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Event Reports

A Ride To Remember

Aidan’s Ride Through The Countryside

Article By: Zach Williams

Originally Published In The March 2014 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine

 

CSM-MARCH2014.pg16_Page_1_Image_0001If you’ve been following the motorcycle scene for awhile, you’ve probably come across the name Indian Larry Motorcycles and his shop in NYC. Since Larry has passed, the company is now run by two very close friends. Their names are Bobby Seeger and his awesome partner in crime and wife, Elisa. These are two of the greatest people that I have ever come to know in my entire life. Their son, Aidan Jack Seeger, was diagnosed with a terrible disease in 2011. It is called ALD (Adrenoleukodystrophy), and in 2012 Aidan lost his battle with the disease. “The Ruler” or “Blue Eyes,” as he was known, was a great kid and will always be remembered. A foundation was created in his name, and we decided one day out of nowhere that we would have a ride at the end of October to help raise money for his foundation. And well…this is how it all went down.

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I’m pretty sure I was drinking some beers with my boy Breeder, when his wife came in the garage and said, “Hey, I have a great idea. Tell me what you guys think.” She tells us about how she would like to do a fundraiser to help Aidan’s Foundation. We would sell tickets for all kinds of prizes, have a ride to kick-off the day, and end with an after-party featuring live music. To have a buzz and hear all this at once was a bit much, but after thinking about it over a few more 6 packs, I was 100% on board and told her that whatever she needed to just ask! From this point on, Kristen used every source that she had to sell tickets and get some pretty great donations. She also managed to get extra help from her friends, including some big time assistance up in NYC from Amanda McAdams who helped raise some great monetary donations from some suits. Now keep in mind we had less than 90 days to pull all of this off.

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As time grew closer, our goals kept getting higher and higher. What we started out with and what we ended up raising were nowhere near each other. So as the weekend approached, we were getting notification of who all was going to be coming to this event, and it was pretty shocking. We knew that it was going to be very cold on the day of the ride, but still hoped that it didn’t hinder the outcome. Of course the last thing to be done for the event was my part: planning the route for the ride. With Kristen getting on me about it, I knew 2 days before was the perfect time to get it done. Ha ha! I know that no matter what, I will always get the mission accomplished. So after the route was planned and the bars were notified of us stopping, we now had a full day to relax and get ready for the big event.

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As everyone gathered at Schmitt’s Saloon awaiting the start of the ride, the wind was blowing pretty good with a temperature of only 37 degrees. It was pretty chilly, but the answer to that equation is just making sure you put on more clothes. As more bikes pulled in, I knew that it was going to be a great day. Bobby Seeger and his father were in attendance and I believe they really liked the amount of individuals that came out to show their support for this great cause. As always, Bean’re was chatting it up with everyone about everything. As the ride got underway, it was brisk, but there was something about the sky that was just amazing. It never showed one single cloud during the entire day, and as I looked up, Karen Keller whispered to me, “Looks like Blue Eyes is keeping the sky so beautiful.” I knew she was right. Once we made it back to Schmitt’s and everyone started drinking and eating, it just had and smiling faces. The bands were playing music, prizes were raffled off, and it just felt good to know what it was all going towards. As the day came to an end and the party carried on into the night, another step was created to helping stop this disease as well as finding a cure.

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Many thanks go to all those who donated to the event. Thanks to the Allied Brothers Band and the Iron City Hooligans for the music. We also want to thank Chris Callen, Seth Leibowitz, and Seth Morgan Burney who donated their artwork. And finally, to each individual that spent countless hours to help this ride run without a hitch. We raised over $15,500 for the foundation and we can’t wait to have a 2nd annual ride which is going to take place on October 25th, 2014. Most of all we want to send love and thanks to Bobby Seeger Jr., Elisa Seeger, and Sienna.

If you are interested in helping with Aidan’s Foundation the Web sites are: www.aidanhasaposse.org or www.aidansride.webs.com

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