Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536785
Flashback! July 2025 5 What I enjoy the most about this sport we love is the people. Kindred spirits we are, and it's uncanny how similar we are and interact with one another. Case in point, Unadilla MX Rewind. Earlier this month, I took the annual trek to the rolling hills of New Berlin, New York, to hang with my crew again, race old dirt bikes, do a li le wrenching, talk about our glory days, and hang with the dirt family. It's a glorious reunion of sorts with friends you'll only see once a year while making new friends in the process. We certainly don't go to Unadilla for the weather, as the one thing in life you can count on is that it will rain at Unadilla, and I mean rains of biblical propor ons. 2025 was no different, with a couple of inches falling Thursday night, making Friday morning's events treacherous. Friday night was even worse with a whopping 3.5" dumped upon the grounds, but let me tell you, it didn't dampen people's spirits one bit. We all made the best of it with smiles miles wide over the three-day event. As a people person, I enjoy watching folks meet and mill around. People who have never met or spoken a word can become instant friends at an event such as this, and it seems to happen year a er year at Rewind. Yup, there are no strangers at Unadilla. Yes, similar interests draw similar minds. Arriving midday on Thurs- day a ernoon, my buds who arrived earlier that morning had roped off a corral for our wagon train. Soon, the iconic Unadilla grounds filled in with enthusiasts from all walks of life. Old decrepit moto vans, those ten ng it, and other more affluent off-road aficionados rolling in fine style behind the wheel of big rock star buses. Regardless of material possessions, we all interact as one with the one common denominator being old bikes. I also find it interes ng how, occasionally, words do not need to be spoken for a bond to form. Those with a keen eye spot those in need of a helping hand. I find it so cool how people who have never met are so willing to lend a hand with nothing expected in return. A cool cat strolled into our pit while prepping for our first moto Friday morning. He'd banged bars with us in the Cross Country race earlier in the day and recog- nized our bikes. With a quick handshake, he introduced himself as "Taco" and within minutes began to help put bikes on stands, pass tools and later in the day, was the first to fire up the pressure washer and clean the bikes. With only a few sentences between us, we knew immediately Taco was a Moto Bro. Although we'd never met, Taco was one of us, as if we'd known each other for years. I also find it nice how MX Rewind is turning into a family event with wives, kids, and dogs all taking it in. As men oned, it was sloppy, and seeing kids ripping around on their pedal bikes in the mud brought me back to simpler mes. Long before electronics clouded children's minds. These kids were busy, just having fun without a care in the world. The way it should be, but rarely is. Now as one who never had children, I also find the costs involved can be staggering. I get it, kids are ex- pensive and require a pocket load of cash at an event such as this for candy and other snack bar treats. My buddy Beau had his "Mini Me," "Li le Beau," with us, and being a chip off the old block had met a couple friends while riding around on his bike. Li le Beau wanted to treat his new friends to an ice cream. Now my man, Beau is a generous sort, but trea ng one kid is expensive enough, and covering the costs of others wasn't in the budget at an already expensive weekend. Thinking on his feet, Beau told his son he might want to earn the money to treat his friends. "Well, how do I do that?" Li le Beau said. Poin ng at the pressure washer, he men oned there were countless muddy bikes that might want a good cleaning. With- in minutes, the three kids whipped up cardboard signs, duct taped them to their backs and rode around selling their "Pressure Water Washing" service. Soon, a line formed at our pit and the kids went to work washing and scrubbing bikes un l dark. I'm told the final tally was $220.00, which the kids split three ways! Watching these kids beam with pride was quite a treat and I'm sure those kids will not forget the lesson they learned in earning and the good me they had with their parents at MX Rewind!