In 1986, a small group of Colorado motorcyclists tried to ride as many mountain passes as they could over a long weekend. Since then, “compressing as many passes as possible into the classic four-day motorcycle sport-touring getaway became an obsession,” said Founder John Metzger, of Boulder, who organized annual Pass Rides until 2020. Routes are designed by local experts--"Routemasters"-- and kep
t secret until the evening before each day's ride. Riders are assigned badge numbers and riders are required to photograph designated landmarks with their badge number to show to Motomarathon officials at the end of each day. There is a final check-in time each day, usually 8pm, that riders need to finish the route to avoid a "DNF" for the day. The Motomarathon Association was formed in 2009. The state-of-the-art machines for this kind of technical, mountain riding are BMW GS, Ducati’s Multistrada, Suzuki VStrom, Triumph Tigers and others, but all bikes are welcome and routes are all on paved roads with the occasional dirt road routes included as options.
