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Belt Drive Betty

Serving the Canadian Motorcycle Community Since 2003. News, Events, Travel and so much more! If gettin' in the wind is what turns your crank, Belt Drive Betty has something for you.

WE ARE INSANE - Monster Run

On the 12th of July, ten motorcycle enthusiasts gathered for a pre-ride meeting to discuss the route and expectations of the 2nd Monster Run.

Envelopes were laid on a table with cash and cheques that represented the rider’s pledge donations for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, the benefactor of this event. The meeting started at 5:00 pm and lasted a little over an hour..

Between 4:00 and 4:30 am on July 13th, nine motorcycles of all makes set out on a gruelling 1,900 km road trip that was to be completed in not more than 30 hours. The Monster Run had begun. The early morning was clear and cool, around 9 degree Celsius. It seemed that all the riders had the same idea: ride north and get the Alberta leg of the trip out of the way first. Passing through Mount Robson Provincial Park, the highest peak in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Range was cloud free and offered a stunning welcome to the gateway to Alberta. Riders started arriving in Jasper, Alberta around 8:30 - 9:00 am, with high spirits and optimism. Passing by the numerous glaciers and waterfalls along the Columbia Ice field Parkway offered views that took your breath away if you have never travelled that route.

Radium Hot Springs welcomed the riders back to British Columbia. It was then on toGolden, working our way to Revelstoke, then on to Vernon. By the time the first riders arrived in Vernon, the temperature reached 33 to 34 degrees. Sun screen had just become the rider’s best friend. With the traffic growing through the early afternoon, the leg through Vernon to West Bank took over 2 hours.

Above: Our Route

Once clear of West Bank, it was on to Merritt, where the Great Canadian Bike Rally was in full swing. Waves and greetings were exchanged by participants of both events. There was no time to stop however, as the clock was ticking and there were still many miles to ride.

The Monster Run participants then turned their attention to the road North and made their way to Kamloops. The Coquihalla Highway offered a chance to make up or gain some time on the clock with it’s 110 km/h speed limit. Taking the bypass to Cache Creek offered little in relief from the heat. The temperature had reached a high of 36 degrees and had cooled little by 8:00 pm. The sun was starting to settle in the sky and often would inhibit the rider’s vision by being directly in their line of sight. Cache Creek gave away quickly to 100 Mile House, Williams Lake and the final destination, Quesnel.

The first rider arrived at 12:15 am on July 14, the last rode in around 4:00 am.

Above: Stew Castle - Monster Run Organizer

Of the riders that took part, everyone completed the challenge in under 24 hours! All 10 participants, if their documentation was in order, qualified for the Iron Butt Association recognition.

Tired, sore, and near dead on their feet, the

participants then rode off to their beds for some much needed sleep.They returned to the home of Stew and Cookie Castle for a post ride BBQ. Dereck Sulley with a young Quesnel Firefighter were on hand and presented Stew with the Fred Shaddick Community Spirit Award.

This award is presented to a person or group that works with Muscular Dystrophy Canada in raising awareness with a 3rd party event. Next came the gift bags for the participants of the Monster Run.

Various swag was given but all had one common token: a metal motorcycle made of recycled parts was given to the riders in recognition of the test they faced in participating in the Monster Run.

It is projected that the goal of $5,000 will be reached. Currently total pledges raised is $2,200.00 with more yet to come in. Stew Castle, the organizer of the Monster run would like to thank the following people for their efforts:

Riders:

Tom Mower

Rohnda McCabe

Jim Wier

Charlotte Hipwell

Barney Honkanen

Sherry Tagmann

Ernie Tagmann

Bob Williams

Kevin Trottier

Sponsors:

Huckleberry Mines