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The thunder of over 100 V-twin motorcycle engines echoed through the lower Roaring Fork Valley as the Kyle Petty Charity Ride roared into Glenwood Springs Sunday afternoon.
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“This is fantastic, to be able to have 250 riders coming through Glenwood on a beautiful Sunday afternoon — its wonderful for the town and raises money for the Victory Junction,” Glenwood Mayor Jonathan Godes said.
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“Any time you can have this kind of activity in town to raise money for a good cause — it’s a massive win for everybody.”
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More than 100 fans lined Sixth Street in front of the historic Hotel Colorado to see and meet Kyle Petty, Herschel Walker, Max Papis, Krista Voda, Rick Allen and more.
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Former NFL great and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker said it was the second time he’s been in Glenwood Springs in less than a week.
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“We rode up last week to Seattle to meet and stayed here Tuesday of last week,” Walker said.
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“It was a great ride, beautiful country. That’s one thing I told someone, I never appreciated the United States until I got on a motorcycle.”
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While in Glenwood Walker said he was looking forward to healing up the toe he recently hurt.
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“I love riding. We have a lot of fun. A lot of people on the ride are almost like family now,” Walker added.
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Christian Henny, general manager of the Hotel Colorado, said, “It’s amazing to have a group come in and buy out the whole hotel, giving revenue to the hotel and all the restaurants and bars in town. Everybody is going to have a great night tonight.”
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Local law enforcement including the Glenwood Springs Police Department and Garfield County Sheriff helped escort the 150 motorcycles and support vehicles into the valley.
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The city of Glenwood pitched in and closed down Sixth Street in front of Hotel Colorado for a commemorative photo and motorcycle parking.
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For Kyle Petty the best part about coming into Glenwood Springs is the scenery.
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“We live back east, man. You don’t have this scenery. Rolling in here to see all these fans is pretty cool,” Petty said.
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Petty and his wife, Morgan, who has family that lives in Aspen that met them in Glenwood Sunday, planned on going out for dinner while in Glenwood for the night.
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“Will probably end up back in the lobby,” Petty added.
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The ride will depart Glenwood at 8:15 a.m. Monday, for day four of the nine-day ride from Seattle, Washington, to Key Largo, Florida.
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Colorado stops along the way will include Buena Vista and Alamosa, before heading into New Mexico.
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For fans the Glenwood stop was a big hit, with autograph seekers lining Sixth Street for the chance to meet the celebrities during their visit.
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“You have legends like Kyle Petty and Herschel Walker — that’s kind of cool,” Mayor Godes added.