Local motorcyclists gathered Sunday at Calvary Alliance Church in Pocatello to start their riding season off on a safe note at an annual event held by the Pocatello POW-MIA.
Nisha Gutierrez has the story.
Riding season has officially begun for bikers in Pocatello and they want to make sure God is with them each time they hop on a bike.
Jim "The Rev" Jones, POW-MIA: "We bless their bikes for the coming season we ask God to watch over them and their bikes and just to protect them when they ride."
Local bikers say they do different things to enhance their safety including wearing bells on their bikes to ward off the demons on the road and faithfully attending the blessing of the bikes every year.
Teresa Timpson, Local Biker: "It helps take care of me as I ride my bike through day to day activities, it's someone's watching over me all the time."
Local motorcycle groups including the Christian Motorcyclists Association and Lucky 13 gathered at the old Fred Meyer parking lot Sunday morning and rode in a procession to Calvary Alliance Church.
After attending the Sunday service the bikers gathered outside and received a group and individual blessings from the pastors.
But although these bikers say prayer and blessings will keep them safe they want to remind drivers to be cautious when they're on the road by:
-looking over your shoulder before switching lanes
-not passing a motorcycle to close or too fast as a blast of air can knock a bike over
-paying extra attention to motorcycles at night
Jones says the bikers ask to be blessed all the time and says the blessing of the bikes will continue to be a tradition.
Jim "The Rev" Jones, POW-MIA: "It gives them peace of mind and it lets them feel that the seasons gonna be okay."
The motorcyclists say the typical riding season is typically April through September and say cold and windy weather is not going to stop them from going on any rides
