The 19th Jamie Torkelson Fallen Biker Memorial Run was held Saturday and had an excellent turnout as riders paid tribute to a friend.
Torkelson died at 28 in a motorcycle accident in May of 2005 and family and friends have honored his memory each year since with a group ride. Jamie was the son of Randy and Linda Torkelson of Windom who also have a daughter, Jessica.
Randy Torkelson spoke to the crowd before the ride started, thanking everyone for coming out and emphasizing safety and fun for the ride which had nearly perfect weather with not too much heat and a light breeze.
“I think we’ll do one more year next year for the 20th, and that will be it,” said Torkelson. “Let’s make it a good one today.”
Randy read a biker’s prayer and then the group fired up the bikes and headed out on the highway.
Torkelson said the ride went well. The group idled through Windom first and drove by the residence of Ben and Mari Byam to show support for Ben and his family in his fight with cancer.
The bikers then throttled on the open road to Round Lake for lunch and later stopped in Lakefield before returning to Duffy’s and the Phat Pheasant in Windom for supper and a night of entertainment and camaraderie.
For more details on this story, please see the August 30 edition of the Citizen.
