The mountain roads
of New Mexico are among the attractions at the Golden Aspen
Rally.
Good times and good riding make the Golden Aspen Rally a repeat
destination for thousands of riders
Editor's note: The mountains of New Mexico are the perfect place the
end the summer riding season. There's still time to make plans to attend
the Golden Aspen Rally, the second of the two AMA National Road Riding
Conventions. To get a feel for what the Golden Aspen Rally is about, we
went to the 2004 edition and filed the following report for American
Motorcyclist magazine.
By Lance
Oliver “I want you to come out here and look at what you’ve
done,” someone shouts good-naturedly at Ron Andrews.Andrews is
propped on a chair inside, as his creation, the Golden Aspen Rally,
happens around him. Walking outside is not such a simple matter, since
Andrews’ Harley-Davidson tipped over in a parking lot two weeks earlier,
and he injured his ankle and foot. He’s still wearing a stiff brace.
 But
Andrews (right) gets up with his usual obliging good humor, limps out into the
bright New Mexico sunshine and shakes his head in amazement.
What sparks his reaction is not the fact that the paved parking lot is
covered with thousands of bikes. Or that the unpaved overflow parking
has already overflowed, and yet more bikes are coming down the hill from
the highway.What astonishes Andrews is the line of people. It’s two
or three wide and a good 150 yards long.
“That’s the registration line?” he asks.Yes, it is. And it represents
just a portion of the thousands of participants checking in at the
Golden Aspen Rally, one of two AMA National Road Riding Conventions held
each year. It’s a testament to the popularity of both the rally and the
beautiful Ruidoso, New Mexico, area.
It’s a simple recipe that’s repeated at many of the most popular AMA
road-riding events: Combine a well-organized slate of activities with an
attractive location that people want to visit, and you end up with a
successful rally.Ruidoso is the right kind of place. In the winter,
skiers trek here to hit the slopes. But in September, the 70-degree days
are perfect for riding, and the dozens of shops, motels, restaurants and
other businesses are a lot less crowded than they will be once the snow
falls.
An estimated 30,000 motorcyclists come to Ruidoso for the Golden Aspen
Rally, yet there are still plenty of motel rooms available. Not to
mention cabins and campsites.This is a rally where you can choose
from among dozens of restaurants for dinner and not have to stand in
line for a table. Where your recreation choices range from hitting a
trail in the Sierra Blanca mountains to hitting the slot machines in the
casino. Where you’ll find great mountain roads to ride during the daily
poker runs and observation tours, with prizes for each, plus bike shows
and shopping in the vendor pavilion.
For half a week, the rally takes over the spacious Ruidoso Downs
horse-racing track, where one of the nation’s richest quarter horse
races takes place.While Ruidoso provides the setting and all the
services you could ask for, the other ingredient for success is supplied
by Ron and Jill Andrews. They’re the ones responsible for putting on an
event that keeps people coming back year after year.
The Golden Aspen Rally has been an AMA National Road Riding Convention
since 1993, but its roots go back much further.Starting in the 1970s,
Ruidoso was the site of the original Aspencade, organized by Til
Thompson, and later, the Ruidoso Motorcycle Festival. After Aspencade’s
run ended, the Ruidoso business community was trying to promote a
motorcycle rally, but nobody involved was a motorcyclist.
Then Ron and Jill moved here from Texas in 1986. The couple brought the
viewpoint of enthusiastic riders, as well as a business perspective, and
the Golden Aspen Rally has been their creation ever since.While more
than 30,000 motorcyclists come to town, only 30 percent to 40 percent
actually register for the rally. Many others buy day-passes for part of
the event, which explains the long line outside the registration area on
Saturday morning.
Andrews doesn’t really mind that the rally is only part of the overall
motorcycle scene that takes over Ruidoso every September.“The rest of
them fill the motels and restaurants, and that gets me the support of
the locals, which makes my life easier,” he says.
The combination of Ruidoso’s attractions and the Andrews’ hard work
keeps people coming back year after year, both for business and for
pleasure.Inside the 86,400-square-foot pavilion set aside for the
trade show is one example.
Barnett Harley-Davidson of El Paso, which stakes a claim as the world’s
largest Harley dealer, has been a presence at the Ruidoso rallies since
Sherman Barnett made the drive north from west Texas 25 years ago.
Today, Barnett Harley-Davidson has a second store, in Las Cruces, New
Mexico, and a second-generation general manager, in the form of Kim
Barnett, at that dealership, who is always on hand at the Golden Aspen
Rally.
“People come here and do their Christmas shopping,” she says. “They
expect us.”They’re not just buying T-shirts, either. The Barnett
display covers one entire end of the pavilion and is staffed by 30
employees selling everything from leather jackets to the 80 motorcycles
trucked in for sale. By Friday afternoon, Barnett has already written up
the paperwork on three motorcycle sales so far that day.
Elsewhere, shoppers browse through everything from spark plugs to
tie-dyed T-shirts, metal pet carriers that fit on a bike’s luggage rack,
gold bracelets, Global Positioning Systems, and anything else that might
be at all related to motorcycling. Or not.Just as vendors love doing
business at the Golden Aspen Rally, lots of riders come back to Ruidoso
year after year.
“The people are super and it’s lots of fun,” says Carol Zinn, who has
come to the rally six years in a row with her husband, David. “It’s well
organized, and that’s why we keep coming back.”
 But
nobody has been coming as long as Sam and Helen Phillips (right). The couple
from Abilene, Texas, made their 33rd trip to Ruidoso this fall.
Saturday morning found them in their usual spot: attaching a large U.S.
flag to Sam’s motorcycle to lead the parade through town. They have led
the parade the last 12 years.“Long as I’m able, we’ll be the American
flag carrier,” promises Sam, a retired firefighter.
“When we started coming here, 400 or 500 people was as big as it was,”
he says. “Then Ron took over and it has grown like crazy.”Now,
Phillips can’t imagine not coming to the rally.
“It’s Ruidoso in general and the motorcycle people in particular,” he
explains. “You come up here year after year, and it gets to be like a
reunion.”If you’re interested in checking out the charms of Ruidoso
and the good riding in the scenic New Mexico mountains, you don’t have
to wait until the traditional third Wednesday in September for the
Golden Aspen Rally. That’s because Andrews has another motorcycle rally
in the spring.
It’s called the Aspencash Motorcycle Rally, and it also includes a large
trade show. But the event earns the “cash” in its name by giving away
$10,000 in its poker runs. One high hand alone wins $5,000.For more
information on both rallies, visit
www.motorcyclerally.com; or
call (800) 452-8045.
© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association
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