Annual Junior Needham Memorial Ride3 rd

3rd Annual Junior Needham Memorial Ride

By: Linco n Infie d

unior N eedham passed away on June 1, 2017, but

his memory lives on with his friends and in the motorcycle community. Junior was a very active member of the Randolph County CBA and attended many events in the Carolinas, he was a supporter of The Carolinas’ Full Throttle Magazine and a friend of the family as well. Junior’s daughter, Gena Parker, invited us to attend the 3rd Annual Memorial Ride and we were more than happy to oblige!

The ride staged at the Original Cox’s Harley-Davidson in Asheboro on May 30th. beautiful spring weather made It one of those riding days that you can’t resist, Carolina blue skies, warm sun and low humidity. I cruised the back roads down to Asheboro wearing my denim jacket but had to shed the extra layer once I got parked. It was good to see a lineup of bikes that started in front of the dealership and wrapped around the parking lot. The sun was shining off the high gloss and chrome, a welcomed sight that had been scarce so far in 2020. Riders were steadily rolling in as I was snapping photos and kicking tires. Gena took charge of the crowd to thank everyone for showing out for her Dad’s memorial ride.

They were taking up donations to put flowers on Junior’s grave and the rest was going to the Randolph County CBA. Ride instructions were announced a group photo was taken and it was time to ride!

We were heading out to McBee, SC. I had no idea where that was either, but it was a beautiful day, I had a full tank of gas and nowhere else to be! It was a great ride. We stayed on back roads the entire ride with exception to a few miles of 220. The road captains blocked the intersections and we just cruised right along. You know you are on a good old back roads ride when you run through cities like Candor, Norman, and Ellerbe. I had seen the city names on the highway but have never cut through. I enjoyed the glimpse into the small town living and main street storefronts as we pulled through these NC towns . When we crossed over the South Carolina border we hit a gas stop and those who wanted to, shed their helmets for the remaining ride to McBee. The destination of the day was Big’s Meats and More. It was a happening place, so we circled the building a few times before we found enough area to park all the bikes.

The riders all headed in for some grub, but I was ready for a few more miles and headed back on my own. I completely enjoyed riding down here with these fine folks from Randolph Co. CBA, Chrome Angels, Freedom Biker Church, CMA and others. Big thanks to those who blocked intersections and made the ride so smooth.