traffic problems, and the small group ride went well without any problems.

After a night spent near Pittsburg we continued across the PA turnpike, having breakfast at an old-time dining car diner in Somerset. I have attended Bikers twice before and warned our group about the nightmare traffic in the DC area. I wanted everyone to be ready for slowdowns and snarled traffic jams. Fortunately, we breezed into the hotel in Alexandria, Virginia with only one slight slowdown. I’m afraid the group might think I lied, since the trip out on Wednesday went very quickly also.

Arriving at the hotel gave us plenty of time to check in, meet many friends from all over the country and relax a bit before the briefing meeting. We got our packets to give the Senators and Congress Representatives. Steve Panten, our Legislative Director split the group to cover the various meeting times and office buildings. I have worked with many state organizations over the years. We are so fortunate to have Steve. He does an amazing job for ABATE of Wisconsin.

Tuesday morning it was off to Capitol Hill for our meetings. The Wisconsin delegations in Congress and Senate were all met with, and we presented our MRF legislative agenda and asked for their help to implement it. We also helped distribute packets to offices from other states that had no MRF members in attendance. Following a long day on the Hill we rode the train back to the hotel for a debriefing meeting to report the results of our meetings. Since our group planned to leave early Wednesday morning to beat traffic, it was also time for goodbyes to so many friends I only get to see a couple times per year.

For the ride home Wednesday, four of us headed west early and escaped DC with no traffic problems. We had decided to stay off the toll roads and see some scenery. Mike, Bob, and Pauline planned to stop at the AMA Museum and Hall of Fame near Columbus Ohio, and I planned to stop and see a friend in Ohio. The ride through Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania provided some beautiful scenery and great roads. The weather could not have been better, the roads were smooth, and the curves and hills provided some good riding practice. Staying off the toll roads saved some money and did not add hardly any miles to the trip. Once we hit Ohio for a gas stop, we split up. I spent the night with Gary Sellers and his wife Patti. Gary is a founding member of ABATE of Ohio and an early MRF board member. It was great to see them, and I look forward to him visiting us on his trip to Sturgis in August. The ride home the next day was uneventful-the way trips through Illinois should be.

Wisconsin ABATE and MRF members should be very proud that we can send a delegation to Bikers in the Beltway each year. We made a huge impact with our congressional delegation and presented the legislative agenda well. Now it is up to our members to follow up with contact with their Senators and Congressional delegates to act on these issues.

Ride Safe,

Gary