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The Meetup: Tech Betrayals and Catching the Pack
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They say it’s not a real group ride unless at least three things go completely off script, and this Sunday’s bike run with the AZ Riders group definitely delivered.The morning started with a classic tech betrayal. After years of running an Android, I recently made the switch to an iPhone, which decided to kill the navigation right as Sarah and I were trying to navigate out of South Chandler. We missed our turn, got set back about ten minutes, and had to hustle to catch the 50-something bikes leaving the QT on 19th Ave.Thankfully, we caught them on the street, tucked right into formation, and I immediately fired up the Insta360 X6 to grab some crazy rolling shots on the freeway as we blasted toward stop number one
Stop 1: Accidental Toll Evasion at Dillon’s Bayou
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Rolling up to Dillon’s Bayou at Pleasant Harbor brought our first real snag, a $10 entrance fee that about half of the pack completely missed. We casually cruised right past the booth, sparking an accidental biker gang toll evasion.

The poor security lady had to track us down and herd everyone back to pay, but she was incredibly cool about the whole thing. Once we finally had our receipts in hand, I broke out the professional camera, started snapping shots, and introduced myself around before we all grabbed a quick breakfast by the water.
Stop 2: Swarming Buc-ee's and a Burnout Lesson
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From the lake, we swarmed the Buc-ee's in Goodyear, which was an experience I am in no rush to repeat. The place was absolutely packed, and while everyone was super welcoming, the sheer volume of people was overwhelming.

We kept it mostly civilized right up until the very end, when one rogue rider decided to liven things up. He pulled in to demonstrate the fine art of a dual burnout right there in the lot.

Management promptly invited us to leave, which was our cue to hit the road.
Coming in Hot and Shedding Parts
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Not five minutes after we had hit the freeway, the rider in front of us literally started shedding parts. Sarah spotted it right as his entire air filter blew off and bounced across the asphalt, narrowly missing our front tire.We never leave a bike behind, so as soon as he hit the shoulder, we were right there with him.This particular stretch of highway is notorious for angry cagers, so while the rider's dad broke out a multitool to re-bolt the intake, I played traffic cop on the shoulder.People were screaming, cursing, and one driver even intentionally swerved at us, but we got the bike secure and made sure they merged back into traffic safely.
Stop 3: Regrouping at the Historic Gillespie Dam Bridge
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A few miles down the road, we found our good friend, Michael, waiting on the shoulder for us. We rolled into the Historic Gillespie Dam Bridge about 20 minutes behind the main pack, but we still managed to squeeze in for the big group photo, explore the area, and snap some great cinematic shots of the bikes against the ironwork.
Beating the Storm: A Detour to Desert Rose
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While the rest of the pack roared off to finish the scheduled run at Twin Peaks, we decided to break off and pivot to Desert Rose Bar and Grill to rehydrate.

A storm was fast approaching, turning the cool riding breeze into thick humidity almost instantly. After a quick bite to wait out the worst of the weather, we cruised the Road Glide back to Chandler, where I immediately dumped the SD cards and dove into the editing cave to get these photos ready to share with the group.