Trail Rider Magazine

Flashback! Double Dose of Fate April 2018 5 Hard to believe two full years have passed since taking over the reins here at Trail Rider and we're thankful. Life can be a wild ride and some might say it's fate, but whatever you call it, it's a good feeling. As a kid of 13 years old and obsessed with all things two-wheeled, riding my Hodaka Wombat after school was something I lived for on a daily basis. Ironically, I lived only a few miles away from Trail Rider founder Bob Hicks and I was a loyal reader of his magazine at an early age.. Countless days during class were spent pouring over every page of my two favorite magazines, Trail Rider and Dirt Bike. My dream at 13-years-old was to work for Trail Rider someday. You know, get to ride cool new bikes and get free stuff. Life can be a wild ride and if you let it unfold and enjoy the journey, it ca be a wonderful, yet strange trip. Fast forward some 40-plus years, the opportunity arose to try my hand at owning and publishing Trail Rider. Having spent a lifetime consumed by woods riding and the bikes that carry us, I couldn't pass up such a prospect. Having spent the good part of 15 years writing articles for the boating industry made it an easier decision. Oh yeah, there were naysayers — the "print is dead" types, but fortunately, I've never listened to the noise of the negative. My vision for Trail Rider would be a "Past to Present" theme. With a love for vintage as strong as modern, and with the resurgence in vintage racing, I was confident that I wasn't alone. Looking back two years now, I'm overjoyed that my vision of a new theme has been so well received. Happy times, indeed! There's also been quite a bit of travel involved — events, banquets and swap meets, and yes, incredibly fun trail rides. We're all so fortunate to be involved in a sport where the players are solid individuals. Ciaran Wilcox really nailed it in her column deeper in this issue. Over the past couple months, attending all the riders and racers banquets has been a great way to spend winter weekends. The events are always a hoot, but last February's trip to the AHRMA North Atlantic banquet takes the cake, as that's where I met the man whose tales and reviews had kept me so entertained decades back during school years. Yup, Rick Sieman, "Super Hunky" of Dirt Bike Magazine (and many others) fame. Meeting Super Hunky was a trip; he's the real deal, a solid, proud American and a pro-level bench racer. Although we'd never met in person, I felt I've known him all my life. Well, here's where fate steps in. Super Hunky is now going to be a contributor once again for Trail Rider! No question a double dose of fate! While walking the course at the recent "White Lightning" Cross Country event, the toasty spring sun, and dirt the consistency of warm chocolate cake, brought me back to a story Super Hunky had written decades ago. It was titled "Enduro Heaven." So fitting, that we just had to run it once again! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did and do. Having been off dirt the past several months, our recent trip to Highland Park Off-Road Resort (KTM World) in Cedartown, Georgia was a treat. It's a well-managed operation and the riders who frequent HP are the real deal. It was during this trip where we met the rider on this month's cover. His name is Tim Menne, a local to HP. Tim asked to join our group as he was riding solo that day. Only a couple miles into the rugged, we thought it best that Tim take the lead. Our new friend led us around Highland Park by the nose. Watching him conquer the nastiest of challenges, we assumed he was a local A or AA enduro rider. When we took a lunch break, Tim mentioned he's never raced — he just enjoys trail riding for the fun of it! Yeah, good people and why Tim deserved this month's cover! -Kurt

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