The Fools Ride ADV Rally
April 24-27, 2025... A great way to knock off the winter cobwebs! Come on out and enjoy the hilly Northeast Ohio River Valley, it's many tributaries, picturesque and unique views, and all the fine Ohio ADV, Dual Sport, & "ADV Dual Sporting".
Enjoy the ride, the sights, the odd roadside attractions, small town charms, and be challenged by Appalachian ADV’s local loops near Richmond, Ohio. Each loop encompasses 50-150 miles of two-lane county pavers, off the beaten path gravel roads, “No Maintenance” dirt lanes, forgotten county roads, and plenty expert challenge areas. There is a twisty pavement route, basic ADV routes, as well as Intermediate-level and Expert-level Dual Sport and #ADVDualSporting routes. There will also be a guided single track loop that will be open to small bikes ONLY, no mid- to large-bore Adventure bikes on this loop.
Group ride sign-up will be available upon check-in at the event for all skill levels. The expert challenge areas are optional on the Intermediate ADV courses. If you do tackle the optional expert areas or the Dual Sport loops be ready for big bike deadlifting! The ADV and Dual Sport routes are graded based on ADV bikes. Dual Sport bikes are welcome and will have a slightly easier time on the ADV and Dual Sport courses, but still get plenty of challenges. Dual Sport bikes are only allowed on the single track loop. Friday and Saturday guided rides are full day affairs. There will be a 50 mile guided ride available on Thursday afternoon after base camp opens for check-in. The Sunday guided ride is also 50 miles with the intention to have the groups back by 1-2 pm. The straight ADV routes (dirt/gravel roads) will be shared with registrants for self-paced/guided riding and can be used for riding on Thursday through Sunday.
Fools Base Camp will be set up on 80+ acres of private land just outside Richmond, Ohio. A powered outbuilding is set up as The Fools Meeting Barn and there is plenty of space for tents and trailers/pop-ups/campers (rustic). Weather-pending, each night we will stoke a bonfire to accompany the American Legion Birdfish Beer Garden and your tall tales of Fools Shenanigans! We will also have demo bikes from Point View Cycle KTM to romp around the property! Fools Base Camp will open up for registration and camp set up at 12pm on Thursday April 24th with the showing of the latest Backcountry Discovery Routes Documentary at 7pm. No pets will be allowed at Base Camp.
Each year we hold the American Legion Fundraiser Rides at Birdfish Brewery, with the upcoming event on June 7th. At the Fools Ride, we set up the American Legion Birdfish Beer Garden where all donations are put towards the Fundraiser! Donations are used for various Veteran causes.
Mama Wags and the rest of the Fools Base Camp Crew are ready to give you the Friends and Family treatment! For the Full Rally Pass: Breakfast will be provided on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Dinner will be provided on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. See below for details about our 1- & 2-Day Passes. Lunch and gas are available along the routes and there are several places to pick up supplies near base camp. There are gas stations to the southwest (in Richmond 5 minutes) and northeast (in Knoxville 7 minutes) of The Fools Base Camp. The town of Richmond has a couple gas stations, McConnell's Farm Market, Richmond Country Market, Jax's Pizza, and a Dollar General.
Travelling by ADV motorcycle to the event and don’t want to haul & set up/breakdown your campsite? Choose to stay in a comfortable canvas tent during the Fools Ride! ADV Bound LLC will have single and double occupancy tents which includes cots or air mattresses, sleeping bags & pillows, comfortable camping chairs, charging bank or generator connection, rug, lantern, and towels. Contact Kurt Blankemeyer at (850) 445-4020 for details. Pricing includes all of the above, glamping Thursday through Sunday, as well as set-up and tear down. The single occupancy will add $140 and double adds $200 to your total rally pass. Select your options under Rally Passes!
Josh Hudson from "Roll Model: Trust, Try, Triumph" will be running a motorcycle accident response clinic on Saturday evening titled: Biker Down: Now What?! This clinic addresses what to do when you come across a collision: safe the scene, the legal issues, immediate emergency aid, how to prepare for EMS to arrive. They say that it isn’t a matter of “if” but “when” there will be an accident. Knowing what to do and what not to do can be the difference between making things better or worse. The clinic is not intended to certify individuals on first aid protocols but help riders gain basic awareness and knowledge as well as an opportunity to gain some hands on experience. The clinic will last approximately 1.5 hours and will include:
-Should you help? What is your legal and ethical responsibility? Good Samaritan Laws
-Assess the scene. Make scene safe for you. Make scene safe for them. What to consider in the environment
-Assess the situation, Evaluate the rider. Dos and Don’ts
-Critical Care. BBBB- Bleeding, Breathing, Broken Bones... Helmets & Riding Gear
-Bleeding management
-Breathing non-certification CPR
-Broken Bones. Splints and Immobilization
-Communication: DCAP-BLTS (Trauma) & OPQRST (Pain)
-Special consideration when you are in the wilderness
Participants will receive email communications prior to the event with more information including the location of The Fools Base Camp; more specifics about the available ADV, Dual Sport, ADV Dual Sporting, and Single-Track loops; introductions to our Leads; discount codes from some of our collaborators; etc.
What's Included (Full Rally Pass):
-Multiple routes (loops) for all skill levels covering 600+ miles in 3 counties
-Group Rides for all skill levels on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday
-GPX file for the beginner to intermediate ADV routes for self-paced/guided
-Latest BDR Documentary on Thursday evening
-Goodie Bags for all from our Sponsors
-Door Prizes (Friday Night right after dinner)
-Demo Rides from Point View Cycle KTM
-3 Dinners (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)
-3 Mama Wag's Americana Breakfasts (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)
-Coffee (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday)
-Access to the American Legion Birdfish Beer Garden
-Access to Saturday Evening's "Biker Down: Now What?!" motorcycle accident response clinic
-All forms of Rustic Camping or the option to add ADV Bound LLC Glamping at base camp near Richmond, Ohio
-Truck/Trailer, RV, Camper parking at base camp
-Rider support and recovery services
-The Fools Photo Dump...Appalachian ADV sets up a shared folder so ride participants can upload and download shared pictures!
What's Not Included (All Passes):
-Motorcycle
-Gas
-Lunch
-Personal insurance and incidentals
1- & 2-Day Passes:
Friday & Saturday Pass (2-Day Pass):
-Thursday night camping & dinner
-Friday Breakfast
-Friday night camping & dinner
-Saturday Breakfast
-Friday & Saturday Guided/Self-Guided Rides
-Goodie Bag, Door Prizes, and other items noted above
Saturday & Sunday Pass (2-Day Pass):
-Friday night camping & dinner
-Saturday breakfast
-Saturday night camping & dinner
-Sunday breakfast
-Saturday & Sunday Guided/Self-Guided Rides
-Goodie Bag, Door Prizes, and other items noted above
Saturday Only Pass (1-Day Pass):
-Friday night camping
-Saturday breakfast & dinner
-Saturday Guided/Self-Guided Rides
-Goodie Bag and other items noted above
There are a limited number of 1 & 2 day passes!
Volunteer Passes:
Join the Fools Ride Basecamp Crew! Mama Wags, Wife Ashley, and Cousin Jackie are looking for some help from Rallygoers &/or their partners/friends! We are looking for help around Breakfasts and Dinners in the form of prep, serving, and clean-up.
If you or a loved one signs up to volunteer we have some special appreciations to share. If you bring a non-riding guest to the Rally and they volunteer to help for at least three meals then they eat free at all meals. Any volunteer that signs up to help for at least one meal will recieve a special discount code to a future Appalachian ADV event (transferrable from the non-riding guest to the Rallygoer). We will bump up the discount for each meal the person volunteers for and these codes will be good for any one event after The 2025 Fools Ride and beyond (rally, tour, or clinic).
Sign yourself up for The Fools Ride then email [email protected] to let us know you are interested in a Volunteer spot for the Rallygoer and/or non-riding guest! There are 6 meals total (dinner Thursday, Friday, Saturday and breakfast Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and we are shooting for around 5 Volunteers per meal.
Friends of the The Fools:
Neighbor's Moto Club (Knarps Adventure Division)
ALL TICKET SALES CLOSE ON FRIDAY APRIL 20, 2025 unless we sell out first! Online sales only, no ticket sales at the event.
Please review our FAQs for answers to common questions including our definitions of ADV Skill Levels and Terrain Ratings.
Disclaimers: Riders of The Fools Ride must be a minimum age of 16 years old due to the requirement of street-legal motorcycles but families are welcome at Base Camp! Waiver forms will be made available and completion is required prior to participation. Appalachian ADV events are an all-weather affair, we like nature and everything it throws at us. Please ensure your motorcycle is current on all maintenance requirements. A minimum 50/50 tire is recommended for ADV and Dual Sport riding but Appalachian ADV strongly suggests a more dirt-oriented tire that is fresh and includes some level of knobblies, especially if you will be tackling the more technical routing (MOTOZ). Appropriate armor for your body and bike as well as the appropriate skill, mental toughness, and attitude are also required! The conditions of “No Maintenance” roads, Hero Sections/Expert Challenges, Off-Road Tracks, and some dirt roads change with the seasons and the weather, these should be considered Moderate to Expert rated. Paved streets and gravel thoroughfares are considered Easy to Moderate rated. The goal is to challenge yourself and have fun! So, be prepared to pick up your bike with a smile!