Rider Magazine Insider

Ep. 26: Nancy Gerloff and Mark Augustyn, creators of Mimi and Moto: The Motorcycle Monkeys

Our guests are Nancy Gerloff and Mark Augustyn, the husband-and-wife team behind Mimi and Moto: The Motorcycle Monkeys, the children’s book series that introduces little kids to the world of motorcycles. Their first book, “The Adventures of Mimi and Moto: The Motorcycle Monkeys,” was published in 2016. In 2019, Nancy and Mark released their second book, “Mimi and Moto Ride the Alphabet.” That same year, Mimi and Moto took First Place at the Motorcycle Industry Council’s “Gas Tank” competition at AIMExpo in Columbus, Ohio. This year they released their third book, “Mimi and Moto’s Magical Meteors: First Gear.” All of the Mimi and Moto books, as well as T-shirts, Snuggle Monkeys, Christmas ornaments, and stickers, are available at mimiandmoto.com.

Ep. 25: Jess Stone, designer of the K9 Moto Cockpit and founder of Ruffly

Our guest is Jess Stone, founder of Ruffly, a company that offers ethically made outdoor dog gear, such as collars, leashes, harnesses, and beds. Jess and her husband, Greg, started Ruffly after developing the K9 Moto Cockpit to carry their German Shepard, Moxie, on the back of Jess’ BMW G 650 GS. The K9 Moto Cockpit allowed Jess, Greg, and Moxie to enjoy motorcycle adventures throughout Mexico and Central America, and it is available through the Ruffly website. In 2022, Jess, Greg, and Moxie will travel around the world by motorcycle to raise funds for Girl Up, an organization that provides leadership development programs for girls in 130 countries and all 50 states. Their goal is to raise at least $100,000 to support girls’ empowerment.

Ep. 24: Eddie Braun, Hollywood stuntman who completed Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jump

Our guest is Eddie Braun, a Hollywood stuntman who has worked on hundreds of TV shows and feature films, including The Avengers, Transformers, and the Rush Hour trilogy. In 2016, Braun successfully flew a steam-powered rocket over Snake River Canyon, completing the ultimate stunt that defeated legendary daredevil Evel Kneivel in 1974. Braun did the stunt in “Evel Spirit,” a rocket rebuilt using engineer Bob Truax’s original design for Kneivel’s SkyCycle, with the only change being a modification to the parachute. Braun’s 10,000-horsepower rocket reached 439 mph in 3 seconds and hit 8 Gs, soaring 3,000 feet across the canyon. Braun’s epic journey was chronicled in “Stuntman,” a documentary executive produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia, featuring a never-before released clip of rock guitarist Slash playing “Rocket Man” in support of Eddie. “Stuntman” is available on Disney+.

Ep. 23: Ryan McFarland, founder and CEO of Strider Bikes and All Kids Bike advocate

Our guest is Ryan McFarland, the founder and CEO of Strider Bikes, a company whose mission is to build lightweight, efficient, all-terrain bikes that develop two-wheeled balance, coordination, and confidence in children. McFarland built the first Strider Bike in his garage for his son, Bode. The company was founded in Rapid City, South Dakota, in 2007, and since then has sold more than 3 million bikes to families around the world. In 2014, the company established the Strider Rider Fund, which commits 1% of gross revenue to benevolence. In 2018, the Strider Education Foundation launched All Kids Bike, a nonprofit whose mission is to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in kindergarten PE class. As we all know, when you learn to ride a bike when you’re young, you’re more likely to graduate to a motorcycle when you get older!

Ep. 22: Americade live interview with rally leaders Bill, Gini, and Christian Dutcher

We conducted our latest podcast interview with a live audience at the Americade rally, held September 20-25, 2021, in Lake George, New York. Rider’s Editor-in-Chief Greg Drevenstedt interviewed the founders Bill and Gini Dutcher, and their son Christian, who is the Director of Americade, the Touratech DirtDaze Adventure Bike Rally, and Rolling Thru America. The first Americade rally, then called Aspencade East, was held in 1983 on the scenic shores of Lake George, nestled in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. The first event was a runaway success, and the event has grown steadily over the years to become the world’s largest touring rally. The Dutcher family talks about what the rally was like in the early days, and why motorcyclists from around the country return to Americade year after year. This is a special episode you don’t want to miss!