Roswell Resident Attempts Motorcycle Adventure

Imagine riding a motorcycle across two states. Now imagine doing it entirely off-road. That’s the kind of riding adventure Roswell resident, Bob Knoll, will set out on this Monday, Mar. 14.

Not everyone gets the chance to live their dream, so Knoll is taking matters into his own hands as he and a friend prepare for an off-road motorcycle ride from Cedartown to Carrabelle Beach, FL.

“Our starting point will be at Highland Park Resort, which is a resort for all things dirt bike,” he said.

The 42-year-old will ride a KTM 950 Adventure, Enduro-style bike during what is expected to be a two-day ride to Florida.

“I will be following a GPS track that I found on the Internet,” Knoll said. “The ride is about 350 miles; all on dirt roads, forest service roads and any ‘goat trail’ we can find on the way down.”

The only plans to see civilization during the trek are during mandatory fuel stops. That’s it. Entirely self-supported, Knoll and his friend won’t even have anyone following them in a “chase” vehicle in case of emergencies or bad weather.

So what happens if it the weather turns bad?

“We just put on rain gear and keep on truckin’,” he said.

Once they reach their destination, Knoll and his friend will camp out and then meet up with friends in Jacksonville, before heading home. How will they get home?

“We will either take the trail back home or just jump on the interstate,” he said.

The desire to take such an adventurous ride shouldn’t be surprising to those who really know Knoll. He has a love of all things two-wheels. In fact, Knoll rides his bicycle to his IT support position at McKesson Corporation in Alpharetta on a regular basis.

The avid cyclist has “multiple reasons” for riding to and from work.

“I like to stay in shape, I don’t like driving in traffic and I don’t like spending money on gas,” he said. “Plus with a 35-minute ride home, I work out all my stress from the day so I can just enjoy the evenings with my family.”

But, as adventurous as a bike ride between Roswell and Alpharetta may sound to some, it’s nothing compared to the quest Knoll is about to begin.