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Magazine

Letter from the Publisher

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

We Are Back

Yes, you heard it right, we are back publishing hard copy issues. Due to the Dept of Health lowering our COVID health levels designated by Gov. Polis, many of our biker bars and restaurants are back open.  This has been a difficult year for Colorado Rider News.  We have experienced the same hardships and lost revenue due to COVID shutdowns by our biker business.   I would be remiss not to thank Rider Justice for continuing to support Colorado Rider News in its advertising in hard copy and online media.   The past few years have seen many of our other publications such as Thunder Roads and Scooter News shut down.  It was never that they were not both great publications, hard print advertising is being pushed out by online social media digital marketing.

I have long said to potential advertisers that motorcycle and powersports riders still like to sit down at their local biker bar and pick up a copy of a magazine 100% devoted to riding in Colorado.

Our goal for 2021 is to continue to provide you the most updated local motorcycle related information, continue to promote biker owned businesses, be an active part in the new motorcycle swap meet at Dirty Dogs, motorcycle safety, new product reviews on products that will bring value to your riding.

We ask you to be a part of this publication and continue to update us on what is going on in your biker group or community.

As always enjoy the ride, let us know what we can do better and BE SAFE OUT THERE

Laurie Montoya

Publisher

Colorado Rider News

info@coloradoridernews.com

Publisher, Colorado Rider News

Filed Under: From the Publisher, Laurie Montoya, Magazine

Calendar of Events

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Colorado Rider News is working hard to be your source for rides and rallies. If you have an event and want the biker community to hear and see it. Please visit our event submission site by clicking here

Filed Under: Events, Magazine, Ride

LivWell Enlightened Health

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Filed Under: ADS, Magazine

Great Things on the Horizon for the Local Motorcycle Museum

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

By Laurie Montoya

There are a lot of cool motorcycle museums in this great Nation, but here in Colorado, we have one that we can call our own.

The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum was founded in 1992, and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Colorado entity. The museum is home to some beautifully restored and original antique machines spanning 1906 to 1976.

One thing that sets our motorcycle museum apart from most others in the world is the price of admission: FREE. Yes, I said free. While donations at the door are welcomed, there is no cost for anyone to enjoy the spectacular display of two wheeled history.

MOVIN’ ON UP

From 1992 through 2001, the museum made its home on Colorado Springs southside next door to High Country Custom Cycles. When the chopper shop was bought out by the local Harley-Davidson dealer, the Museum was relocated to a building adjacent to that dealership. After several years, the Museum relocated to the mezzanine level of the dealership, where it has remained ever since.

That long time home will soon be abandoned, as the museum relocates to a brand new, prestigious location in downtown Colorado Springs.

Joining the new “City Works Eatery” complex, the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum’s new address will be 19 North Tejon St., in the heart of Colorado Springs’ entertainment district. “We are very excited about our new location, and extremely proud to join with Sam and Kathy Guadagnoli on their new restaurant project.” Said Jim Wear, the Museum’s Executive Director. “Sam and I have been friends and business partners for decades, and we have always dreamed of a motorcycle themed eatery. When I approached the Museum’s Board of Directors with the idea, it was well received and is finally now coming to fruition.” Kathy Guadagnoli said, “Sam and I are very excited that the heart of downtown will be home to the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum! Sam’s prized possession is his 1906 Redding Standard, the first motorbike to go up Pikes Peak. It’s a real piece of local history and was show cased at the Broadmoor Carriage House Museum for many years. We will also have a retro ice cream and candy shop, with a tiny motorcycle that was formerly in “Sam’s” – the World’s smallest bar named in the Guinness World book of records. Visiting children can get their picture taken on the little motorcycle! This will be a great opportunity for families to eat, drink, and enjoy an amazing display of antique motorcycles, and we could not be more proud to be a part of it.” 

Aside from a newly remodeled, high-end location, the Museum will have more square footage and will have the ability for retail sales and exposure to a much larger, more diverse audience. “After nearly 30 years of having the Museum adjacent to motorcycle shops, it was pretty much the biker crowd that largely comprised our visitors. With this change in venue, we are sure to see much more of the general public. I mean to say that the motorcycle enthusiast will seek the museum out no matter where it is, but having the ability to expose the general public to the history of motorcycling and all of our antique and classic machines on display will go a long way to fulfilling our mission as an educational nonprofit entity.” Wear explained.

Several of Guadagnoli’s machines will also join the museums display. “Sam has a number of really nice antique bikes, many of which have lived in his garage all these years. Now, thousands of visitors will get to enjoy many of his machines and we are excited about and proud of the joint venture.”

MAKING THE GRADE

Click here to read more from Eagle Rider

Recently, the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum was named one of “12 of AMERICA’S BEST MOTORCYCLE MUSEUMS” by eaglerider.com.

“This is a huge deal for us.” Said Wear. “There are some spectacular museums on the list including the Harley-Davidson Factory Museum, Wheels Through Time, the AMA Hall of Fame Museum and the Peterson Automotive Museum. To see our humble museum standing side-by-side with these giants is extremely humbling and very encouraging,” explained Wear, “We never set out to become famous. We just wanted a place to share our antique machines and our love of them and their history with the public.”

PROPER RECOGNITION

Another huge accomplishment for The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum came recently when their all original, one owner 1956 Harley Davidson FLH Panhead was featured on the cover of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America’s magazine. The machine was also showcased in the “Exhibit A” section of the publication with an eight-page color layout. “The AMCA feature is an incredible honor for us,” said Wear. “Only six bikes a year get the cover and the Exhibit A feature. There are tens of thousands of beautiful, original machines amongst the membership of the AMCA, and to have one of our bikes chosen from a pool of such spectacular machinery is truly humbling.” Wear added, “It was a combined effort by our Board of Directors to secure this special bike for the museum, and we are proud to be its caretaker.”

The 1956 Panhead that Wear speaks of was sold brand new by Borgstetd’s Harley-Davidson dealership in Pueblo Colorado to US Army Veteran John Deatherage. John lovingly cared for the bike and kept it in pristine original condition until his passing in 2018. Despite some stiff competition for its purchase from many collectors, the Museum ended up with this unbelievably original machine, now known as “John D’s Cherry Pepper.”

“The bike has become world-famous, maybe more famous than our museum itself, in a very short time. No one disputes that this is likely the nicest example of an all original rigid frame panhead known to exist.” Wear added, “Due to the manner in which the owner stored the motorcycle, free of any sunlight and in a climate-controlled environment, the bike is literally like new.”

Colorado Rider News readers can look forward to seeing John D’s Cherry Pepper in its new home at The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum, 19 North Tejon St. in Colorado Springs when the museum opens in collaboration with City Works Eatery this spring. Cole Deister, a member of the Museum’s Board of Directors told us, “I think I can speak for my fellow board members in saying how excited we are for this new venue. Our other board members are from all over the United States and although they needed a little excuse to visit our wonderful state, this new venue will quickly become a destination location for them and others from all over the world. It will also be a way to introduce non enthusiasts to the hobby we love so much. I can’t wait to invite friends and family to join us for a day at the museum and to enjoy a world class meal in downtown Colorado Springs!

For more information, check out the Museum’s new website at www.themotorcyclemuseum.com.

Top 12 USA Museums link:

https://support.eaglerider.com/12-of-americas-best-motorcycle-museums?fbclid=IwAR1s2H4cjL0vgHofjRIfTaDbO_pOwts3_tBR0g6VDLpj-I87MIl-BrEBrIs

Filed Under: Community, Magazine, Non-Profit

Colorado Motorcycle Expo “The Swap Meet” (COVID-style)

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

In November, I was forced to cancel the January 2021 Colorado Motorcycle Expo at the National Western Complex in downtown Denver due to COVID-19 restrictions set by the Department of Health.  It was not a decision taken lightly as I knew many attendees, vendors, and sponsors would be extremely disappointed and hoping for a different outcome.

I have been exploring different options with local motorcycle businesses, and I am excited to announce that I have partnered with Dirty Dogs Roadhouse, Colorado Rider News, and Rider Justice to create a modified monthly swap meet designed specifically for local vendors. This newly customized swap meet will occur once a month at Colorado’s #1 biker bar, Dirty Dogs Roadhouse. As always, at Dirty Dogs there will be amazing food, beverage, and entertainment, while we will be there supporting local businesses and YOU. Our vision is to bring back the grass roots “Swap Meet” until we can all get back to normal.

It is unclear what 2021 holds for biker community events, but my hope is by having an alternate venue for swap and fun, we can all continue to move forward.  Our kick-off monthly swap meet will occur on February 20th, from 10am to 4pm and we plan to continue the events monthly, with crowds and vendor space expanding as the weather gets warmer and restrictions loosen.

For additional information, please contact us at info@coloradomotorcycleexpo.com

Filed Under: Breaking, Community, Events, Magazine, Uncategorized

A Tribute to Chris Pejko

January 28, 2021 By Colorado Rider News Leave a Comment

By Michele Tusi – East Coast

On January 3rd, 2021, Chris Pejko died in a tragic motorcycle accident.  And just like that, the community lost a fellow biker, a nurse, an avid snowboarder … a person who would move heaven and earth to help a friend, ease a heartache, or give you a doom and gloom prognosis if you had a cough.  Funny?  Yeah, Chris was a funny dude with a quirky sense of humor and a laugh that was genuine.

Chris was a rock star.  Literally.  He kicked cancer’s ass TWICE, cruised all over the country on his Harley, slashed through fresh powder on more mountains than most can even name, and cared for the sickest of the sick as an ICU nurse working on the front lines against the pandemic and throughout his career.  When people say, “live your life to the fullest”, Chris embodied that expression.  Chris designed his life in a way that needed to be experienced in order to be fully lived.  Experience it, he did, and he would have happily taken any of us with him on those adventures.

He loved his concerts – big and small, his Harley – I mean how many photos of his bike did we see on Facebook??, snowboarding – great adventures with ‘Team Retard’, his profession – a lifelong passion for helping others, his friends – and you know who you are and of course, his family – God Bless.

If you had the privilege to ride with Chris, you know he was an experienced rider, whose joy came from the RIDE – no matter where or with whom – he loved to ride!  He could find a unique route to get just about anywhere, you never knew where you were going, but the roads were always smooth, and the scenery breathtaking.  The girls would joke that Chris was the best ‘bike valet’ for he was quick to help you get parked, get moved, or get caught up!  NO ONE LEFT BEHIND when you rode with Chris.

Chris was a solid human, a great friend, and more importantly, possessed empathy beyond his years.  He would do whatever he could for anyone.  He would offer to pay for things when he knew that others could not afford them, even if he himself was strapped for cash.  He just made it happen.

Each one of us has a footprint beyond the Biker Community.  I would be remiss if I did not mention Chris’ professional impact as an ICU Nurse.  His peers and colleagues looked up to him, as evident by the many Facebook posts on his timeline and retelling of work time stories and antidotes.  His ability to stay calm in emergencies, advocate for his patients, and provide on the spot training and support for his fellow nurses makes this loss even more heartbreaking.

What can I say?

‘You know that only the good die young

I tell ya

Only the good die young

Only the good die young’

Artist – Billy Joel

Filed Under: Audrey Paulas, BikerDown, Community, Magazine, Memorial

BikerDown offers new stickers to try and get the message to distracted drivers

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

BikerDown Foundation’s mission is always to help injured motorcycle riders. A large part of that mission is getting out motorcycle awareness, distracted driving in all its forms including driver’s using hand held mobile devices and texting and driving.

Every year our community suffers many accidents due to careless drivers. To continue to support our mission, BikerDown has created these motorycle helmet or vehicle stickers with a very strong message. GET OFF THE F**CKIN PHONE!

BikerDown just released some new awareness t-shirts that they hope the community will purchase to support BikerDown. You can purchase them on our website store

Click HERE to purchase on their online store

BikerDown Foundation runs on the generosity of the biker community. If you know of someone who has been injured in a motorcycle accident, please do a help request on their website www.bikerdown.org

Filed Under: ADS, BikerDown, Magazine, Non-Profit, Safety

1,000 Miles in a day Challenge

January 28, 2021 By Colorado Rider News Leave a Comment

By Stormy

Cool Biker Lunch and Rides Facebook group page hosted a 1K in 1 Day challenge during the 2020 riding season.  It was perfect timing because it gave members something to do during the crazy lockdown of COVID19.  For the ones that do not ride, they might wonder “why would you torture yourself and ride 1,000 miles in one day?”  They would not understand that our self-esteem soars when we have been able to accomplish something like this, and to some who treated the challenge like it was a race to see who can complete it in the best time, the higher the self-esteem will go.  To me, personally, I carried an unaccomplished feeling for a year because the first time I attempted this in 2019, I was hit by a car right when my odometer read 1,001 miles, but I could not verify this accomplishment because I was unconscious in the hospital and my motorcycle was totaled.  In August, my great friend Kristi and I did the 1K in 1 Day and headed to Sturgis and back.  We had time to roam around Main Street and got some cool Sturgis souvenirs.  We did the challenge in less than 18 hours.  When we boasted about that, of course, it now became a challenge to see who can do it in less time.  

First, congratulations to the ones who accomplished it in 2020:

Jason Ennis, Austin Prather, Rachel Renee, Michelle Clemente, Kelli Thomas, Frank Nusser (two times), Stephen Gonzales, James Head, Gary Braley, Kristi Strother, Audrey Paulus, Michael Koller, Ed Collins, Bruce Gorman, Dave Setter, Rick Way, and Wildman Wilson.

Below are their experiences of this challenge:

Jason Ennis

My experience with the 1K was one of enjoyment and pure torture.  I have never done something like that before and was determined to be the first one to do it.  As my whole life, I love to be the first to do anything.  It took me almost the full 24 hours, but I accomplished it.  

Austin Prather

I had been seeing the 1K 1Day Challenge on the Cool Biker page on FB.  I was interested right away, but I noticed that no one was chomping at the bit which made it much more attractive to me.  It really meant that it was not an easy or truly desirable mission, which made me want to do it even more.  It was a fun day, and I cannot wait to do it again this year.

Kelli Thomas

It was an extraordinarily rich experience. The whole scene on the trip was all breathtaking.  This group works well together which made it smoother.  I am deaf, and we got through it with good communication.  I would like to thank them all.  It was well worth it to accomplish the 24-hour challenge.  I will remember this ride for a very long time.

Frank Nusser

I did my first 1k earlier in the year with Austin and the gang.  It was not your normal 1k route.  Lots of mountain passes and slower roads.  It took around 21 hours. I wanted to beat that time and attempted another 1k in the fall.  We had a good group, good route, and great weather.  We had a couple issues but still got it done around 14 hours.  It was a great feeling to be able to complete this challenge twice in the same year.  The only one!

Rachel Renee

Boy was this a challenge.  We communicated well and made decisions together as a group.  There were a lot of firsts for everyone, and this ride would not be the same without this exact group of people.  I am so glad I went along.  Met new friends.  Seen old places with fresh new eyes.  Ride free!

Michelle Clemente

I am glad to make a decision to join the 1k for one day challenger because I was not sure if I could do it as I’m a new rider.  It is a BIG challenge for me with routes and mountains.  So glad that we made it!  Our group is so wonderful to cooperate, communicate well, and enjoy our times with no drama.  

James Head

My 1k ride is not only my first try, but also the first time I have left the state by myself on a bike, and only the second time I have done any real distance.  I have years of riding, but just never rode anywhere far.  My route was down to Durango and then on to Albuquerque and back to Denver.  This experience was exhausting, and eventually filled with the shadowy hallucinations, but when I opened Facebook and read all the encouragement from Cool Biker Lunch & Rides members, it made me jump right back on the bike after the fill up and keep on keeping!!

Rick Way

I rode more than two 1K rides in 2020.  2021 who knows?  At least  once a year,  maybe more, is always my goal.  I love it.  That is why I keep doing it.  For me, the destination always changes.  It is all about the journey….  Ride safe, ride on.

Stephen Gonzales

Thanks everyone.  All in all, it was a fantastic day!    I stopped and visited with friends and family along the way to Las Vegas.   Some of them I have not seen in 10 years.  Part of my route took me though my hometown and places I camped and hunted when I was young.  I even got to spend some time remembering good times while riding.  So yes, this was a fantastic day!

Kristi Strother

I met Audrey right off I-25 and exit 136, at a Maverick gas station right off the freeway.  She was all smiles.  We both were.  I had made some funny Bat and Shark signs to help us tease each other about our bikes.  We took photos of our mileage and held silly signs.  Off we went!  The road in front of us, the cold morning wind whipping at our faces, music cranked high, our hair blowing, two friends embarked on our amazing, Sturgis 1k Challenge. 

Michael Koller

I really only went on this ride to beat someone’s record after friendly banter on Facebook, so I hooked up with Ed Collins to accomplish this.  The route was chosen specifically for that reason, straight and easy!  I would have liked a more scenic route, but this one served its purpose.  The trip was not difficult at all, and I would do it again, especially when our record is broken.

Ed Collins

It was the first week of October when Michael Koller and I did our 1K challenge to Kansas and back.  We had a few snafus in the morning that held us back timewise, but we made up for it on the long stretches going 100 mph.  Once we passed the state line back into Colorado, ears ringing from the wind noise, the sun hanging low in the sky, temperature slowly dropping, we have 990 miles under our belts.  The next cut off is only a minute away.  We turned off into a fuel station and the mileage read that we were 1,003 miles up and 13.5 hours.  We filled them up, fought our way through rush hour traffic, found a cold drink, a good cigar, and took some time for reflection, 1,000 miles under 24 hours!

Dave Setter

Our 1k/1Day “race” started with a boasting challenge on September 28, by the leader of our riding group (Audrey Paulus with Cool Bikers) posting that the fastest time for the year to date was set by Audrey and her pal, Kristi Strother, at slightly under 18 hours.  Bruce Gorman wanted to make the run anyhow with the thought that we could catch a great lunch at a famous Mexican restaurant down in Albuquerque and ride back easily under 18 hours.  We picked a date a few weeks out that worked for the group, Saturday, October 10.  However, a few days before our ride, two other riders (Ed Collins and Michael Koller) completed their 1k in a record setting 13.5 hours. They threw down a gauntlet that Frank Nusser dared us to beat.  So much for a relaxing lunch ride down and back to Albuquerque, as the race was now on.

THE RIDERS: Frank Nusser, Craig Harlan, Bruce Gorman, and Dave Setter. As a group, we had been on several longer rides together.  It helped that we knew each rider’s skills and road savvy, especially, if we were going to beat that damn 13.5 hours.

We finally made it to 1,000 miles, right at 14 hours.  We celebrated as Frank passed out candy cigars, as our salute to those who had set the 13.5-hour record.  Until next time, cigar dudes!

Bruce Gorman

I kissed my wife, ‘See you later’, and I stepped out into the darkness.  Ready for whatever the road has waiting for me.

Steve “Wildman” Wilson

Chronicles of the Wildman and the Thousand Mile Ride

On 5 November 2020, I embarked on a 1000-mile ride on my 2003 Honda Goldwing.  I pack more than I need, but I just wanted to make sure I am prepared for a variety of possibilities and eventualities.  I get to bed early for an early start.  I wake up at 0200 and finish my packing and checklists and get on the road.  I get my start receipt at 0255 and off we go.   I ride to complete this trek.  I ride to get a sense of accomplishment.  I ride to finish what I started.  I get to the last gas station to get my final receipt.  I am tired and dirty, but after 21-1/2 hours and about 1,057 miles, I am accomplished.  I go around the corner home and I have a celebratory drink, shower, and go to bed.

Gary Braley

My 1K 1D ride was for me: it had been an unusually rough year, and it was about time for me to get my head on right.   I went through Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.   Got off the highway and took a few backwoods mountain roads where I grew up.   My plan was to use all the time I had to just cruise and enjoy,  enjoy my bike, enjoy the scenery,  and enjoy me again.  It turned out to be a fantastic day, over 23 hours of time, just me and my bike.  I believe I traveled 1,141 miles taking in the beauty and smiling that I had missed all the rain…lol.  I cannot wait to take the similar trip this summer, only this time, my daughter will be riding her bike with me.  My bike truly is my happy place.

Todd McLaughlin and his friend Bruce Leipold attempted this challenge on October 11th.  Their route was Denver to Provo to Green River and back.  After they hit Laramie, they decided to opt out of the challenge for they ran into some dangerous weather, 60 mph winds and rain with snow in the forecast!  They will be back in 2021 to finish this accomplishment.

Anyone else want to do this challenge this year?!!  There are some rumors that the above will be back this year to beat their time.  I am looking forward to hearing about their journeys.  

Filed Under: Audrey Paulas, Groups, Magazine, Ride

Wanna go on a cruise? High Seas Rally is the event a biker needs to experience.

January 28, 2021 By Laurie Montoya Leave a Comment

Cruise line companies have been taking reservations and then cancelling guest because of COVID restrictions. The suggestion of many travel agents is to book a cruise long in advance to increase the probability.

Do you ever wonder if there was a cruise for bikers? Do you wonder how many Rally’s will actually be scheduled this year? Well wonder no more.

High Seas Rally has been scheduling biker cruises since 2003 and is THE WORLDS ONLY BIKER RALLY on a Cruise Ship! This 7-day cruise is tailored to the biker community and is scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral in Florida on October 22, 2021.

Everything on the cruise is tailored to motorcycle riders including Salute to Service day, Leather night, Pirate contest, Best Beard Contest, Poker chip swap and much much more. If that wasn’t enough to get you interested, the kickass entertainment they have is well, they have scheduled Trace Adkins, Foghat, Molly Hatchet and much much more!

If you are interested they still have great balcony rooms available and if you mention BIKERDOWN when completing your reservation you can be helping injured riders at the same time. To get more information visit their website by clicking here.

Filed Under: BikerDown, Events, International, Magazine, Travel

META = Turning Point

January 28, 2021 By Colorado Rider News Leave a Comment

META motorcycle magazine cover

Article courtesy of Rider Justice.

Andrew Campo trusts his gut. Typically, his gut is way ahead of the times… or way behind the times, depending on your perspective. And yet, he gut-trusts his way into some of the most rewarding, mold-breaking work imaginable, achieving success and defying the expectations of all the people who say, “Are you out of your mind?”

Andrew Campo
Andrew Campo, co-founder of META

Campo is the founder of META, a company focused solely on motorcycles, the motorcycle lifestyle and – of all things – print magazine publication, which is largely considered a dying form of media. But in Campo’s hands, and in the hands of his business partner and Creative Director Ben Giese, META is transcendent. It transcends expectations, norms and previously held beliefs about the power of print.

How did Campo and Giese come to create a wildly successful print magazine and its surrounding company during a time when no one understood or believed in what they were doing? Campo says that “swimming upstream” has always been his way. He also believes that, because he and Ben grew up racing motorcycles, “competition is in our DNA. When people tell you you’re nuts, it’s the fuel that makes you work harder.”

Ben & Andrew riding motorcycles through water

The Journey to META

Back when Campo was in college, he took a magazine writing course and submitted it to Snowboarder magazine via snail-mail. Times being what they were (young internet), it was another six months before the publisher of the magazine called him and offered to publish his story and also offered him a job.

“I quit school and moved to California and worked for that whole group of magazines: Snowboarder, Skateboarder and Surfer,” says Campo. “I worked in just about every department. That was my education.”

While at that publishing group, Campo saw the drawbacks of the print format – mostly that it was slow.

“Fans knew races were occurring but they had to wait two months to get results and coverage because everything was print,” says Campo. “Digital media was just becoming a thing and I realized that we could speed up that information delivery.”

Campo teamed up with Wes Williams to create Vurb, a digital media company focused on the motocross industry. (This is where you start to see how Campo swims upstream.) The new company went to the print magazines and offered to partner and create daily digital content for them, including race recap videos, that would be instantly available to subscribers.

“The industry loved it but nobody had a budget for digital,” says Campo. “They didn’t understand the power of digital yet.”

For three years, Campo and his partners spent their own money operating Vurb, and then the industry caught on.

Motorcycles riding in the mountains in Telluride Colorado

“We were way ahead of everybody,” remembers Campo. “We went from zero to absolutely killing it. We traveled the world. But then Instagram hit. We were the first company in motocross to have an Instagram account, but the writing was on the wall. Two years in, every team and every athlete and every brand had their own Instagram account. People could get their digital content somewhere else.”

Still, Vurb had a huge following and most people encouraged Campo to stick with it.

He wasn’t having it.

“I didn’t want to reinvent our web publishing strategy. I had always known that my passion was for print publication. It was time to challenge myself again so I teamed up with our Art Director Ben Giese and never looked back.”

So, just as the print industry was starting to collapse under the weight of digital popularity, Campo switched back to print.

“What Are You Thinking?”

Motorcycles outside the META Syndicate Headquarters in Denver Colorado

Campo immediately faced head-shaking.

“Plenty of people said, ‘What are you thinking? You have massive reach with Vurb! Just adapt to the changes!’” recalls Campo. “I totally understand that they thought I was crazy. When I launched Vurb, a digital media company, print media was strong. Now, people were devouring digital media and I was leaving for print. I can see why they thought I was nuts. But Ben and I aren’t afraid of doing what everybody says we should not be doing.”

Very soon after abandoning Vurb, META was born. The name comes from Roman days when chariot races pounded through the Coliseum (a precursor to motocross?). Campo says that a “meta” was the marker on the track telling the chariot drivers whether to turn left or right.

“META represents our turning point from digital to print,” says Campo.

Like Vurb, META started slowly because, again, Giese and Campo were swimming upstream. Because of previous partnerships that Campo had established in the motorcycle industry, they had enough support to fund volume one of META. From the beginning, it was unlike any other motorcycle magazine anywhere.

First impression: META is absolutely stunning. Artistic, gorgeous, gritty and visually astonishing, META is an ode to the motorcycle, a poem, a love affair, a desperate-pining-away-for-that-which-you-can-hardly-describe-but-know-it-when-you-feel-it. If you ride, you’ve felt it. If you haven’t, META will make you want to.

stacks of META magazine

Central to the magazine and the company’s mission is an aesthetic that is more art-driven than advertising-driven. There are only 14 to 15 advertisers per issue – a stark contrast with a typical magazine, which includes 30 to 60.

“Because we have 14 advertisers, it allows us to work hard for them,” explains Campo, who says that it was hard to explain the concept initially to potential sponsors.

“When I first approached the industry, I asked them not to focus on pricing but to use our platform to focus on their brand history and heritage. That conversation was very interesting. They didn’t get it until they saw it in action. Now, advertisers approach us because of what we can do for their brand.”

A META ad package includes the print magazine, as well as digital products, such as short feature films, on the META website.

“Print is the foundation of everything we do,” says Campo. “With each volume, we create a short feature film to support our cover story. Sometimes, more than one film piece comes out of a volume. Those films allow us to bring global traffic to the site and to create assets for social media. They are also a strong part of our revenue plan. But everything supports the print product.”

From that first volume, META grew to three volumes per year. Finally, in 2019, Campo and Giese believed they had the foundation established to publish four volumes per year, which would be a very strong business model to carry the company forward. Then, COVID.

“I really didn’t know what would happen,” says Campo. “But it turned out that, in 2020, people really craved an interaction with an analog product. They wanted to get off their phones, laptops and TVs. They embraced META in a big way.”

And so, once again, Campo is riding the wave of success while swimming upstream.

Looking for a Different Kind of Partner

Meanwhile, back in 2018, Campo was approached by Chere Martin, Community Liaison with Rider Justice, a motorcycle legal/advocacy organization in Colorado, which is also where META is based. Mostly, Martin was curious to meet the visionary behind the stunning magazine. She and Rider Justice founder, Scott O’Sullivan, also hoped the two Colorado companies might collaborate in ways that serve, promote and protect the rider community.

“I met with Chere two years ago and we just had a really nice, warm conversation,” recalls Campo. “Chere is a designer and a creative and a really cool person. She told me that Rider Justice would like to align with META. They didn’t just want to be advertisers; they wanted to create a true partnership.”

Campo liked the Rider Justice mission, so he met O’Sullivan.

“If you look at Scott’s website… yes, he is a lawyer, but he has no interest in being an ambulance chaser. He’s anything but. He’s a really good human being. You don’t often meet people who practice what they preach, but Scott and Chere do. They have philanthropic values and I had been looking for a way to involve myself in goodwill projects. It made sense to collaborate with Rider Justice, especially after COVID hit.”

Therefore, in early 2020, the two organizations created #2Wheels4Meals, a grassroots bunch of motorcycle enthusiasts who have come together several times to make meals for healthcare workers, the homeless, and other at-risk populations.

“We’ve made something like 2,500 to 3,000 meals since March,” says Campo. “I’m proud to align with them and work on projects with them. And we’re talking about going to a larger scale with our efforts in 2021. We have a lot of mutual respect and we have some great ideas kicking around.”

The META Lifestyle

Andrew Campo riding a dirt bike in Sweden

From the beginning days of META, Campo and Giese decided to create a company that enabled them to live the lives that they desired – outdoors, with family, playing a lot! That dream has also been achieved.

“At times, I feel selfish because my work lets me have so much fun!” says Campo. “At the end of the day, I’m out playing more in a single day than a lot of people will ever play in their entire lives. I’m all about quality of life and that feeds everything we’re doing.”

For example, Campo recently found “the one that got away.” Not a girl; a motorcycle.

Back when he was 15, Honda started making a street bike called The Hurricane. To say Campo fell in love would be an understatement. Campo spent the next eight months waiting for the bike’s release and making plans with his best friend to ride their new bikes together. But, when the time came, Campo’s dad wouldn’t let him get it.

“He said, ‘If I buy you that motorcycle, you’re dead in two weeks.’ He supported my motocross but he didn’t want me on a road racing bike. I was shattered.”

Campo has been looking for his Honda Hurricane ever since. And recently, she came back into his life.

“They are collector’s bikes and very hard to come by. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across one on Facebook marketplace and it was kinda too good to be true. Less than 10,000 miles, great condition, and a low price. Turns out the guy was leaving the country and needed to sell quickly.”

So, Campo got his girl. (Notably, Campo is also happily married to a wife whom he credits with being his number-one supporter, even when his ideas seem like pure lunacy.)

Next up: Campo and Giese plan to publish four volumes of META again in 2021, complete with the moody, surprising, provocative short films that grab global viewers and lure them into the META masterpiece: the Meta magazine. Campo also plans to continue partnering with Rider Justice, hosting events that celebrate and support riders.

“We are in uncharted waters for what things will look like in 2021,” says Campo. “What’s going to happen? I don’t know! But if everything was easy, the product wouldn’t be as good.”

Upstream.

Filed Under: Biker Owned Business, Magazine, Perspective Tagged With: META

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