How We Ride

Rides are controlled with a lead rider in front and a sweep rider in back, and all participants are asked to ride with safety as the main priority. Our rides are about getting out in nature and enjoying scenery and camaraderie with other riders. Our rides are not about showing off, being competitive, or pushing the limits. A support vehicle will carry participants' luggage as well as food, tools, etc.

Bikes

Riders who already own a dual-sport or adventure bike are encouraged to bring their own bikes. Riders who do not already own an adventure bike are provided the use of a BMW GS adventure bike from our fleet of bikes that includes G650GS, F650GS, F800GS and R1200GS models.

Your Stay

Accommodations will be in comfortable lodges, where group members will be able to unwind from the day's adventures and join in group discussions around the lodge fireplace.

Recovery Work

Participants will learn simple techniques for relaxing and dealing with trauma that can help them better manage their internal stress and move toward recovery. Participants in Relief Rides are sponsored by generous donors and corporate sponsors who are concerned about the toll that serving in the military takes on many of the men and women of our armed forces.

Women Veteran’s Ride

August 15-21 (Colorado)

VETERANS RIDES

Feb 28 - Mar 6 (Tucson)

Apr 18-24 (Tucson)

Apr 25 - May 1 (Tucson)

Jun 7-11 (Colorado)

July ride, 11-17 (Colorado)

Oct 24-30 (Tucson)

First Responder Ride

Sep 12-18 (Colorado)

Oct 31 - Nov 6 (Tucson)

Sunday

Out-of-town participants arrive Denver and are picked up at airport

Welcome Dinner & Introductions

Monday

Orientation & safety briefing at MRP shop

Ride twisty canyon roads to Evergreen

Lunch in Evergreen

Ride twisty paved roads from Conifer to Foxton

Scenic road along South Platte River between Two Forks and Deckers

Snack in Deckers

More twisty pavement from Deckers to Woodland Park

Arrive at Tihsreed Lodge in Florissant (just for fun, spell Tihsreed backward)

Dinner

Highs and Lows: Group members share high point and low point of the day’s ride

Evening workshop – Getting Unstuck: Overcoming Resistance and Moving Forward

Tuesday

Breakfast

Ride to historic mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor

Dirt training session outside of Victor

Ride Phantom Cayon to Cañon City

Lunch in Cañon City Ride Skyline Drive on outskirts of Cañon City

Ride Shelf Road back to Cripple Creek

Arrive back at lodge

Dinner

Highs and Lows

Evening workshop - Lighten Up, Francis: Introduction to Mindfulness

Wednesday

Breakfast

(Weather permitting) Ride the 156 turns in 19 miles to the top of Pikes Peak, 14,115 feet above sea level

Lunch in Woodland Park

Afternoon ride through Eleven Mile Canyon Return to Tihsreed Lodge for rest

Dinner

Highs and Lows

Evening workshop – What the F is Wrong with Me? - Living with PTSD and Why It Seems So Hard to Move On ​ ​

Thursday

Breakfast

Ride Tarryall Road through South Park (setting of animated TV show) from Lake George to Jefferson

Ride Boreas Pass (unpaved) across the Continental Divide (elevation 11,481) from Como to Breckenridge

Lunch at top of Boreas Pass

Ride into historic mining town and ski resort of Breckenridge Hwy 9 over Continental Divide at Hoosier Pass to Fairplay and then on to Hartsel Hwy 24 back to Florissant

Dinner

Highs and Lows

Evening workshop – Getting Out There: Recovery through Serving Others

Participants complete Exit Survey

Friday

Breakfast

Depart Florissant and ride Tarryall Road to Hwy 285 Ride Guanella Pass from Grant to Georgetown

Lunch in Georgetown Ride through Idaho Springs and up to Echo Lake

(Weather permitting) Ride to top of Mount Evans, the highest paved road in North America (elevation 14,240 feet)

Dinner celebration Presentation of awards, schwag & event wrap-up

Meet MRP board members, advisory board & volunteers who helped make all of this possible ​

Saturday

Breakfast

Participants depart for home

Do I have to have a motorcycle license to participate?

Yes. You need to have a current motorcycle endorsement that you've had for at least a year. Although we ride safely and plan our off-road rides to be ones that people with little to no off-road experience can handle, we do need riders who at least have significant experience riding street bikes. A crash impacts the ride for everyone, so we can't accommodate total newbies who are just learning to ride. Sorry.

Are you going to try and get inside my head?

No, you can relax. Literally. Learning to bring your body into a relaxed physical state is key to being able to manage internal stress, so during the first couple days of the ride you'll learn some simple relaxation techniques that are helpful to everyone, whether you have PTSD or not. Just being able to talk to other veterans is another extremely helpful tool for getting unstuck, so we hope that you'll take advantage of that opportunity while you're with us. That said, you won't be forced to share if you're not comfortable doing so. We want to reduce your stress, not create even more.

Are women invited to participate?

We do segregated rides in order to enable participants to feel comfortable sharing things that they might not be inclined to share in a co-ed setting. We have a hard time finding women veterans who ride and want to try adventure biking, but we try to do at least one Women's Ride each year.

Do I have to pay anything to participate?

If you're approved as a participant on a Relief Ride, you'll be asked to pay a $100 deposit to guarantee your spot in the group. The rest of the cost of your ride (approximately $3,000 total) is covered by donors who want to bless you with this adventure as a token of their gratitude for your military service. We need the deposit because we have to arrange motorcycle rentals, gear, meals and accommodations. No-shows really mess things up for us. The $100 fee is your commitment to show up and not blow it off. The deposit is fully refundable if you complete the ride successfully, but if you bail and don't show up you will forfeit your deposit.

Do you welcome veterans with physical disabilities?

As long as you're able to ride a motorcycle both on and off road without adaptive equipment, and have already ridden one a fair amount since becoming disabled, you are welcome to apply for one of our Relief Rides. If you require adaptive equipment and already have a motorcycle with the necessary equipment and are able to get to the starting point of the ride with it, you're welcome to apply to participate. We are unable to provide motorcycles with adaptive equipment at this time, but hope to do so in the future.

Are you going to exploit my trauma for promotional purposes?

Don't worry. We're not going to force you to talk on camera so we can create some cheesy video with violins playing in the background. That's not us. We do take pictures and shoot video on each ride to document the trip, so there will definitely be someone capturing footage and snapping photos at various times. But we won't use any images or footage of you without your permission. If you're willing to say a few words on camera at the end of the ride about your experience we would be honored to have you do so, but we don't pressure anyone into doing it.

Do you cover the cost of airfare too?

Participants are required to get themselves to wherever the ride is taking place however they can, whether it be by plane, train, bus, skateboard, etc. If you choose to fly, we will pick you up at the airport and transport you to the ride location.

Do we get a chance to try legal pot while we're in Colorado?

If that's something you want to do, you'll need to do it on your own time after the Relief Ride. While it might be legal to smoke pot in Colorado, it's definitely not legal to ride a motorcycle stoned. For insurance purposes and the safety of the entire group, we don't allow drinking during our rides either. It's nothing personal, we just can't afford the liability.

Do I need to bring my own gear?

Every participant is required to wear a full-face helmet, over-the-ankle boots, an armored jacket and pants, and motorcycle gloves. You'll need to bring your own boots (make sure they're broken in before you arrive), but we can supply the other gear if you don't have your own.