BIKERS REV ENGINES FOR CHARITY.Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff WriterThat trembling of the ground and distant rumble Sunday wasn't an earthquake, it was thousands of bikers with a cause roaring up the freeway. The 13th annual Love Ride turned the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. into a sea of glistening glis·ten intr.v. glis·tened, glis·ten·ing, glis·tens To shine by reflection with a sparkling luster. See Synonyms at flash. n. A sparkling, lustrous shine. chrome, black leather and wind-whipped hair as about 25,000 bikers cruised 50 miles from Glendale to Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an organization founded in 1950 which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals . Touted by organizers as the world's largest motorcycle fund-raiser, Love Ride raised more than $1.25 million for the association and featured a lakeside concert by Crosby, Stills and Nash. ``It was the best. I've always wanted to do it,'' said Heidi Braverman of Sylmar as she sat with her two sons in a taxi-yellow side car attached to her husband's Yamaha. ``Just the thought of being with all the different bikers and the sense of togetherness is great.'' Bikers descended on Glendale at dawn, setting off from the Harley-Davidson shop owned by Love Ride founder Oliver Shokouh. The businessman started the event in 1984 to promote a positive image for motorcyclists. By 9 a.m., as far as the eye could see, sparkling motorcycles packed San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the , spilling onto side streets and into gasoline stations, hamburger-joint parking lots and the Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run station. Led by four-time grand marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. Jay Leno Jay Leno (born April 28, 1950) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, writer who is best known as the current host of NBC television's long-running variety and talk program The Tonight Show. Biography Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York. , riding a blue Harley-Davidson, the caravan thundered out of Glendale like a small army and headed north. The pace may have been slow, but it suited Braverman. ``I think it was probably safer riding in the Love Ride than taking a Sunday afternoon putt,'' Braverman said. Even though Harley riders went mainstream long ago, bikers are still trying to shake that bad-boy - and bad-girl - image. The ride helps, Leno said. ``It's amazing. There's like 30,000 bikers, and in the eight or nine times I've done this I've never seen a fight, I've never seen anybody arrested, I've never seen anybody drunk,'' Leno said. Though better known for his extensive car collection, the ``Tonight Show'' host is the envy of many bikers with his collection of 40 motorcycles. Rider John Pugliese of Ontario said the event is a bonding experience for motorcyclists. ``It's the two-wheel experience. That's what everyone has in common,'' said Pugliese as he slipped his helmet over his bandanna-clad head. There were bikers of every stripe. Bikers in dreadlocks dread·locks pl.n. 1. A natural hairstyle in which the hair is twisted into long matted or ropelike locks. 2. A similar hairstyle consisting of long thin braids radiating from the scalp. . Bikers in khaki. Bikers who carry briefcases to work. ``I can say this is the only place where you don't find discrimination, regardless of your race, creed, color or nationality,'' said Pugliese's wife, Gina. Of course, the attire of choice was black leather and tight jeans. But for hairstyles, it was anything goes, from ZZ Top-style beards to military-style cuts. ``You meet all kinds of different people with the same thing in common,'' said Jane Elder of Huntington Beach Huntington Beach, city (1990 pop. 181,519), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast, across from Santa Catalina Island, in an oil-producing area; inc. 1909. It manufactures aerospace vehicles, aircraft parts, optical instruments, and heat transfer equipment. . While many came for the camaraderie, some said the main attraction was the opportunity to help children with muscular dystrophy muscular dystrophy (dĭs`trōfē), any of several inherited diseases characterized by progressive wasting of the skeletal muscles. There are five main forms of the disease. . Participants each paid a minimum $45 to ride. Many, such as Mark Raphael of Van Nuys, raised several hundred dollars through pledges. ``I do it primarily for the enjoyment of giving to the kids,'' said Raphael, who rode his Gold Wing Honda touring bike to deliver the $421 he raised. ``My Harley wouldn't start, and I was determined to come because I had gotten all these donations. I would have even come in my pickup and just dropped off the money if I had to.'' The California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. reported two Love Ride-related crashes with minor injuries. One occurred near the Los Feliz on-ramp to the Golden State freeway, where a motorcycle toppled after hitting a traffic cone and caught fire. The rider suffered a wrist injury and chin cuts, according to the Los Angeles city Fire Department. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos PHOTO (1 -- color) Motorcycles move down Glendale Boulevard at the start of a massive ride. (2) Wes Fitzgerald gets a glance from a dog in sunglasses on the Harley next to him Sunday in Glendale. (3) Rider Dusty Switzer shows off her Indian jewelry. John McCoy/Daily News |
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