Rider Magazine Insider

Ep. 36 : Gordon McCall, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering

Our guest on Episode 36 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Gordon McCall, who is CEO of McCall Events and Director of Motorsports at Quail Lodge and Golf Club in Carmel Valley, California. The 12th annual Quail Motorcycle Gathering presented by GEICO takes place Saturday, May 14. The sold-out Quail Ride, a 100-mile ride for 100 motorcycles that includes parade laps at Laguna Seca Raceway and a gala dinner, is on Friday, May 13. The Quail Motorcycle Gathering features more than 350 motorcycles displayed on the golf course at the Quail Lodge. Traditional classes include American, British, Italian, Other European, Japanese, Competition On Road, Competition Off Road, Antique, Custom/Modified, Choppers, and Extraordinary Bicycles and Scooters Class. Featured classes at the 2022 Quail include Harley-Davidson XR750, BMW /5 Series, Two-Stroke “Braaaps,” and mini bikes | BIG FUN. This year’s Legend of the Sport Guest is Roland Sands. We talk with Gordon about the history of the Quail, what makes the Monterey Peninsula such as special place for motorcycle and car events, and what attendees can expect. The Quail was on hiatus for two years due to the pandemic, so Gordon and The Quail team are excited to welcome motorcycle enthusiasts back this year. Tickets for The Quail Motorcycle Gathering are available online or at the gate.

Ep. 35: Rennie Scaysbrook, Pikes Peak record holder, motorcycle journalist and racer

Our guest for Episode 35 of the Rider Magazine Insider Podcast is Rennie Scaysbrook. Rennie is one of the hardest working motorcycle journalists in the business. He’s Road Test Editor at Cycle News, which cranks out a new issue every week. Rennie travels the world testing motorcycles, and he writes race coverage, news, and features for the magazine. Rennie is also a motorcycle racer who has competed several times in the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, where he set the motorcycle record in 2019. Rennie competes in several race series. He campaigns a Pirelli-sponsored Suzuki GSX-R600 in the Chuckwalla Valley Motorcycle Association series. He races the Roland Sands Design Indian Chief in the Super Hooligan National Championship series. And in June he’ll get his first opportunity to race in the prestigious Isle of Man TT. If that weren’t enough, Rennie is a husband and a father, and his son Harvey was the inspiration for him to write and publish a children’s book called “The Big Book of Motorbikes,” which is available through Amazon. Rennie and I had fun recording this episode after riding more than 300 miles at the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ press launch and having a few drinks at dinner. We have an unfiltered, uncensored conversation about Rennie growing up in a prominent racing family in Australia, how he became a motojournalist, and what prompted him to move to America. We also take a deep dive into his experiences racing motorcycles at Pikes Peak – the good, the bad, and the ugly – as well as his preparations for the 2022 Isle of Man TT.

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.