Allen Calvin La Fortune
2003, Leadership
He may not have had the national celebrity many others can claim,
but Million Mile Al was the quintessential motorcycle rider who
definitely "rode to live". As long as he had his bike, he never
needed a car.
Matter of fact, a Harley is the only transportation Al ever owned...
and what he did with it! Al used his bike as most people use their
trucks; he hauled his fishing boat behind his bike from Wisconsin to
Canada year after year, pulled a compact car camper from Texas to
Wisconsin, attached a trailer to haul supplies around town, even
lashed his extension ladder to his bike to take to his roofing
worksite. Al did it all - with his Harley.
Al found such joy in riding with the wind, he became motorcycling's
foremost apostle, whether it was telling his many bike stories to
delighted audiences of all ages, giving young and old their first
cautious rides on the back of his bike, or just a kindly visit to a
motorcycle acquaintance who could no longer ride. Sharing the ride
and encouraging everyone to ride, no matter what their situation,
status, age or sex, was his life.
Since he began riding, Al documented every tank of gas, every mile,
every tire change and officially reached the million mile mark in
1998. He loved the challenge of seeing how far each Harley could go
without touching the motor. His '92 Harley had over 184,000 miles
on the odometer and no repair bills.
Last Summer when Al become seriously ill and often too weak to keep
his Harley upright without help, he still rode, knowing that for him
riding was the best therapy.
His last ride was six days before his death in August 2002. With his
passing, motorcycling lost a kind and gentle man of the road and a
true testament to the joy of the sport.
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