After the coldest New Year’s Eve in Hampton Roads in 100 years, riders got on their motorcycles the following Monday morning to embrace the cold, raise money and remember fallen friends.

The Frosty Balls New Year’s Ride was hosted by Hampton Roads Biker Events and Bayside Harley-Davidson. The event had 48 registered riders and raised $1,200 towards accident victims and their families, according to Hampton Roads Biker Events founder and president Chris Moore, known by fellow his riders as “Chaplain Barefoot.”

“It was probably the smoothest ride I ever had on the coldest day,” Moore said. “It was awesome.”

Moore led the riders on a 13-mile route from the Burger King on West Windsor Boulevard to the McDonald’s on South Church Street in Smithfield.

Moore chose the two restaurants because he wanted to show appreciation for the job opportunities such places provide for young people. When he asked his fellow riders how many had worked in fast food, nine of them raised their hands, he said.

He also wanted to surprise Burger King manager Crystal Girshka-Peterson, who had helped his son through some rough times in his childhood, he said.

“I gave her a big hug,” he said.

Riders prayed together that morning for those that have died in motorcycle accidents, including 30 Hampton Roads riders in 2017, according to Moore.

He said some people had approached him and his fellow riders during the event to thank them for this community service.

“Everybody kind of looks at us like we’re these stereotypes of bikers,” he said. “We definitely showed the whole community that we don’t fit that stereotype.”