Can-Am teamed with the Road Warrior Foundation (RWF) to host a group of military veterans for an epic “Adventure Therapy” ride covering more than 1,000 miles aboard Can-Am Spyders. Now in its ninth year, the Road Warrior Ride gives Vets the opportunity to disconnect from their day-to-day life and experience the healing power of riding the open road, all completely free of charge.
“Can-Am has been the title sponsor of the Road Warrior Foundation since it was established, proudly enabling its mission to provide Adventure Therapy to U.S. Military Veterans,” said Martin Ethier, Global Marketing Director, Can-Am 3-Wheel Vehicles & Motorcycles. “We firmly believe that the open road is open to all, and this sponsorship brings that to life with many incredibly deserving individuals.”
The Veterans were selected by RWF from a pool of hundreds of applicants, and included representatives of the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps. And as is the focus of every RWF adventure, they were all young – in their 20s and 30s – with various injuries, both physical and mental. Something else they all had in common: a thirst for adventure and a desire to inject some fun in their lives. Riding is a perfect recipe for a group of likeminded strangers with so much in common.
Prior to hitting the road, the group of riders gathered in Orlando, where they spent time getting to know each other and received a hero’s welcome from more than 250 Can-Am owners at an event put on by the riding group, U.S. Spyder Ryders. Several of the riders had only recently acquired their motorcycle license, and most had very little experience riding in a group, so prior to the main event, Can-Am and RWF reps did some closed-course and classroom training on the fleet of vehicles provided by Can-Am. The brand also gave the riders a full suite of riding gear to cover the various climates they’d come across on their way from Orlando to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Columbus, Ohio.
“The Can-Am Spyder is the only vehicle that will allow us to do what we do because it’s so easy to learn to ride,” said Stephen Berger, co-founder of the Road Warrior Foundation and U.S. Air Force Veteran. “BRP provides us a fleet of vehicles that we keep all over the country, so for this ride and other smaller ones we have throughout the year, we’re able to get Veterans of all skill levels out riding fairly quickly by putting them through the Can-Am Rider Education Program.”