It looks like most bikers were too busy celebrating and partying over the two days of the rally to notice the Old Fashioned Bike Games, but a small gathering did take part in Friday’s games.
The Hollister Rally was held July 5 and 6 in downtown Hollister for the first time in five years. New Rally Manager Mark Cresswell brought back the Bike Games, which had been included in prior rallies, but took out the raunchy tone to those prior competitions – particularly the “Weenie Bite” competition.
This year, the Bike Games were held at the end of Sixth Street on Friday and Saturday, though nobody had showed up at the outset of Saturday’s competition. On Friday, though, four people took part in such games as the slow race and another involving the use of a fishing pole to capture rings off of cones.
Japana Hohler won the slow race on Friday. She said she had done one before.
What is her secret to success, other than going slow?
“I just have my own way,” she said with a laugh. “It’s all about the balance and trying not to fall over.”
AJ Jensen, chaplain for Gospel Wheels in San Jose and a member of the Christian Motorcycle Group that ran the Bike Games, explained some of the games before the Saturday start time.
The main feature is a grid used to guide the bikers through the contests. He mentioned “Over the Top” involving the use of a metal bar overhanging the competitors and “Sewer Rat” in which the passenger has to rush “to get back and capture a ball.”
As for the most known bike game, the slow race, the last person over the line wins.
“There are a couple rules,” Jensen said. “You can’t touch the ground or leave your lane.”
