The 2022 Cross Country Chase will be finishing on September 25th on the iconic Santa Monica Pier, also known as, the end of Route 66.
The Chase is a cross-country challenge for riders astride motorcycles that were manufactured between the years of 1930-1960. The Cross Country Chase is a test of endurance, speed, navigation, and knowledge, and will reveal the who’s who of the antique motorcycle world.
This year’s event will see more than 100 riders traversing, on their antique motorcycles, our interpretation of Route 66. They will depart from Springfield, Illinois, and arrive at the Santa Monica Pier for this 10-day endurance run covering 2,330 miles. This endeavor is extremely challenging, as riders and machines could endure fatigue, mental exhaustion, cold, heat, elevations, and all the elements of Mother Nature, not to mention the demands of keeping their vintage machines in running order. Riders will navigate the course of the Cross Country Chase with the assistance of paper maps (no GPS routing allowed!), and no support crews of any kind will be allowed during the event.
On September 14 at the Hazel Dell Elementary School in Illinois, will be an assembly from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm for a presentation of bicycles by All Kids Bike, a national movement, led by the Strider Education Foundation, to place Kindergarten PE Learn-To-Ride programs into public schools for free, using donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations. The Cross Country Chase has donated bicycles to the school as a way to give back to the community for allowing us to start there, and also to encourage young people to get on two wheels. It will be a common practice for us to donate to both the Chase and its sister event, the Motorcycle Cannonball, to give back to some of the communities that we visit.
The evening of September 14 will be a special bike night that will take place from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm on Washington Street, adjacent to President Abraham Lincoln Doubletree Hotel. This event is sponsored by Hall’s Harley Davidson, a Springfield business institution since 1962.
On Thursday, September 15, riders will reach their end-of-day stop at Route 66 Motorheads. Motorcycles will be on display between 3:00pm- 5:30pm.
For more information about this event please visit their website: https://themotorcyclechase.com/