Bike Night Makes Push for Big Tigger's Ride for Life

On Wednesday night, the hum of summer insects played in perfect harmony with the puttering of motorcycles at T.G.I. Friday’s weekly bike night in Greenbelt.

However, this week’s bike night had an added bonus. The Platinum Rollers Motorcycle Club paired with the Street Corner Foundation to register bikers for the fourth annual Big Tigger’s HIV/AIDS Ride for Life.

Big Tigger, host of a morning show on 95.5 WPGC, created the foundation in 2001 after learning of a young girl’s struggle with HIV and added the Ride for Life as an awareness event in 2007.

“People pay attention to a long line of bikes. They stop and say what’s that?” Big Tigger said at bike night.

This year the event, which will start at noon on Saturday, has garnered the attention of high-powered politicians in the area. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker have shown their support for the ride and made appearances on Big Tigger’s radio show.

The Ride for Life will start at the Bowie Baysox’s stadium and go 31 miles to the United Medical Center in Washington D.C.’s Ward 8.

According to Darlene Rowe, the executive director of the Street Corner Foundaion, the Ride for Life chose Ward 8 as the finishing point because it has the highest rate of HIV carriers in Washington D.C.

At the stadium, the Ride for Life will hold a festival from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. with live local bands, food vendors and children’s activities. The festival will also offer free HIV testing.

Motorcyclists have described the ride as almost religious. The itinerary takes the motorcyclists through mostly public areas to attract the most attention.

Ron Ethridge, a motorcyclist and friend of Big Tigger, has a monitor installed on his motorcycle to see behind him. “I rode up in front with Tigger... looking in the screen and seeing all those bikers riding for a cause,” Ethridge said, was an amazing experience.

The Platinum Rollers Motorcycle Club was happy to help Big Tigger’s cause. In conjunction with John Faison, the general manager at the Greenbelt T.G.I. Friday’s, the club has been holding bike weeks every Wednesday to bring together like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts. 

“[Faison] had the foresight to see what a great opportunity this is,” said Sean “Scorpion” Parker, press relations manager for the Platinum Rollers Motorcycle Club.

Hundreds of motorcyclists were lined up in the parking lot by 9 p.m. The low roar of the engines and laughter of patrons could be heard as they signed up for the Ride for Life and showed off their spotless bikes.