By Joshua Carney

Indian Motorcycle®, America’s First Motorcycle Company, today announced its continued support and sponsorship of the sixth annual Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) to Sturgis.
This year, in addition to using the organization’s unique brand of motorcycle therapy to aid combat veterans dealing with PTSD, the veteran-operated, non-profit organization will implement a “service before self” initiative to show appreciation to first responders who have been working on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Veteran’s Charity Ride uses “motorcycle therapy,” a proven remedy that provides therapeutic solutions to help fellow veterans move forward and adjust to civilian life. The 2020 ride will include 15 total veterans – nine new veterans, along with six returning veterans who will serve as mentors.

​The latest This Week in Moab features three informative guest segments. First, Veterans Charity Ride founder Dave Frey discusses his Moab-based motorcycle therapy event. Hear about how the coronavirus pandemic is adjusting their plans, and compounding the need for good Veteran mental health services. 

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

The sixth annual Veterans Charity Ride to Sturgis will start on July 29, 2020, in Moab, Utah. Indian Motorcycle is supporting participants once again, providing a variety of Indian Motorcycle models to ride over the course of the two-week event. The 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is scheduled to kick off on August 7, 2020, at the time of writing. 

by Sue Frey

By Johnny Killmore (​CORPORAL (E4) - USMC & US ARMY)

​There is a carpool lane on the road to happiness, and it’s called AdventureVet. While many charities and organizations focus on improving quality of life for veterans, fewer take into account the family unit that is quite likely the most important part of a veteran’s daily life. Dave Frey took note of this fact while operating the Veterans Charity Ride. The ride itself takes wounded and amputee veterans on the ride of a lifetime, but also has a lesser-known program called VetFam, which brought some of the vets back with their families.

By Sara Liberte

Was it kismet that we ran into Randy on top of a mountain in Colorado, seemingly at random?? I mean what are the chances this guy served in the same group as some of our veterans on the 2019 Veterans Charity Ride?
Yea, that happened, and it blew my mind! We pulled our Fleet of Indian motorcycles and sidecars over to check out the ghost town of Leadville that sits atop Battle Mountain overlooking Eagle Gulch. The area was a thriving mining town back in the early days, but for about a century, the operations poured so many toxic pollutants into the eco-system the EPA declared the area off-limits.

Check out Casey Currie's 2019 VCR Gallery

by Johnny Killmore

I like to call it Wind Therapy. It’s the state of mind we all get when, leaving our worries behind, we climb aboard a motorcycle and aim it towards “somewhere.” And despite a lack of clinical research, this concept seems to be known by any motorcycle rider that’s spent much time in the saddle. On the bike is a time when the cell phone and other distractions are set aside, letting you interface with the world around you. Even on a group ride, we are “alone together,” sharing memories during fuel stops or meals.

Veterans Charity Ride takes veterans on a motorcycle therapy journey to Sturgis, SD for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and it does wonders for the veterans. We’ve supported them for a couple years now – here’s another story from 2019.

by Sara Liberte

This was my fourth year supporting Veterans Charity Ride as a photographer/videographer. Every year I’m blessed to experience a host of friendships with some of the greatest men and women our country has to offer. When you spend longer than 2 weeks on the road with people, (most of the time) you end up with a really strong bond. I’m eternally grateful for the friendships I have gained over the years.