Hundreds expected for memorial ride to honor Randolph victims

LACONIA — Steve Allison was talking with his friend and fellow motorcyclist, Charlie Lord, this weekend in the wake of the horrific crash in Randolph on Friday, which killed seven motorcyclists when a pickup truck crossed into the oncoming lane and struck the group of riders.

“We were just kind of throwing this together on Sunday morning. We wanted to get 20 to 50 bikes together, ride up to the crash site, do a ceremony and a prayer session,” Allison said. So he put it up on Facebook, and quickly realized that the ride would far surpass his initial expectations.

“It’s exploded,” he said. “It’s growing like crazy.”

The Randolph tragedy, one of the deadliest events in New Hampshire history, resonated with two groups of people: Motorcyclists, and, because the riders were all members of the Jarheads Motorcycle Club, veterans.

The plan for the ride – Allison and Lord are calling it the “Memorial Ride for the Fallen 7,” is for motorcyclists from all over New England to meet at various satellite locations, then to convene at the Broken Spoke Saloon in Laconia in the late morning of Saturday, July 6. Then, at noon, with an escort from New Hampshire State Police, the group will set off north on Route 3, then turn onto Route 25 in Meredith, and take that to Route 16 in Ossipee. The ride, which will cover about 80 miles, will conclude at the site of the collision with a wreath laying and a prayer. Then, for those who wish, Mr. Pizza in Gorham has offered to close its doors to the public in order to provide food for the riders.

There’s no registration fee for the ride, but donations will be accepted, and a memorial patch will be sold, with all proceeds donated to the Jarheads MC, to be given to the families of the victims.

Allison, an Air Force veteran, lives in Manchester and works as a mechanic for Associated Grocers in Pembroke. He’s a “glorified grease monkey,” as he put it, and, aside from a few small rides he’s organized for his motorcycle club, he said he’s never been involved with something like this.

“It’s going to be at least 200, perhaps 300, and it’s growing constantly, we don’t know where it’s going to end. It’s going to be extremely large, it’s going to be phenomenal,” Allison said. In addition to people voicing their intention to join the ride, he has had many individuals and businesses reach out with offers to help.

“I can’t thank the people enough that are helping me,” he said. “It’s such a blessing that a little idea I’ve had has grown so much.”

Charlie St. Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, said the response to the tragedy in Randolph illustrates the close bond that motorcyclists feel with one another.

“The motorcycling community doesn’t necessarily separate itself by clubs or causes or organizations," St. Clair said. "Riders are riders. They all have that similar passion, which is riding their motorcycle… We feel the loss of any rider, and this is compounded by the numbers. It’s staggering. It really is,”

He said he hoped that people – both riders and drivers – take extra care when they are on the road, especially now that they can see how deadly a collision can be.

“I think it’s great that people are doing this – anything that can incur more safety for motorcyclists,” St. Clair said. “For me, what grabs me is these were motorcyclists, they were doing what they loved to do, ride their motorcycles, and their lives were taken from them in a split second. Hopefully, this will make people more aware of the hazards on the roads, and pay more attention.”

Allison said that motorcycling is not just a lifestyle, it’s not just a form of recreation.

“Bikers and veterans, and biker-veterans, they’re all family. These are my brothers and sisters, whether I’ve met them or not… We are all our brother’s keepers, if one of us is hurting, then we’re all hurting,” Allison said. “It’s a family that comes together. We can’t remove the pain, but we can help people through this pain.”

More information about the ride can be found on Facebook at http://bit.ly/2IJnOFW