DAYTONA BEACH -- While truck loads of beer, revealing outfits and worldly inducements dominate Bike Week, Tony Grubbs chooses to abstain.
His faith in eternal life leaves little room for carnal matters. His challenge is to get others to accept that message.
Grubbs, a self-proclaimed born-again Christian, is a member of one of the hundreds of biker outreach groups across the country that preach Jesus Christ's love and acceptance.
With a burly, gruff demeanor, Grubbs looks like any other biker. He has to.
"Be like a biker first. Christian second," said Grubbs, a member of Riders for the Son out of Barnwell, S.C. "Once they feel comfortable with you, then you can start talking to them. You just can't shove it at them all at once."
Whether holding a pancake breakfast or simply striking up a conversation, members of biker outreach groups have converged on Volusia and Flagler counties' streets attempting to blend in and reach out.
At times they stand out amid the leather and chrome. A lone biker coasted down Main Street last week, pulling a small trailer that held a large wooden cross. Maryse Chapdelaine and Christian Perrault of Quebec spent Friday passing out tiny Gospel tracts to anyone interested in learning about salvation.
Chapdelaine, 36, realizes most bikers in town are focused on other things.
But "I've never been told not to come," she said in careful English. "I've never felt uncomfortable. For sure, we've had people laugh. But I don't mind."
Despite their own convictions on drinking, bikers belonging to the country's largest Christian outreach group don't shy away from bars.
Jeff Shrebe, events coordinator for Arkansas-based Christian Motorcyclists Association that claims 90,000 members worldwide, said members who visit bars are encouraged to go in pairs and hold each other accountable.
"We depend on the Holy Spirit to switch their minds," Shrebe said of the folks his group is trying to reach. "We're just there for when they're ready."
It's hard not to notice what Chapdelaine believes. Her leather jacket is adorned with patches that proclaim "Born Again" and "Soldiers of the Light."
Chapdelaine said how she acts is just as important as what she says.
"We're like anybody else," she said. "We make mistakes.
"We have to set the example. Act sober and stay civilized."