From a Basement Office to Industry Recognition

For several years, RoadRUNNER was run from a basement. It served its purpose until we brought on a sales director. Suddenly, there was a second phone ringing constantly and even less room to breathe. Sometimes, Mike Miller had to step out into the backyard just to take a call in peace.

We started looking for more space, and found a proper office in downtown Winston-Salem. It had five rooms—one each for Christian, me, Chris Myers (in-house editor), and Mike. Our administrative assistant shared the front office. With three people named Chris aboard, things got a little confusing when the phone rang, but we managed. And what a luxury it was to close the door when we needed to focus.

Christian planned tours and worked on editorial content and photography for future issues. I handled the administration and production side. We were still operating on a tight budget, so we had to watch every dollar. There were weeks when we weren’t sure we’d make it until a check arrived just in time. Somehow, we kept going.

We worked hard to stay ahead of deadlines, creating content well in advance. Around this time, we also began building a team of regular contributors. Robert Smith, Troy Hendrick, Ken Aiken, Neale Bayly, and later Jim Parks came on. It quickly became a massive operation: coordinating tours, lining up motorcycles, and organizing which products to test out on the road. Christian and I still squeezed as many tours as we could into our packed schedules. Whenever possible, we brought Manuel and Florian, our teenage sons, along for the ride. Our first tour as a family was in central California in 2003. We flew into John Wayne Airport and headed north to San Jose, where we picked up motorcycles from Ducati’s headquarters.

We soon found ourselves battling rush-hour traffic. Christian led the way on a Ducati 749, Manuel rode a Monster S4R, Florian had the SuperSport 1000DS, and I straddled a brand-new Multistrada. We stuck close together to make sure no one got lost. Navigating those multilane highways was nerve-wracking, and I was relieved when we finally veered off onto a quiet, winding mountain road. I’m sure the experience was eye-opening for our boys, but they handled it like pros. It was their first big ride, and it wouldn’t be their last.

Making our Mark

As the magazine grew, so did our presence in the motorcycling world. We attended countless trade shows—particularly the International Motorcycle Shows, a series of about 14 events across major U.S. cities. These weekends were grueling. Christian would work the floor, meeting vendors and industry leaders, while I manned the booth, connecting with attendees and readers.

Touring rallies were a different, more enjoyable story since we got to ride. We brought more of our team along. One year, I talked so much on the first day, I lost my voice and didn’t get it back until we packed up five days later. Events like the Honda Hoot and Americade were full of energy and camaraderie. Over time, they started to feel like reunions. We’d see familiar faces, share stories, and ride together. These gatherings also gave us access to stay abreast of industry trends and test ride the latest bikes.

At the time, the heart of the motorcycle industry was in California. When we built a thriving magazine from North Carolina, it surprised some people. But we showed it could be done—with hard work, passion, and a deep love for the open road.