Rider Magazine Insider

Ep. 34: Cat MacLeod, Leod Escapes Motorcycle Track and Tour

Episode 34 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is brought to you by Fly Racing. Our guest today is Cat MacLeod, the man behind Leod Escapes “Track and Tour” motorcycle tours, which combine track days at MotoGP circuits with multi-day scenic sport tours in Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, and other destinations. Leod Escapes is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022. We talk about what makes Track and Tours unique, what makes for a successful tour, and what tours are available this year. Cat’s an interesting guy who has turned his passions for track riding and foreign travel into a business. Other than professional racers, not many people can say they’ve ridden on 10 MotoGP tracks like Cat has. You can find Leod Escapes’ 2022 Track and Tour calendar at leodescapes.com.

Ep. 33: Backcountry Discovery Routes with Inna Thorn and Tim James

Episode 33 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is brought to you by Fly Racing. Our guests are Inna Thorn, executive director of Backcountry Discovery Routes, and Tim James, BDR’s board president and creative director. Backcountry Discovery Routes is a non-profit advocacy organization that creates off-highway routes for dual-sport and adventure motorcycle travel. Started in 2010, BDR has created 11 routes, many of them south-to-north routes that cover individual states in the West, along with two multi-state routes in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The Wyoming BDR was released in 2022. We talk with Inna and Tim about BDR’s mission, the resources it provides for ADV riders, including free GPS tracks and route information, and what it takes to complete a BDR successfully.

Ep. 32: C. Jane Taylor, motorcyclist and author of Spirit Traffic

Our guest on Episode 32 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is C. Jane Taylor, who describes herself as a writer, a biker, a mom, a wife, a warrior, and sometimes a bit of a chicken. But at age 50, when she received an invitation to join the AARP, she ripped up the letter and bought a motorcycle. On April 19, Jane is releasing a new book called "Spirit Traffic: A Mother’s Journey of Self-Discovery and Letting Go", about a 10,000-mile cross-country motorcycle trip she took with her husband and son. You can read an excerpt from Jane’s book in the April 2021 issue of Rider. You can buy Spirit Traffic online or at bookstores, and it’s available as an audiobook.

Ep. 31: Alan Wilzig, motorcycle collector and owner of Wilzig Racing Manor

Our guest on Episode 31 of the Rider Magazine Podcast is Alan Wilzig. Alan is an automotive and motorcycle enthusiast who has been a semi-professional racecar driver and race team owner. He owns Wilzig Racing Manor, the largest private racetrack in the U.S., located in upstate New York. Alan has amassed an impressive collection of race cars, sports cars, and motorcycles. His collection of more than 100 motorcycles includes many Bimotas, Ducatis, KTMs, sportbikes, and racebikes. He was also an early investor in Brammo electric motorcycles. Retired from a career in banking, Alan is active in many charitable and philanthropic endeavors. He serves on the boards of the Wilzig Hospital and the Wilzig Family Foundation, and provides financial support for the Rainforest Alliance, JCP Downtown, High & Mighty, Cars for a Cause, and many other organizations.

Ep. 30: Scott Moreno, owner and founder of IMTBIKE Motorcycle Tours and Rentals

Our guest on Episode 30 of the Rider Magazine Podcast is Scott Moreno, owner of IMTBIKE Motorcycle Tours and Rentals. Scott was born in New York City, raised in northern New Jersey, and has lived in Spain for the past 30 years. Scott founded IMTBIKE 25 years ago in Madrid when he purchased 8 BMW motorcycles and ran the company from his 5th story walk-up apartment in the old section of the city. IMTBIKE has since grown to include five touring and rental centers in Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Málaga, and Lisbon, and it now has a fleet of over 200 new BMW motorcycles and 30 employees. IMTBIKE rents motorcycles, designs and provides self-guided and guided tours, and will even store your personal motorcycle at one of its centers. IMTBIKE has earned a reputation as one of the world’s best motorcycle touring operations on the planet. IMTBIKE has an 85% repeat rate among tour clients, and in 2021 it received a Travelers Choice Best of the Best award from TripAdvisor.