Ever taken a trip to a remote national park and witnessed a law-breaker being chased by a ranger when the latter’s motorcycle breaks down? No? Well, Robert McIntosh did, and he immediately resolved to get new bikes over to the 15 rangers who currently share the responsibility of patrolling Lake Hovsgol (an area larger than Yellowstone National Park) with very limited resources.
Robert (who sometimes goes by Mac), is co-founder of the Lake Hovsgol Conservancy, where he’s been working for nearly 3 years. His desire to provide the rangers with motorcycles, gear, and additional funding has led to the Blue Waves Motorcycle Rally.
The rally is happening this July, and will consist of about 15 riders buying new dirt bikes (tentatively Beta Alp 200s from Italy) and riding them 1,500 miles from the capital city of Ulan Bator to Lake Hovsgol. Here’s a video that details the trip itinerary:
I’m pleased to announce that our very own Glen Irani will be one of the fine riders in this rally. One of his colleagues, Anton Berteaux, has created an amusing video that explains the whole thing in about 2 minutes:
Want to donate? You’ve got 3 options:
1.) The best option – get your butt over to San Francisco next week (March 29) for a hosted motorcycle fundraising ride to Yosemite.
2.) Support the bike-urious community and donate to Glen’s funds required to cover the costs of buying a motorcycle, equipment, and in-country costs. If you’re willing to help, drop me a line at abhi@bike-urious.com and I’ll put you in touch with Glen.
3.) Donate directly to the Mongol Ecology Center, the organization running this ride.
If any of you have seen Why We Ride, you’ll remember how many motorcyclists love to give back as part of their biker identity. I’m so pleased that Mac is continuing this trend with a noble idea (that incorporates some exciting riding!)
Photos courtesy Blue Waves Motorcycle Rally.