LAB2V 2025: 500 Miles, Broken Bones, and the Brotherhood of the Desert
Every Thanksgiving, while most of America settles into turkey comas and football marathons, hundreds of riders converge on Southern California for something entirely different: LAB2V - the legendary Los Angeles to Barstow to Las Vegas dual-sport ride. Now in its 41st year, LAB2V has earned a near-mythic status. It’s a rite of passage, a test of grit, and a celebration of desert riding culture that continues to attract everyone from first-timers on small thumpers to seasoned desert racers on monster twin-cylinder adventure bikes.
This year, the Department of Wander crew lined up at the start in Palmdale with equal parts excitement and dread. Because LAB2V isn’t just a ride—it’s a 500-mile gauntlet across the Mojave Desert.
500 Miles of Mojave Madness
Over two days, riders pick their path through a network of “Hard” and “Easy” routes—though anyone who has ridden LAB2V knows that easy is a generous term.
Hard Routes: Designed for lightweight dual-sport bikes that thrive in deep sand, rocky climbs, and brutal single-track.
Easy Routes: More accessible for big ADV bikes—on paper, anyway. In reality, these sections still dish out their fair share of sand traps, rock gardens, and washouts that challenge even the most experienced big-bike riders.
The terrain shifts constantly as the route winds from the outskirts of Los Angeles across dry lakebeds, rugged canyons, mining roads, Joshua tree forests, and endless rolling whoops that test suspension—and sanity.
This year brought a mix of hero dirt, mud, and mild temperatures. Somewhere between the miles of sandy two-track and the moments of flow-state bliss, the desert reminded us who’s in charge.
Camaraderie: The Real Fuel That Gets You to Vegas
Ask any LAB2V veteran what keeps riders coming back year after year, and you'll hear the same thing: the people.
This event has a way of turning strangers into teammates and teammates into lifelong friends. The desert doesn’t care how strong you are or what you ride—it will humble everyone equally. But in that shared struggle, riders look out for one another. Helmets come off, tools come out, and suddenly a handful of dusty riders are a makeshift pit crew on the side of a trail.
This year, the Department of Wander crew experienced that bond in a whole new way. We pushed bikes out of deep sand, split tools between breakdowns, stood lookout during trailside repairs, and traded encouragement when fatigue set in. We laughed at the absurd moments, cursed at the tough ones, and checked in on each other constantly.
By the time we reached Vegas, we weren’t just a riding group—we were a tighter crew, stitched together by the trails, effort, and shared miles. LAB2V didn’t just test us. It connected us.
A Visit to the Husky Monument
One of the most memorable stops on this year’s journey was the detour to the Husky Monument, a surreal and emotional landmark tucked deep in the Mojave north of Barstow.
The Husky Monument began in the late 1980s when friends of a fallen off-road rider placed his Husqvarna motorcycle as a memorial in the desert he loved to ride. Over the decades, the site has evolved into a sprawling, open-air shrine created by the off-road community. Each memorial—crafted from metal, stone, motorcycle parts, helmets, plaques, and artwork—honors riders who have passed, celebrating their connection to the desert and the sport.
It’s humbling, beautiful, quiet, and unlike anything else in the off-road world. A reminder that this community is held together by passion, camaraderie, and shared miles.
We took a long moment there. Everyone does.
The Final Push into Vegas
LAB2V saves its knockout punch for the end. Just when fatigue has set in and hands are numb from two days of sand and chop, the route funnels riders into Red Rock Canyon—a stunning but punishing labyrinth of sandstone ledges, tight washes, and sharp rock steps.
For us, the final miles were dramatic. One rider suffered a nasty crash in the technical Red Rocks section, resulting in a broken thumb but a heroic finish. Another bike developed a persistent oil leak that required trail-side creativity and frequent topping-off to keep moving.
But that’s LAB2V. It’s never perfect. It’s never easy. And it always becomes a story you tell for years.
The Orleans Finish: A Vegas Welcome Like No Other
No LAB2V is complete without the ultimate spectacle: rolling into the multi-story parking garage of the Orleans Hotel & Casino. There, amid roaring exhaust echoes and cheering riders, you’re greeted by Santa Claus and Las Vegas showgirls—the most surreal finish line in motorsports.
Dusty, exhausted, bruised, and smiling, we parked our battered machines and snapped the obligatory photo. This year, that victory pose meant even more.
High Spirits, Desert-Beaten Bikes, and Bonds Made Stronger
Despite mechanical gremlins, injuries, and the never-ending sand that makes LAB2V what it is, the Department of Wander crew crossed the finish line in high spirits. We came out tougher, closer, and more connected than when we started.
The Mojave tested every one of us, pushed our bikes to their limits, and gifted us the kind of adventure only LAB2V can deliver.
For riders, it’s simple:
Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving until you’ve crossed the desert on two wheels.
Already counting down the days to LAB2V 2026.
