AMA Riding Announces 5 Grand Tours

The Grand Tours are backed by Kampgrounds of America (KOA) which is providing discounts for riders taking part. All riders who finish a Grand Tour event will receive an entry in the series grand prize drawing in December. Those who complete at least four of the five Grand Tours will receive a Master Grand Tourer certificate and an additional entry in the grand prize drawing.

We had a great season in 2008, with more riders joining more of our tours than ever, says Dave Hembroff of AMA Riding. This year, we are expanding the opportunities for riders to experience the fun and excitement of these self-directed riding competitions.

These clubs have years of experience with road events, says Hembroff. With their help and imagination, this is looking to be our most rewarding Grand Tour season yet.

The 2009 AMA Grand Tours Series with KOA Along the Way includes:

The Color the World with KOA Grand Tour presented by the Midnight Riders

Riders are required to take a picture of their bike at 30 destinations with one of ten colors in their name such as White County or Silver Creek. Each color will be worth a certain number of points to be determined by a random card draw by the Midnight Riders at the end of the Grand Tour. Entries including photographs must be submitted to the Midnight Riders postmarked no later than Dec. 5, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.midnight-riders-mc.com/

The Grand Tour of Ireland presented by the Irish Riders Motorcycle Club

Reflecting the clubs passion for all things Irish, the Grand Tour of Ireland asks riders earn points by visiting locations across America harkening back to the ol Sod. For more information, visit http://www.irishridersmc.com/.

The American Roadside Attractions Grand Tour presented by Road Winders Motorcycle Club

An 11-foot ball of twine. The automobile graveyard known as Carhenge. The kitschier, the better as far as the Road Winders are concerned. Riders taking part in the American Roadside Attractions Grand Tour must seek out such sites with their cameras at the ready. For more details, email [email protected].

The Ride with the AMA Classic Grand Tour presented by the Dayton Motorcycle Club

In recognition of the AMAs 85th anniversary, the Dayton Motorcycle Club challenges riders to seek out American towns with the letters AMA in their name. There are around 400 cities and towns in the United States with those letters in their name such as Jamaica Plain, Mass., Panama City, Fla. and Kalamazoo, Mich. For more details, visit http://www.daytonmc.com/.

The USA Four Corners Grand Tour presented by the Southern California Motorcycle Association

The SCMAs challenge is simple with only four destinations to reach. The catch is, however, that the four checkpoints are located at the four geographic corners of the contiguous United States. Participants will rack up the mileage as they ride to San Ysidro, Calif., Blaine, Wash., Madawaska, Maine and Key West, Fla. And they only have 21 days to do it. For more information, visit http://www.usa4corners.org/.

To register for any of the five Grand Tours, contact the individual clubs or visit http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/GrandTours09.asp.