1926 Harley Davidson JD

Gary Shorman Bio Cannonball Rider #27 2/01/2023​ Alive2ride! Questionable friends and the quest for new roads on old motorcycles led me to the 2019 Cross Country Chase…and now to my second Cannonball. The Chase was not only an adventure, but for me was a life changing fork in the road. Since then, I finished with perfect mileage score on the 2021 Chase through the Ozarks and a perfect score in the 2021 Cannonball. Old motorcycles are an adventure in fun, but my 2019 Chase was also memorable AND life changing. While hiding in the lady’s department at a Harley stop along the Chase route, I spent some time on the phone scheduling a biopsy to check for prostate cancer. With no symptoms, but only an elevated PSA number, I thought the call was a waste of time and my high PSA number was the result of bouncing my prostate around on old motorcycle seats. It turns out I was very wrong. On November 5th a call from my doctor confirmed I had an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Eight weeks later a robot and excellent doctor successfully removed my prostate. Proactive PSA testing turned out to be a lifesaving test. Once finished with all of this, I started Alive2Ride.org, a not-for-profit organization, with the sole purpose of promoting PSA testing for men above 40…especially hard-headed motorcycle enthusiasts! Check out the website, Alive2Ride.org. There is great information on the site about the ease of PSA testing, even a free gift for men who get tested. Now back to Cannonballs…In 2016 I traveled from Hays to Dodge City to see Terry Richardson and his bike as they traveled on the Cannonball through Kansas. There were a bunch of cool old bikes, and a big crowd, but no Terry. His bike was on the trailer with a blown engine. So…the story begins! In 2018, I traveled on my 2011 Harley Street Glide to Pierre, South Dakota to see Terry and other Cannonball riders as they passed through the state. Terry was joined on this Cannonball with my friends the Patterson brothers from Hays, KS. Terry was running strong, but the Patterson bike blew its engine on the long hill up to Pierre. There is still much discussion about whether it was driver error, but either way, it was time to tear things apart. Two days later the Patterson bike with a newly repaired engine, was back in the Cannonball and finished the race. The challenge was too much fun to resist, so I rode my Alive2Ride bike in the 2021 Cannonball. My Alive2Ride bike was built by Pat Patterson, with an engine and transmission rebuild by Rob Nussbaum, and finishing touches by Chris Coss. It’s a special 1926 Harley Davidson JD, with a 1929 dual headlight front fork. It’s certainly unique and is very fun to ride. The 2021 Cannonball was an amazing adventure across the country, running north to south. My bike ran well and together we finished with a perfect score. The bike and I are both back for the 2023 Cannonball. Look for the dual headlights, and I’ll be looking for you at the starting line or along this amazing ride across our county. Hopefully our paths will cross along the way. Stay Alive2Ride…get tested! Website: Alive2ride.org E-mail: gary@alive2ride.org