This week we are thinking warm thoughts with our friends from the South! And what better way to do that than by talking about the dynamic duo of a team, Erik Bahl and Joe Gimpel! Erik was the pilot on his 1915 Harley, and Joe was his support squad, always ready at each stop to help anyone who asked. These two came in ready to give it their all, and they truly did.
Erik finished every single mile of this race and ended up in third place, which is an incredible accomplishment on a machine that’s 110 years old. Watching Erik ride each day was something special. He went at his own pace, his own speed, always steady, rarely stopping unless it was absolutely necessary. He was usually somewhere in the beginning to middle of the pack each day, just cruising along with his quiet confidence and consistency.
At every finish Erik would roll in with notes written on his map holder, reminders of things that needed attention and whatnot. And right there was Joe, ready to jump in with whatever needed done to keep Erik rolling the next day. The two of them together were such a great reminder of how this event isn’t just about the rider or the bike, but about the team behind the scenes that keeps everything moving forward.
One thing that always stood out to me was Erik’s attitude. He made every single mile with a genuine smile, and even my mom would ask me, “Who’s that guy who does the woohoo to the camera every morning on the live?” I’d tell her, “That’s Erik, he’s having the time of his life and making everyone around him have a good time too.” Honestly, I never knew if Erik had any major issues during the day, because he carried himself with such uplifting energy, never wavering. He just kept rolling.
And when he came back in the evenings, he always had stories… stories about eagles soaring overhead, wild little adventures on the side of the road, and funny moments that had everyone gathered around listening. There’s something about the way he tells a story that keeps people leaning in and smiling right along with him. It was so great to see each night.
So let’s all take a moment this week and try to be like Erik: steady, positive, and ready to greet every morning with a woohoo. It sure makes the miles go by a whole lot sweeter.
“In 2024 I was at the AMCA Cherokee Chapter Road Run in Arkansas when Bill Page mentioned there was a new Cross Country event coming up. At that time having done multiple Cannonball Coast to Coast events I considered myself retired from that type of ride. When Bill mentioned it would be restricted to 100 year old motorcycles, my ears perked up and I was in. There is just something about riding the earlier bikes that resonates with me. The TransAm team put together an excellent route that was both a joy and challenge to ride. What turned out to be the hidden jewel was the group was small enough to allow all of the teams to stay at the same hotel for the majority of the event. This really made the trip! You got to know the individual riders and their crews. On larger events – I have gone coast to coast without even meeting some of the people I was traveling with which was truly a shame. I also noticed with the small group it slowly morphed into more of a family atmosphere which turned into competitors helping competitors across the board and lots of relaxation and joking around in the evenings. Joe Gimpel, my support van driver, was key to my success. He took care of everything so all I had to worry about was riding and wrenching. I appreciated that he gave up the opportunity to actually ride and turned into support for me. Without him volunteering to drive, I might have never reached the start line, so thanks for pushing me over the cliff Joe! From my perspective as a rider, the TransAm team pulled this off flawlessly – hats off to all of the entire crew!!” -Erik Bahl
Photos by: Olivier Touron, Kazuo Matsumoto, Ed Harriger
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