"Saddle up!" yelled a gruff voice.

In a flurry of motion, over eighty bikers started tightening helmets and throwing leather vests over their shoulders. Accompanied by the roar of engines, they climbed on their motorcycles and filed out of the parking lot.

The first annual Rev Up with the Red Cross motorcycle run had begun.

The ride, a fundraiser for the American Red Cross, took bikers from the Red Cross headquarters on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo to the American Legion Post in East Aurora and then to the Buckin' Buffalo Saloon on Franklin Street.

Mary Moore, development associate with the American Red Cross, said the idea for the event came from a brainstorming session. "We were bouncing around ideas we had never tried," she said. "We thought, 'Why not? Let's give it a go!'"

Moore added that all of the money raised during the motorcycle run will stay in Western New York for emergency preparedness.

Bill Purtill, 51, said he came out for the run because of its affiliation with the charity. "I believe in the Red Cross. It's a great cause," he said.

He added, "Bikers as a whole, they give a lot back to the community."

The event was sponsored by the American Legion Riders, a motorcycle club that focuses on motorcycle safety and helping veterans.

John Post, the president of the American Legion Riders, said that he began planning for the June 29 th run in December with a series of meetings with the American Red Cross.

One of the toughest parts of planning the event, he said, was coordinating with the New York State Police to have a police escort for the run.

The American Legion Riders and American Red Cross succeeded in obtaining two police escorts, who followed the bikers on the run and blocked traffic to allow the eighty bikes to ride in a two-by-two formation.

Post started riding motorcycles in 1965, and has ridden steadily since 1992. He has two bikes, one that he rides with his wife, and another that he rides to theWyoming Correctional Facilitywhere he works as a corrections officer.

"There's a feeling when you work in a prison-the tension and stress. Riding takes it all away," he said.

Howard Hitzel, a 53 year-old psychologist from Hamburg, NY, brought his 13 year-old son along for his first bike run. Hitzel, who usually does about four or five runs each year, said he chose this one because of its involvement with the American Red Cross.

"I like the Red Cross, and the run is a nice way to get out on weekends," he said.

Tom Anticola, 55, joined the American Legion and American Legion Riders while at the checkpoint stop at the Post in East Aurora. The Vietnam-era veteran said he rides for the experience.

"I love the freedom, the sound of the engine, and the camaraderie among Harley-Davidson people," he said.