“People golf for recreation, I don’t golf. People jog, I don’t jog,” says Sonixphere’s CEO/creative director Greg Allan. “What I do for fun is ride a motorcycle.” Actually, Allan will be having fun and riding for a good cause on Sunday, Aug. 28, when he and some 10-20 other easy riders zoom off for the inaugural “Sons of Advertising Motorcycle Run.”
The Run is for a good cause: support of nonprofit Wounded Warrior Project, that raises awareness and offers assistance to military men and women who became injured during service to our country.
“This is a super cool thing to do. There are 20 people in the ad community who ride, and even if a few of them come, once we get to New Lenox, we’ll be riding with hundreds of other bikers from all over the state,” says Allan.
The Chicago contingent will meet at 8:30 a.m. outside Sonixphere’s offices, 445 E. Ohio. They will ride the 43 miles southwest to the New Lenox Municipal Center, arriving by 10 a.m. to join other riders for a hearty pancake breakfast.
At noon, the riders remount for the 30 mile scenic ride to the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery in Elwood, escorted by Illinois State and county police cars to assure an uninterrupted flow of traffic.
In Elwood, they can groove together, have a brew and hear three bands – all for a $15 donation, “although larger donations are accepted,” Allan says.
All of the money raised on Sunday goes directly to the Wounded Warrior Project, including all revenue from sale of beer, which is being entirely donated to the event.
This is Allan’s third year participating in the Wounded Soldier Project. “I started ‘Sons of Advertising,’ with a nod to my favorite TV show, ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ because a lot of my industry colleagues share my passion for motorcycle riding and it’s a way to promote camaraderie and introduce them to a worthy cause,” he says.
Allan has been riding since he was 18, and admits to being a wannabe motorcycle gang member. “I didn’t have a bike for a while and recently bought a new Harley, a Softail custom. It costs as much as a car.” When asked if that car was a Kia or a BMW, he laughs and says, “Let’s say it was somewhere in the middle. A Camry.”
Interested cyclists can call Allan at 312/329-1310 for more details.
