A little bit about the team...

The Minnesota MS Motorcycle Escorts have been involved with the MS Society's bike tours for about twenty years, and two men are responsible for getting it started. Will Munger was an executive at the MS Society, and was aware that some of the bike tours in other states used motorcycle escorts. Jack Foster was serving on the MS River Road Run Committee at the time, and was asked to ride along during one of the bike tours to see how escorts could help. He spent a weekend riding with the MS 150 in 1989, and concluded that there was a definite role for motorcycle escorts.

Jack went into a planning and recruiting mode for the next year, and found enough riders to help with the next MS 150 and the first MS TRAM (The Ride Across Minnesota) in 1990. Since then, a varied roster of skilled and dedicated motorcyclists have supported the MS bike tours and the MS Challenge Walk. According to Tom Reasland, one of the team's charter members and active escorts, the initial group grew into the team we have today because of, "...the great volunteers we have and the fun of motorcycling." If you ask each escort why they do this, you're likely to get different answers. But a few of the typical responses would probably include:

• You'll hear "Thank You" more often than at any paying job.
• It's a unique way to enjoy the sport of motorcycling.
• The teamwork and camaraderie is very rewarding.
• It will test and improve your motorcycling skills.

The main function of a motorcycle escort is to patrol the event route, looking for injured or disabled participants while keeping an eye open for safety hazards. We've been called "two-wheeled water bottles", "two-wheeled first aid kits", and even "two-wheeled cheer leaders", and we take each as a compliment! Touring bikes aren't required, but larger models work best because of the first aid gear and other equipment that we often carry in addition to our personal luggage.

Our recruiting efforts continue each year, and we're always looking for experienced motorcyclists who are willing to contribute some of their time and talents to help us with the events we support. The MS Society does an admirable job of providing job training, and the staff is always willing to help us do our job better. We are not looking for any particular brand of motorcycle, or any particular brand of person, but we do want to hear from motorcyclists who are willing to help, have fun, and play by a few simple rules:

• A helmet must be worn while working on the event.
• Trailers cannot be towed while working on the event.
• Alcoholic beverages cannot be consumed while working on the event.
• Avoid carrying passengers while working on the event.

Interested?

If you would like more information about the team and our role, or if you're ready to volunteer to help on one of the events, just click on Contact Us to reach the MS Society's volunteer coordinator or one of the motorcycle escort supervisors.