Executive Report - September 2025

John Reblin

Never Let a Runner Run Alone

This is the weather we enjoy riding in. Some sun, some heat, along with a little rain to slow you down here and there. The long forecast says enjoy this time of the year. Make sure you drink lots of water to stay hydrated, take some breaks, and get in the shade. It seems the riding season started off cold and wet, and then like a switch, it turned nice out. But then the once-in-1000-year storm comes along with over 12 inches of rain in some areas down here in the southeast corner of the state. Hope all of you were able to stay safe and dry.

Things seem to be in a bit of a lull right now with the State Legislature on a bit of a break for the summer. But that doesn’t mean we should be letting the staff off easy. We need to make sure we keep working on them about our Right to Repair and Fuel Choice. Like Steve said, we did get a democrat to sign onto the bill. But we can always use more people on both sides of the aisle to support our agenda. Make those phone calls, sign up for the alerts, and do them as you receive them. Talk to your representatives as you visit the local events that they are at. They enjoy seeing their constituents at events and discussing issues and other things going on in the area. It is a great time to see them in a relaxed atmosphere.

I was able to get up to Duke’s regional meeting in 3A and had a great time. It was really great to talk to some of the members up that way who went to the County Highway Safety Meetings to discuss issues facing motorcyclists on the road. These meetings are held in every county 4 times a year. They are required by the State to hold these meetings. When I go to these meetings, they are glad to see outside participation, and we have knowledge that we can share with them. The meetings are pretty laid back, at least the ones I attended, and they are looking for input. This is where you can give thoughts on the roads, sight lines, to improve markings and lines. I suggest everyone attend one and see how you can help influence local policy.

Plans are in the works to attend the Governor’s Conference on Highway Safety to see what is in the plans on the State level. It is being held at Kalahari Resort in the Dells. The State had to sign a multi-year agreement to get a decent price on hotel space; this should be the last year of that agreement. The location is central and has plenty of room, but I am not a huge fan of all the patrons not involved running about. But that is just me. Hopefully, the breakouts will be interesting, and we should be able to share some great information.

One thing going on at the conference is the MoSAC meeting. We will spend some time seeing what is going on with crashes this year. It has not been a great year so far. Hopefully, we can look at some trends to share with other riders that can help us all make it home safely after each ride.

I was able to go on the ride to the Wisconsin Motorcycle Memorial Park in Door County. It is a great ride; the scenery is great, but it was also a bit sad as stones were laid for Polack and John Wiedenhoeft in their memory. They were both great people, and both will be missed by all. The Little Flower and I spent some time talking with others, sharing stories, and walking around the grounds finding stones of others that we lost and stones for friends still here, sharing stories and helping out ABATE of Wisconsin. Spending time sharing those memories, laughing, and sometimes hiding a tear for those who were close. If you have time, I recommend that you take a ride and if you have not been here to check out the grounds.

One last thing, I read a weekly motivational thing by one of those “crazy” people who run Ultras. An Ultra Race is any foot race over a marathon distance of 26.2 miles in length. I have heard of some running for several days and over 200 miles. The thought of the runners participating starts off within the same military mindset, you never leave someone behind. In this run group, they never leave a runner to run alone; someone is always with them. Whether a new runner or someone having an off day, they have the support of the person next to them. The new runner has the support and knowledge of someone with experience to help them along, and the experienced person has the motivation and experience to just keep going and finishing. This thought is carried through on the shorter runs and races also. Words of encouragement are given out. If you stumble and fall, someone will stop pick you up and help you to the finish line. This is what we should be doing in ABATE of Wisconsin. We should be supporting that new member, showing them the dos and don’ts and explaining why. We should be supportive and teach them, along with making them feel at home and able to reach our finish line. Same with the old timer. There is a time when you hit a rut. Sometimes you just don’t want to do the job, or maybe something is not going right, and you stumble. We need to be there to support those people and help them finish because that is what WE do to help friends and family, and that’s how WE make ABATE of Wisconsin stronger.

That’s it. Ride safe, Ride lots.

John