2023 Mileage Masters Contest Winners Announced
This year, we ran the RoadRUNNER Mileage Masters contest to challenge our readers to travel as much as they could in the riding season. The contest started with the Jun ‘23 issue and ran through the end of the Oct ‘23 issue.
We asked participating riders to take starting and ending photos of their motorcycle’s odometer and submit the pictures to us for a chance to win a variety of prizes from some of our contest sponsors.
Contest sponsors were:
We had great participation in the contest. As it turns out, RoadRUNNER readers like to ride (what a shocker!).
Our contest participants rode all over the U.S., Canada, and a variety of other countries as well. While our goal here at RoadRUNNER is to inspire our readers to get out and ride, this contest has in turn inspired us to get out on the road more in 2024. Thank you!
The miles have been tallied and the winners have been revealed. Here are our Mileage Masters and prize winners from this year’s contest.
Grand Mileage Master (1st place overall)
Perry Givens with 28,753 miles from Daytona Beach, FL
Perry rode a 2020 Harley Davidson Electra-Glide.
Perry’s favorite ride took him to the Grand Canyon and Utah with some of his friends from Kentucky. His longest trip of the year stretched from Daytona Beach, FL, to Kentucky to meet up with his friends before heading west to Utah.
On the way home, he motored through Minnesota to Canada, even riding a gravel road for 40 miles on the Harley-Davidson. He rode back to Florida via Wisconsin for a Harley-Davidson reunion before taking the scenic way home.
One memorable moment was when he parked at the northernmost point of the U.S. and the bike would not start up again. Electrical gremlins were at work, but help from some new friends got the engine roaring again. Perry burned through a set of tires and had to replace them during the big trip.
Perry always uses RoadRUNNER as a planning resource for his travels. He says it helps spark ideas for places to visit, and he uses the GPS routes from time to time.
Mileage Master (2nd place overall)
Bruce Thomas with 27,314 miles from Edmonton, Canada
Bruce rode a 2012 Honda ST1300.
Bruce’s favorite ride led him through southeast Utah. He said: “I've wanted to tackle the Moki Dugway for more than a dozen years and the scenery at Canyonlands National Park, Muley Point, Goosenecks State Park, and Monument Valley was amazing!”
His longest trip lasted 17 days, covering 7,813 miles. From Alberta, Canada, he rolled to Washington and then through Oregon, Idaho, and Utah before enduring the heat across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. He returned home via Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana.
“In this year of Oppenheimer, I rode to all three Manhattan Project National Historical Parks (TN, WA, NM) which completed the circle as we've been to Hiroshima and also saw the Enola Gay at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C. I also made time to ride the length of the Icefields Parkway in Alberta between Jasper and Lake Louise, which I haven't done for a few years. On top of the history and scenery, I got a puncture in my rear tire for the first time since 1981,” recalled Bruce.
He rode several RoadRUNNER routes this year as well, including the entire Ohio Windy 9.
“RoadRUNNER provides insight into many areas, such as neat local roads and dining establishments, and not just for motorcycle tours. For example, we are heading to Texas in April (just a little too early to get the bike out of the Great White North) for the solar eclipse and MotoGP race, and the Shamrock Tour® in the Oct ‘23 magazine could not have come at a more opportune time!” Bruce concluded.
Candidate Mileage Master (3rd place overall)
Dan Chance with 21,889 miles from Vail, AZ
Dan rode a 2021 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special
Dan’s favorite ride was a 15-day trip in June with his two sons, during which they rode a 4,800-mile counterclockwise route from Tucson, AZ, to Sandpoint, ID, and Seattle, WA, before returning to Tucson via the West Coast. His longest ride was 5,122 miles in October from Tucson to Key West, FL, and back.
At the spry age of 77, Dan also completed two certified Iron Butt rides—a Saddlesore 1,000 and a Butt Burner Gold 1,500.
In July and September, he rode to the MotoAmerica motorcycle races in Monterey, CA, and Austin, TX. The highlight of this journey was watching Kyle Wyman, the Harley-Davidson King of the Baggers factory rider, win at both venues.
“The best RoadRUNNER route that I rode was the Devil’s Highway, US 191 in Arizona. I've done this ride multiple times, as it affords some of the best mountain scenery, combined with more twisties than the Tail of the Dragon. RoadRUNNER magazine provides a variation of articles for most all types of motorcycle travel and touring, often with maps. It has been a valuable resource for my dual sport and street riding experiences.”
We also drew names at random for prizes in each category. The lucky winners are:
+15,000-Mile Group (1st Drawing)
Mark Netti with 17,648 miles from Reno, NV
Mark rode a 2018 Honda Gold Wing Tour
Mark’s favorite ride was the US Four Corners where he rode just shy of 12,110 miles with his buddy, Kent. The best part of the trip was visiting the battleship USS North Carolina and having his wife meet up with him in North Dakota before riding back to Reno with him for the final 1,387 miles.
“I went through two sets of tires and even got a chance to ride the Tail of the Dragon. RoadRUNNER magazine was very helpful in the planning of this trip with tips on packing and best routes to take with the free Tankbag Maps in the magazine.”
+15,000-Mile Group (2nd Drawing)
Blaine Paulus Jr. with 16,997 miles from Biglerville, PA
Blaine rode a 2007 BMW K 1200 GT
Blaine’s favorite ride was to Colorado and Utah, riding with his son Ethan, his wife Vitoria, and her brother Jerry and cousin Shelby. With all of his motorcycles, he clocked over 50,000 miles during the contest period, but he put the most miles on his K 1200 GT coming in just short of 17,000.
“A lot of the Colorado/Utah trip was a combination of RoadRUNNER maps. I enjoy the maps and articles. When our group gets together to plan trips, RoadRUNNER magazines are one of our main resources.”
10-15,000-Mile Group
Gregory Tafelski with 12,500 miles from St. Petersburg, FL
Greg rode a 2021 Indian Chieftain.
Greg’s favorite ride traversed the Canadian Rockies from Banff, with a stop at Lake Louise, to Jasper. He said, “It was the most beautiful ride any of us has seen. The mountains on either side framing the road, with miles of mirror flat lakes as you sweep your way north, are surreal.”
Greg’s longest trip earned him 10,000 miles over 30 days, stretching from Florida to Alaska and back with his friends Ted and Tom. They rode through rain, gravel, sand, and mud—smiling through every mile. “Documenting and sharing this Iron Horse Adventure on YouTube was worth the many hours of editing so we can relive the bucket list trip,” he said.
“Between the Canadian border and Tok, AK, one of our riders hit a pothole (there were many) and cracked his front rim. Being there were no options for a tow or a new wheel, we used J.B. Weld on the four-inch split. Amazingly enough, it held pressure for 800 miles until we made it to Washington. Our fortunate rider has a new road name, J.B.”
“Every issue of RoadRUNNER feeds my impulse to load up and get on the road. Next year, we will be riding the Pacific Coast Highway, and the Oct ‘23 Coastal Range article by John Flores has provided valuable information for planning the northern section of the route,” Greg concluded.
5-10,000-Mile Group
Judy Miller with 8,686 miles from Salem, Ohio
Judy rode a 2018 Yamaha Star Venture TC.
“My favorite trip was riding alongside my husband to Colorado from Ohio for an eight-day guided tour of the Mountain Giants'. The tour took us over several high mountain passes with beautiful views.
“We also rode through portions of the Rocky Mountain National Park. We are looking forward to going back in the near future to ride in the areas we missed. There is so much to see out west,” Judy said.
Her most memorable moments included riding through snowy mountains in Colorado and a three-day rally in Wellsboro, PA, which included the area around the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania with other Yamaha Venture and Eluder riders.
“This year, we attended the motorcycle rally in Athens, OH, and rode a few of the Windy 9 routes. RoadRUNNER is a great way for us to find those bucket-list rides to add to ours.”
2-5,000-Mile Group
Craig Rasmussen with 3,915 miles from Kula, HI
Craig rode a 2018 Kawasaki Versys 1000
Craig stores his bike on the mainland and travels over from Hawaii to complete long-distance motorcycle rides. This year, he started in Denver, CO, and rode to Bemidji, MN, to begin the Great River Road. He followed the route to Venice, LA, and his bike is currently stored in Baton Rouge for next year's ride.
“Following the Great River Road can be a challenge, and I was lost a number of times (each day) but that only led to seeing more of the country and meeting helpful folks along the way. I loved the people in the South as they are friendly and will go out of their way to help out.”
“I use RoadRUNNER magazine for advice on traveling and inspiration for the next riding season. Keep up the good articles.”
Thanks to all who participated in the 2023 Mileage Masters contest. Keep your eyes peeled for next year’s contest to win an all-inclusive motorcycle trip with our editor-in-chief, Florian Neuhauser! Details will be announced in spring 2024.