Portland, Ore., Sept. 24—The 2018 Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run is over. At least for most. A small group of dedicated riders have chosen a route to the coast of Oregon and will continue on with their own unofficial Cannonball for an additional 179 miles today, proving that the road does go on forever and the party never ends. For the rest of the Cannonballers, the road home offers the opportunity to reflect and digest the great, historical adventure they’ve just accomplished.
Last night’s celebratory banquet and awards ceremony was enlightening as Director of Operations Jason Sims and his wife Lee Ann honored the group while filling the Cannonball family of riders in on details of life experiences on the road over the past two weeks. A record-setting 50 riders achieved perfect scores during the course of their 16-day journey across this great nation and, for the first time, first place was won by a single-cylinder machine that is more than 100 years old. Dean Bordgioni, four-time Cannonball rider #13, took home the Jeff Decker original bronze for his perfect score on the simple 1914 Harley-Davidson motorcycle that chugged its way across 3,441 miles of American back roads. By comparison, rider #19, Mike Gontesky, was awarded a “Frequent Flyer” award by the sweep crew for his equally impressive 905 miles over six days spent on the sweep truck. The evening was topped off by 23-year-old rider #47, Aaron Loveless, taking a knee at the podium to propose to his fiancée, Madalyn Price.
“I guess the next Cannonball we’ll be having a wedding,” Sims quipped as he announced that the 2020 Motorcycle Cannonball is already in the planning stages. Stay tuned, race fans; the excitement continues.
Final Standings (Stage 15):
For complete information on the Motorcycle Cannonball, go to www.motorcyclecannonball.com
