The Brew Bikers, a group of about 25 like-minded motorcycle enthusiasts, with some directly involved in the woodworking industry, held their 11th annual ride in honour of their friend and former AWMAC (National and Ontario Chapter) president Carlo DeFrancesco, who passed away earlier this year.
Kevin Greenough, a marketing representative with Blum Canada, says he and Carlo have been riding motorcycles together for 10 years, “and always closed off the year with an annual ride we affectionately called the Brew Bikers.
“We would meet for breakfast, ride a region, and visit an Ontario Craft Brewer for a tour of their facility and then have lunch. This year marked our 11th ride.
“Last year, despite his recent surgeries, Carlo’s son drove his father up to our breakfast meeting, because Carlo didn’t want to break the streak. None of us knew that this was his last time seeing us all together,” Greenough says.
The group’s early rides were with a group that included Kevin Tratt, Frank Sansalone, John Arruda and many, many more who would take part over the years, including Carlo’s son Christopher.
“Our first one was to Creemore Springs. The next one to Rambling Road, and then to the Outlaw Brewery. It was at that time that we joked about how this getting to become a regular event and that we should call ourselves something. That was how we came up with the “Brew Bikers” name. I still remember Carlo’s laugh and stamp of approval.
This past weekend saw them get together for their 11th annual ride with participants coming from many parts of southern Ontario to meet in Port Perry for breakfast.
From there, they rode to Minden, Ontario the long way around as they always did with Carlo.
And this year’s ride was made all the more poignant because Carlo’s son Christopher rode his father’s motorcycle and wore his vest, adorned with patches from the events that him and his dad had travelled together to throughout Canada and the USA.
