Merced’s Ruff Ryders unify with each other and the community

A row of Ruff Ryder motorcycles rumbled up to Yosemite Lake in Merced around noon Saturday, finishing up the day’s “ ’hood ride.”

“It’s so people can go around and identify with the area,” said Rico Vizcarrondo, a member of the Ruff Ryders Merced chapter. “We go to the ’hood and see what we can do for the community.”

Such events give the local riders a chance to show their community to others. They also take the opportunity to identify potential needs in the community and look for ways their group can help.

Ruff Ryders started in 1988 and now has more than 15 chapters in California, and more around the country and world. More than 100 Ruff Ryders gathered at the lake Saturday for their annual Merced Lake Day, to play horseshoes, eat barbecue and spend time together.

Ruff Ryders is more of a lifestyle than a motorcycle club, said the founder of the Merced chapter, Mondo Gonzalez.

“It’s all one big family,” Gonzalez said. “We all take care of each other.”

Vizcarrondo said being able to have events such as Merced Lake Day gives them the freedom to have fun and give back to their communities.

“We want people to know we want peace,” he said. “We’re trying to refocus on people who serve and protect the community.”

Vizcarrondo said Ruff Ryders members don’t see each other often, and events such as these bring everyone together from around California and neighboring states such as Arizona and Nevada.

The Merced chapter has been around since 2007, according to Gonzalez. He said after moving to Merced from Fresno, he decided to start the chapter.

Saturday marked day 400 of being a Ruff Ryder prospect, Roy Castro said. A prospect is someone who is being assessed by the chapter and working on being a member, Castro said, with a minimum of 90 days required before being asked to be a member by the chapter.

“I’ve been in the bike life since I was a kid,” he said.

Castro said he has been working with the chapter on charitable events its members participate in around the community. Recently he has been working on a scholarship for UC Merced students.

Every year the chapter helps to feed the homeless during Christmas and Thanksgiving, bringing turkeys to shelters, Castro said. Members also are involved in the Boys and Girls Club of Merced.

In August, the Merced chapter plans to have a backpack run for kids, with the necessary supplies they need for school inside of each one. Gonzalez said the Merced chapter wants to be more of a solution than a problem for the community.

This story was originally published July 24, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Merced’s Ruff Ryders unify with each other and the community."