The Tar Heel State looms large in the September 2022 issue of Ultimate Motorcycling, and for two very different reasons.
First, we sent Senior Editor Nic de Sena to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina to test the new 2022 Yamaha MT-10. It has been quite a while since I rode there—11 years, now that I look it up—and I was mounted on the Suzuki V-Strom 650 Adventure. An adventure was had, as the ride included the storied Blue Ridge Parkway and some hidden off-pavement two-track routes.
Also, Nic flying off to test the latest MT-10 reminded me that my first launch at our ancestral publication, Robb Report MotorCycling, was of the Yamaha FZ1, the grandfather of the MT-10. I tested the FZ1 on the beautiful Northern California coastline, and the magnificent roads that feed it.
The second reason is a bittersweet one. Our Design + Production Director Bri Cumbre and her wonderful family are moving to Harrisburg, North Carolina, after we close this issue.
Bri was one of the first people I met at CurtCo Robb Media, the empire behind Robb Report MotorCycling. Along with Editorial Director and Publisher Arthur Coldwells—who impulsively hired me without thinking it through—Advertising Director Todd Main, and Photo Research Manager Sheila Cothern, Bri’s friendly spirit in the production department made me feel right at home in the rarified atmosphere of the company’s posh Malibu offices. As time went on, even though I never quite fit into the sophisticated CurtCo world, I met countless fascinating and immensely talented people there—a fantastically unforgettable experience.
The good news is, thanks to the magic of the Internet and WFH technology, Bri will continue to produce the Ultimate Motorcycling magazine app, which is consumed by a couple hundred thousand readers monthly. People who read our content online should know that Bri’s husband Raz helped develop UltimateMotorcycling.com.
Of course, we’ll miss Bri, Raz, and Ella, but we can’t help but be excited by their new adventure.
Everyone at Ultimate Motorcycling is like family. And, even though you might not realize it, that includes you, the reader. Thanks for being there for us. We’re thrilled to be here for you.
