By:  Dave McMahon

​The 2022 VCR program will introduce an entirely new program structure, as the organization will host 10-12 new and returning veterans at three different multi-day motorcycle therapy events. Many veterans attending are amputees, paraplegics, suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress or other challenges veterans face after leaving the military. Each new veteran will pair with mentors who have already been through VCR’s motorcycle therapy program and receive one-on-one support to help their transition back to civilian life.

Our Veterans Deserve Motorcycle Therapy

The Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) has just acquired its usual trusty sponsor for 2022 – and Indian Motorcycle® is more than happy to be a part of the non-profit’s 8th Annual Therapy Program for vets.

The program will purportedly involve 10-12 amputees, paraplegics and victims of PTSD – all veterans from our good country – that will be matched up for one-on-one treatment that includes mentors and fellow vets that have previously completed VCR’s program. 

​Indian Motorcycle® Announces Sponsorship of the Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) for 8th Annual Therapy Program.

Indian Motorcycle® has just announced its proud support of veterans around the country by once again stepping in as the sponsor for the veteran-centered, non-profit organization known as Veterans Charity Ride (VCR). 

​This is a stupendous step, especially since the sponsorship in question will cover the use of motorcycles to “rehabilitate and support veterans returning from combat.”

So what does 8th annual therapy program entail? 

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

​Indian Motorcycle and the veteran-focused non-profit Veterans Charity Ride have partnered up for several years to help veterans upon their return to civilian life. 2022 will be the biggest program yet, helping more veterans at one time than ever before. Three multi-day motorcycle therapy events are planned for the 2022 season, marking the eighth annual Veterans Charity Ride events. 

There is pain when it comes to riding a motorcycle. On a bike, exposed to the elements, the little things are painful. At 75 miles per hour, raindrops batter exposed skin. A piece of road gravel kicked up by a passing car feels like a pellet fired straight into your nipple. On a motorcycle, the world hurts — sore butt, aching back, fingers cramping from gripping the constantly vibrating clutch and throttle. From frigid conditions to scorching heat to random gusts of wind trying to knock you off of the bike, everything is trying to kill you.

Motorcycle Therapy Program for Wounded and Amputee Veterans and their Partners offer Veterans Nationwide the opportunity to ride together to America's largest Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota

Returning Combat Veterans Use "Motorcycle Therapy" to Rehabilitate with Help from Veteran Non-Profit Organization
MOAB, Utah, July 07, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Indian Motorcycle®, America’s First Motorcycle Company, today announced its continued support and sponsorship of the seventh annual Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) to Sturgis. The two have partnered with the initiative of "America Get Out & Ride" while using motorcycle therapy to support combat veterans’ transition to civilian life.

The theme for Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) to Sturgis 2020 was “Service Before Self” (a belief held by most veterans). This theme was very timely considering the COVID-19 issues we’ve all dealt with since last March.

Service Before Self and giving back to others has always been a key element of  our VCR program. This activity has an incredibly healing effect on our veterans and this year it was even more important for us and the communities we rode through.

by Johnny Killmore 
​Photos courtesy of Sara Liberte

The rumbling of 20 motorcycles on the open highway is a hell of a lot better than the rumble of diesel engines as you convoy through a war zone, but the sounds do bring similar emotions. You have a team of people you need to trust, because they are in formation with you and need to mind their blindspots. The enemy is unseen when on convoy, and on the road you don’t know which distracted driver will be the one to encroach on your lane. And when you’re driving through Utah in August, there’s the heat…so much heat.
​
But unlike convoys in Iraq, the Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis (VCR) is something to look forward to and not dread. Now in year number six, this was my fourth time piloting a sidecar for the ride photographer as we took wounded and amputee veterans out for some wind therapy to the biggest biker rally in the world. This year would be different in many ways, but the biggest change would be due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On the outset we weren’t sure how things would play out, but it turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse. The roads were less crowded, we had no mass gatherings (which can be exhausting for people with PTSD), and we even had a volunteer chef riding with us to make meals.