Diverse motorcycle clubs have one thing in common: a passion for the open road.

If you haven’t found a motorcycle club in Columbus and Phenix City that fits your style, you’re just not trying hard enough.

There’s one for people who ride Harleys, one for law enforcement officers, one for spread-ing the word of God and one for people who just like to ride and eat. Members, who might belong to several clubs at once, say they all have two things in common: they love to ride and they’re all good people.

“Clubs still get bad raps because of the image from the ‘70s,” Dale Richards said. “Hell’s Angels had long hair and beards and wore leather vests. We wear patches too, but if people don’t read them, they don’t understand that we do good things.”

The clubs in this area are made up of all kinds of people. There are soldiers, teachers, welders, surgeons and retirees from all walks of life. Andy Wangle, director of the local chapter of the Harley Owners Group (HOG), said, “They may carry a title during the day, but when we get on the bikes, we’re all equal.”

Scott Ressmeyer carries the title of vice president for Country’s Barbecue. He admits to getting funny looks when he rumbles up to one of his restaurants on his Harley Dyna Glide, sporting leather chaps and a bandana. “There are no barriers in this sport,” he said. “Whether you’re flat broke and driving a bike held together with tape or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, you have this one thing in common. There are few things left in this world that bring people together like that.”

Their ages go to extremes. Bill Nelson is 81 years old. He started riding 15 years ago when his wife died and he “needed something to do.” When asked how long he intends to keep riding, Bill said, “As long as I can keep throwing my leg over that seat.”

Amber Arnold started riding with her dad when she was 5 or 6—“old enough that her feet could touch the saddle bags.” Amber became a card-carrying member of HOG when she was 7. Dad Donnie Shavers took special care of his tiny passenger. “I always had to have someone ride behind us to let me know when she started falling asleep,” he said. Amber is now married and has a baby of her own, and she still rides.

Members are mostly men, but the ranks of women are growing. Joyce Dent-Fitzpatrick, who admits only to being “very 40-plus,” learned how to ride when she was 13. “My 11-year-old sister taught me,” Dent-Fitzpatrick said. She gave up the bike for awhile but gravitated back to it when she “hit that mid-life crisis.” Now she rides whenever she can. “When you get on that bike, all your troubles go away,” she said.

Long Distance Riders
At a gathering of the ValleyMotorcycle Touring Association, you’ll see mostly Goldwings, a motorcycle made by ...

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