The Tulip Ride
Washington’s Tulip Ride began as a small social ride for coworkers on Microsoft’s Xbox team. It grew into Seattle Humane’s largest external fundraiser, bringing together hundreds of riders and raising more than a million dollars over the years. The ride and its impact on countless animals’ lives are the result of the unbounded compassion of volunteers, riders, and donors from around the world.
This is the story of how the ride came to be, what can happen when you mix fun with a great cause, and what the future might hold for the ride.
The First Tulip Ride at Xbox
In 2001, Microsoft’s Xbox team was working feverishly to complete the original Xbox console. It was a crazy time for us, with a firm deadline to get consoles onto store shelves by November 15, 2001. Hardware, software, and games teams were working around the clock to pull off multiple miracles. In April, the weather started getting nice, and I sent a note to the Xbox motorcycle enthusiasts email group suggesting that I would play hooky on Friday and go for a motorcycle ride. April is Tulip Festival month in Western Washington, so a ride up to the Skagit Valley to see the fields of blooming flowers seemed like a good idea. About ten riders joined the ride.
The original Tulip Riders, April 2001
It was a spectacular day of riding under sunny skies through miles of blooming tulips. We had lunch at a waterfront cafe and rode down Whidbey Island to catch a ferry home. Everyone had so much fun that we agreed to do it again next year. With that, the Tulip Ride was born.
Spreading the Word
Each year, our group of riders grew. Riders from more Microsoft divisions joined us, followed by people from Google, Boeing, and Amazon. We’d start at a Microsoft campus, then ride up to the Tulalip Casino and use its large parking lot to regroup. Within five years, the ride had grown to more than 100 motorcycles.
Partnering with Seattle Humane
As the Tulip Ride grew during these early years, the ride planners and I recognized an opportunity to do some good by turning it into a fundraiser. Seattle Humane was a clear choice.
Helping animals, both domestic and wild, has always been deeply important to me. In too many cases, pets find themselves in need of help. They have no voice to ask for help, and no choice about their circumstances. This is when the compassion of caring people can make a life-or-death difference for these wonderful creatures.
Seattle Humane creates amazing opportunities for the community to support those ideals. The MaxMobile, a bus full of adoptable pets, became an integral part of each year’s Tulip Ride kickoff.
With the Seattle Humane partnership came the talent of their external events coordinators, their marketing, and their incredible media reach. With Seattle Humane’s help, we appeared live on Seattle’s KOMO News to promote that year’s ride.
Growth continued at a steady pace. We partnered with local businesses like Eastdide Harley-Davidson who sponsored the ride with motorcycle rental discounts and afterparty venues. Blazing Bagels welcomed us with open arms and sponsored the ride. For more than a decade, we started at their Redmond shop, where they kept us fed and warm on chilly April mornings.
People began coming in from out of state for the ride. The Redmond Police Department began managing traffic at intersections to keep the departing bikes together. On the road, our pack of motorcycles stretched for miles.
Families showed up. It was fun to see the littlest of babies sporting the annual Tulip Ride bandanas. We were joined by many specialty riding groups, including the Lady Riders of Western Washington (above). We had ethnic clubs, religious clubs, and patched clubs join the Tulip Ride in the spirit of supporting the cause.
Celebrity Star Power
The biggest catalyst for the Tulip Ride’s growth came in July 2012. A brilliant friend of mine behind Classified Moto called to say that his crew was about to travel across the country to deliver a custom-built motorcycle to a celebrity client. Discovery Channel would be on site to film an episode of Café Racer TV.
Katee Sackhoff was the customer, and the KT600 was the bike. Katee was not only cool, but she was kind. She’s the opposite of many stereotypes about celebrities: she is patient, has a deep love of charitable work, and takes time to chat with fans. This has always stood out to me as the moment the Tulip Ride took off.
I mentioned to Katee that I host an annual charity ride up in Washington, and she’s welcome to join anytime. She responded that she was trying to ride more and had a riding buddy who might join her. I gave her my number. I left that conversation figuring nothing would come of it.
Two days later, Katee called. Her riding buddy was Tricia Helfer, her co-star in the popular sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica. Together, they played Starbuck and Cyclon Number Six, and were an insanely popular duo. They are two of the kindest people you will ever meet. They dedicate time to supporting charities, and were already riding together as the Acting Outlaws.. And they both wanted to join the Tulip Ride.
In 2013, they turned up for the ride and their love of riding and supporting great causes was positively infectious. So was their sense of humor.
Growing the Pack
We marketed the ride more heavily for 2013 than ever before, and the fan response was almost overwhelming. We began creating swag for each ride and eventually handed out bags filled with items donated by sponsors.
We raffled off one-of-a-kind Xbox gear, including a console autographed by the original Xbox team and a HALO motorcycle helmet autographed by the entire HALO team! Other local artists created custom helmets, too.
Some of the most memorable artifacts from the ride were created by artists. Ryan Gunn, one of the original designers on the Xbox 360 project, brought his creative genius to our annual pins and ride promotion posters.
Over the years, more and more riders joined the Tulip Ride. At our peak, we estimated 450 motorcycles were part of the ride.
We welcomed more celebrity guests as word spread. I found myself in Jay Leno’s Garage before meeting Katee. Renowned wildlife conservationist Chris Morgan rode. Jonathan Fernandes joined and became a lifelong friend. Seattle’s favorite radio voice and philanthropist Bender rode through sun, rain, and hail with us.
Rekha Sharma dropped down from Vancouver, and Karl Urban came up from New Zealand. Legendary custom motorcycle artist Adam Gasser came up from Los Angeles to ride with us.
Nobody will forget the hilarious hardcore bikers from Sons of Anarchy, Kurt Yeager and Chris Reed. They autographed a Harley-Davidson at the 2015 Tulip Ride afterparty.
The beautiful thing about each year was that everyone — riders, fans, celebs, and planners — had an incredible time while raising funds for Seattle Humane.
Riding Into the Sunset
Over the years, the planning team took on a lot to make the ride possible. Securing permits to use public spaces, having lawyers draft waivers after a couple of accidents, soliciting corporate sponsors, and stuffing bags with swag — it all adds up. People move away, and life starts to take over. At times, my home felt like a motorcycle dealership on ride day.
Then COVID hit. At the height of the pandemic, bringing hundreds of people together was no longer safe. We decided that future Tulip Rides would be smaller and more informal.
Even as the ride changes, it continues to support Seattle Humane and bring our community together. We brought hundreds of people together to ride for a great cause. We welcomed celebrities from across the entertainment world. We had riders come in from all over the world to be part of the annual event.
In over twenty years of Tulip Rides, we raised more than a million dollars for Seattle Humane.
None of this would have been possible without a team of dedicated volunteers. The group changed each year, but a handful of people helped make the Tulip Ride possible with dedication that spanned decades. They include Ryan Gunn, Michael Cummings, David & Janet Belanger, Chris Evans, and Walter Sullivan. These people make this world a better place with their generosity and compassion.
The Road Ahead
The changing world won’t stop us from riding and raising money for Seattle Humane!
The Tulip Ride continues by going back to its roots. An email will go out to a group of overworked motorcyclists who need to play hooky for a day. We’ll ride into Washington’s majestic splendor, enjoy the fresh air, and grab lunch somewhere on the water. We’ll probably ride a ferry home, and we’ll each make a donation to Seattle Humane that evening to keep supporting animals in need.
While it won’t involve hundreds of bikers or extensive planning, it will happen. As Battlestar Galactica reminds us, “All this has happened before, and it will all happen again.”
If you’re interested in future Tulip Rides, contact us at [email protected].
Ride safe.
Be kind.
Give until it hurts.
—Jeff
October 10, 2026