09/11/2026
Congrats to many who got their official qualification letters from Hoka Hey finishing positions. Extra Congrats to you Elite and Badass Finishers. Those were damn hard titles to achieve this year for sure.
I was qualified as a Finisher. I am thrilled to have completed this year's challenge. This is, however, not what I had set out to accomplish in placement. I would assume many of us ended up in different or, sadly, no position for varying reasons.
So why was mine, personally, a disheartening finish? Lean in, I'm about to tell you some behind the scenes brain drains that I unexpectedly experienced
I had set a goal for myself and it was to finish in the Top 20 in 2026. I was on target and taking care of business up to day 6 when my ABS braking Module decided to start causing lots of No Brakes issues. Day 3 I noticed late in the day, my front brake was getting soft and by checkpoint 1, the brake lever was pulling back almost touching my throttle with little braking power. The 7th rider into the checkpoint had me feeling great and fortunate they had time to bleed the front brake while I ate a meal followed by a safe, sound 4 hour sleep at the dealership. I was thrilled.
The following 2 days continued to prove well as my ride buddy, Hippie Too, and I had fallen into a great groove, rolling fast, mapping well as a team and making miles. (Side note: This is a unique Hoka Hey thing. As we roll out of the start line, we don't know all 273 riders. As we ride, we often fall into a pattern of hopscotch with other riders. If it works out, you can ride together until it doesn't and you can go on your own ride or not. Each rider must decide their own ride and decide accordingly how YOU continue your ride.)
On day 5, both my front and back brakes soften as the night comes to an end. I'm stressed to the max. Hippie Too is buds with Monismith who he learns is bedded down just in front of where we found our best sleep spot of the Hoka Hey, a fuel station under construction with a fabulous awning. Anyways, these two men chat and by morning we are pulling into a station where Monismith offers to bleed my brakes so I can safely make it to Paducah KY Bourbon Barrel Harley-Davidson. I mention that the rear brakes had a few episodes of not moving/blocking when I pushed down on it. He mentions this could be more than a leaky brake line and could be ABS issues. Mind you, no ABS light came on while riding.
Day 6, we pull in Bourbon Barrel Harley-Davidson and they run a few tests finding no codes, no leaks and they bleed both brakes replacing the low level fluid we had to use from the gas station temp fix. I feel confident, I'm fixed and ready to roll. Wahoo! I'm repaired, Hippie Too service is complete and we are Back in the challenge in less than a 4 hour pit stop that included a nap and a shower! These folks are great!
Onward thru Kentucky we charge. I make it 92 miles down the road and my rear brake is softening once again. We get into a town where I narrowly miss the car stopping in front of me. My brake pedal has blocked me from pushing it down at all and I quickly grab all the front I have and get it stopped. This was the 3rd time since leaving the dealership that the blocked rear brake had happened. I pull over to a parking lot, explain to Hippie Too whats happened and tell him to go on. He has a kind protective nature and he made sure I had a plan before he left. For that, I thank him.
So now what? Many of you may have seen my video on that afternoon once I had found my solution. After about 3 hours of calling multiple surrounding dealerships, my mechanic and a dealer back home, the solution lies in returning to Bourbon Barrel Harley-Davidson where they, what seemed like, miraculously, had an exact bike to mine traded in at 430pm with an ABS module to replace mine. This is amazing as there were only 4 of these modules located in the USA.
I head back to Bourbon Barrel and a nearby KOA, set up camp and cook a warm camp meal. I took my clothes off and put on my shorts and tee shirt to get comfy. I count up that I had been off the bike a total of 12 hours already from brake issues. I toil with the decisions I may have to make the following day as I realize my top 20 placement is out of reach with this bike problem. Time for sleep. Slow my brain and drop off to sleep. Im awake before my alarm with a knot in my stomach the size of my bike. I pack quickly and roll to the dealership before they open. Im ready when they are! They arrive early and get right to work. These people CARE! They want me back in this challenge asap. They already had the module off the other bike and moving forward installing in Miles. One thing I learned long ago is stay quiet and out of the way of the mechanic. My one check on him, I knew he was working diligently to get the new ABS to talk to my bike thru the download process. Long story short and he on the phone an hour with Harley-Davidson, although we had two 2023 model modules, HD created TWO MODELS!! B and C model. 🤬 Miles couldn't accept the other bikes module. 😭 They consider the bypass and pulling the fuse, both of which won't work. Ugh.
With All of the care in the world, the mechanic and service manager come to me, sit down, my stomach drops as they tell me this news. They give me options...2. They flush out the full brake system and fill em up with my old crappy ABS unit on and I head out OR I buy a new bike. Mind you, I looked at that new Pan Am, but I couldn't leave my fella Miles of Smiles. He has plenty of life left in him.
Now.....I sit making calls to loved ones trying to talk myself back into getting back in this challenge. Im a bit shocked at myself that I so easily lost focus on the true nature of the Hoka Hey. Integrity, Honesty, Perserverance and Compassion. Inspire. Enrich. Where did I lose site of these things? How did I feel so defeated? When did my focus on this top 20 finish replace my integrity to finish what I started? How could I forget THE KIDS?
WTF is the matter with me? I am riding to feed kids! I'm enriching their little lives by supplying them weekend food sacks thru sharing my compassion with others who will donate to feed these children. JUST RIDE THE MOTORCYCLE!!!
Dig deep! Stop feeling sorry for yourself. My boyfriend reminded me that he has full confidence I'd regret quitting. My sister and best friend tell me I am still positioned fairly well even though off the bike 36 hours. My dad came in with the grand slam. He, a retired, semi pro stock car driver my whole life, asks me about my favorite race. I recall a few with him. He is looking for me to say, the major 100 mile where he was leading and spun out early. He went tailback and came back to win it. He says "get out there and ride the crap out of that bike. This will be fun to watch."
I call Hoka Hey. I AM BACK IN THE CHALLENGE! I have kids back in Oklahoma who need me!
Did I finish in the Top 20 of this 11,000 mile challenge?
NO!!!!!
Who cares? I raised over $103,000 for Kickin' Childhood Hunger and Im still raising funds!
Don't you think that story is worth a donation?
Https://givebutter.com/KickinChildhoodHunger26
