After more than 30 years, Love Ride prepares for final run
Former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno at Harley-Davidson Motorcycles of Glendale, just before the 30th annual Love Ride on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. Leno, a longtime participant in the annual charity motorcycle ride, will be the grand marshal of the event’s “final ride” this October.
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After being held for more than 30 years, the annual charity motorcycle event known as the Love Ride will take place for the last time this October, and the fundraising effort will get underway on Saturday with a street festival near Harley-Davidson of Glendale.
Called Summer Rumble, the festival will kick off at 11 a.m. along Mira Loma Avenue, right around the corner from the business at 3717 San Fernando Road.
PHOTOS: Summer Rumble kicks-off Love Ride
The event will feature live music, a custom-car-and-bike show with new- and old-school rides, a barbecue, vendors, a beer garden, raffles and prizes.
Also on hand will be about 40 veterans who were aided by the nonprofit Wounded Warriors Project, the organization that will be benefiting from the Love Ride this year.
Founded in 2003, the Wounded Warriors Project provides services and programs to soldiers hurt in combat.
Registration is now open to join the bike ride, to be held on Oct. 18. Thousands of participants are expected, according to organizers.
Love Ride is approaching its 32nd year and has, so far, raised about $24 million for a variety of charities.
However, this year will be its final installment.
“The guys that have been behind are starting to get up there in age,” said Kathy Wattman, spokeswoman for the event who’s also participated in the ride with her husband for the past 15 years. “They felt like it was probably a good time to retire it.”
Longtime rider and former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno — an avid car and motorcycle collector — will be the grand marshal.
Many of the riders come from unexpected backgrounds, according to Wattman.
“Surprisingly, a lot of the bikers are really weekend warriors,” she said. “They’re doctors, lawyers and professionals that work in a number of fields.”
The ride will once again start in Glendale and end 35 miles away in Castaic Lake, where Foo Fighters will headline a concert.
Tickets for just the concert are also available for sale at www.loveride.org.
Despite the end of Love Ride’s legacy, Wattman said she anticipates another group will come together and start another biking tradition for a cause. For now, however, she said she looks forward to one last chance to cruise with fellow bikers.
“It’s really a big thrill to ride in such a large group,” she said. “The energy you get from the crowd is phenomenal. There’s nothing else really like it.”