First Hoka Hey riders reach Homer; first to arrive not necessarily winner

Harleys in Wyoming. Only Harley-Davidsons could compete in the Hoka Hey. (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

The race schedule called for riders in the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge to reach Homer, AK, on July 4, but several of them are already there. The first to arrive, however, will not necessarily be declared the winner. According to the rules as posted, the winner must have followed the course as laid out and successfully meet various verification criteria.

The Hoka Hey is an endurance challenge that began Sunday, June 20, in Key West, FL. Riders stopped at a number of checkpoints, working their way across the southern U.S. to New Mexico, then turned north to Wyoming, and headed from there across Montana and parts of Canada, to Alaska. The sole winner is to receive a prize of $500,000 in Alaskan gold.

Radio station KKBI in Homer reported that at 4:20 a.m. Monday, Frank Kelly of Prosperity, SC, and Will Barclay of Highland, FL, crossed the finish line. A third rider, Alaskan Eric Wickre, of Homer, arrived several hours later, and more have since reached the finish line. Wickre acknowledged not following the route and was skeptical that anyone could have followed the route and reached Homer before him.

"Nobody can honestly pass a polygraph saying they stayed on route because the routes are wrong. They don't lead to where you're supposed to be," he said on the radio interview.

Wickre questioned the legitimacy of the event and said he doubts anyone will be awarded the prize money. He is not alone in his doubts. Questions have been raised since the very beginning of the race and many of the riders have pressed on simply because they were enjoying the challenge.

Numerous injuries and a death

It has indeed been a challenge. At least 16 riders have gone down, some with serious injuries, and one has died. Chuck Lynn died when he crashed near Douglas, WY, on Saturday. The Wyoming Highway Patrol said it appears he fell asleep and ran off the road.

Hoka Hey riders are covering long distances with a minimum of sleep. One of the rules of the event is that they stay with their bikes at all times, and this has meant sleeping in parking lots and alongside the road with the bikes.

Relatives of other downed riders posted reports about the accidents. Kim Zemla said that, "My dad, Max Zemla, went down yesterday :( a big buck jumped out in front of him in Montana. He is ok. He was wearing his leathers so when he slid 75 ft he did not get road rash. He has a broken leg."

Roxanna (no last name given) reported that, "My brother-in-law, John Clower, wiped out and spent over 24 hours off the road near memphis, but got back on his bike with a few repairs and a new helmet. He is now somewhere past Pine Ridge, but we don’t know where."

According to Loretta Eggert, "My husband, Troy Eggert from MN is also out of the challenge. He nodded off and ran head on into a dumptruck on the highway... THANK GOD he is alive. He is expected to be released from OK hospital within the next few days."

Scam still alleged

Meanwhile rumors and speculation continue to fly around Homer and on the Facebook discussion board for the event. With $500,000 at stake, Joseph (no last name given) said, "I'd be more concerned about the validity of how the organizers are going to verify things. Polygraphs are notoriously inaccurate and it doesn't sound like they've got any other backup methods."

Eric Wickre's daughter, Christina, posted the following.

1) The organizers have checked out of their hotel in Homer, AK as of yesterday.

2) Jim Red Cloud a.k.a. Jim Durham says he's a lawyer but he is not admitted to any bar in any state of this country. Nor under the name James, or any variation of spelling of Red Cloud.

3) The maps given to the riders contained roads that did not intersect, even though the maps said they did. According to the rules, that means EVERY rider had to go off route and therefore EVERY rider is disqualified.

4) The riders were supposed to be lined up at kick off in the order they were admitted into the race. In reality, it was a whoever-got-to-the-starting-line-first free for all.

5) At the pre-race meeting, Big Jim flat out told the riders he lied and used them and their money to get food and water to his people.

The HOAX-A HEY is a scam. Flat out. Spread the word.

The situation was summed up well by Carla Banvard Simons, who said, "HH is still dancing around questions and giving out answers that don't match up. Well, 6 days and we'll know if HH is for real or not. No winner announced till July 4th. And awarding the pot of ALASKAN GOLD?? who knows when/if that will happen. But my congrats to ALL those who finish the ride. They deserve it."

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