Pages

Monday, November 21, 2011

MORRIS MUSEUM ANNOUNCES MOTORCYCLE PROGRAM

Book Signing and Talk with World-record Setter

John Ryan
WHEN: December 1, at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown
ADMISSION: Free

Long-distance motorcyclist John Ryan holds an extraordinary world record: he rode his motorcycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (north of the Arctic Circle),  to Key West, Florida in 86 hours and 31 minutes. Ryan will be at the Morris Museum for a discussion of his long-distance motorcycle riding experiences, and book signing of The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing: Long-Distance Motorcycling’s Endless Road by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. The book will be available for purchase at the museum. This event is offered in conjunction with the exhibition On The Road: 100 Years of Motorcycles in America which is on view through December 4, 2011.

John Ryan describes himself as “a semi-pro bike bum who found his calling in long-distance motorcycling”. He is a 30-year veteran of the road who has broken almost every long-distance record imaginable. Having done stints as a basketball player, painting contractor, nightclub bouncer and postman, Ryan gave up alternative pursuits almost as soon as he discovered the world of long-distance riding.

Book Cover Man Who Would Stop at NothingMelissa Holbrook Pierson’s book, The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing: Long-Distance Motorcycling’s Endless Road [W. W. Norton & Company; $24.95 hardcover] portrays an insider’s view of the men and women of the Iron Butt Association, and her close friendship with John Ryan, which developed as she returned to motorcycling after an eleven-year hiatus. The initiation into the Iron Butt Association is the “SaddleSore” (the completion of 1000 miles within 24 hours) with the goal being the “Iron Butt Rally” (11,000 miles in 11 days). As Pierson explains, one of the greatest challenges and virtues of long-distance motorcycling is the long hours of solitude while biking. Iron Butt motorcyclists have formed a close, intimate, and supportive group, despite the members’ vastly different backgrounds.

Author Information and Book Reviews
Melissa Holbrook Pierson is the author of The Perfect Vehicle, The Place You Love Is Gone, and Dark Horses and Black Beauties. She lives near Woodstock, New York.

“Pierson’s marvelously engaging account of her resumption of long-distance motorcycling after years of hiatus proves pure pleasure for the aficionado. . . . Her stately, lyrical prose, profound respect for the machinery, and sympathy for the extreme adventurers will transport even the most unlikely readers.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“With a lively style and plenty of insight, Pierson produces a must-read for both hands-on and armchair cyclists.”—Booklist