MANILA, Philippines - The cold November night blankets the mountains that rise above 7,000 feet. Darkness, fog and rain obscure the narrow road, defying our headlights. We are soaked, way behind schedule, riding this road with hairpin curves about 100 klicks—kilometers—from Baguio to Mt. Data, our destination in Mountain Province. In the daytime, this stretch alone would mean a three-hour trip, if not longer, on our heavy bikes.

The ride has been eventful. In Tarlac, Fred Ekberg, a Swede, is sideswiped by an errant tricycle. He goes airborne and ends up with a mild concussion. His bike is banged up, but a Harley-Davidson is a tough bike, and so is Fred. We get the bike running and move on. After a quick lunch in Baguio, we head farther north.

Up in Atok, Benguet, James Raterta, a hard-bitten, quick-thinking trial lawyer, gets a broken throttle cable. Mechanically gifted Dogs work on it while others guide traffic laboring up the road, framed by a rock wall on the right and a precipitous drop on the left. Finally, the throttle is jury-rigged so the bike is working again. Fog and rain start in.

In the early evening chill, the ride takes an even more interesting turn. Bryan Hammer, an American businessman, is sweeping, bringing up the rear, with me. The riding is tricky. The darkness edges into thin air. Bryan leans over, amid the din of bikes and rain, and shouts: “My front tire’s going flat!” We are far from anywhere in foul weather with a bad tire and no way to fix it. But we eventually make it to Mt. Data on our bikes that night, fighting hypothermia. How we do it is a story in itself.

Things do happen on a Mad Dog ride. So why do we do it? A psychiatrist friend ascribes it to midlife crisis. But something powerful draws men together into a tightly knit brotherhood called the Mad Dog Motorcycle Club.

Founded in Manila in 1994 by Tom Leber in his garage, MDMC is an independent, Asia-based MC with chapters in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Tom, then CEO of Wyeth Philippines and AMCHAM president, is a larger-than-life figure. He seamlessly integrated a successful multinational career in three-piece suits with a passion for serious riding in Mad Dog Colors.

MDMC is a traditional motorcycle club or MC. Members ride big bikes hard and often, with a giant-size spirit of adventure.

Freedom, Courage and Loyalty is the Mad Dog way. You get what it’s about or you don’t. Becoming one is not for the faint-hearted. Each Dog has to earn his three-patch Colors. The process starts with being a “hang-around,” riding with the Club. Eventually, you may be invited to be a prospect. You don’t apply. As a prospect, your desire to become a member is tested big-time for at least six months. After winning acceptance, you must get a numbered MDMC tattoo.

Bond

The bond among Mad Dogs has been described by a guest as akin to that of men who have gone to war together. That may sound overly dramatic, but I can understand why he said that. Watch any group of Dogs interacting. You’ll see how tight they are. Money or social stature does not make a Mad Dog. Love of riding, character and commitment, yes. The Club seeks quality, not quantity.

The diversity in ethnic backgrounds and personalities is colorful. Our chapter president, Big John Morgan, is a hulking Canadian with forbidding looks, but a man with a heart, who owns a project and construction management company. Urbane Mike Zosa is a TOYM awardee, who was GM of GE Appliance and assistant agriculture secretary, the founding president of Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer, and until recently a key figure in NLEX operations; in his 60s, Mike is a strong biker with a silver-streaked ponytail who recently rode almost 1,000 klicks in a day.

Chito San Agustin, with MDMC Tattoo #1 and a cheerful, confident air, runs BioTech, a UK-based company marketing disease-prevention products. Past chapter president Boy Santayana is a retired PLDT executive with a Van Dyke beard, a gentleman who knows his Harley-Davidson lore and rides expertly like a true Dog.

Joe “Papadad” Fitter, easy of demeanor and highly focused, is finance director of Intel in China. Suave Danny Samaniego is a dental implant specialist and surgeon. Free-spirited Ken “Six Pack” Falco, a motocross legend, has been known to choose ride routes with a coin toss. Ferdie Raquelsantos, in his youth a pro TV dancer who now heads an automotive seatbelt firm and is a partner in a green energy venture, once rode home from Tuguegarao with a broken finger, his wife on the back seat. The list goes on.

An understanding “significant other” is a must. Like my lovely wife Luz, a radiologist who reads my X-rays, who says bone fractures and scrapes are no big deal if I do not whine.

Mad Dogs thundering by are a sight to behold, but the bikes and the Colors are not for show. They are meant to be taken on the road. Bikes need regular care and Colors are road-worn.

But Mad Dogs never forget they have loved ones, businesses and professions. Our special projects committee, chaired by indefatigable and low-key Dave Pua, helps sick and needy kids all year round.

At the Handlebar restaurant on Polaris Street in Bel-Air, Makati, where our Dog House is located, you may see men with bulldog Colors coming and going on great, noisy bikes. Fear not. They are the Mad Dogs, a scary-looking bunch with attitude, but good guys.