(top)
MOTORCYCLISTS venture to
Sturgis not only to attend the
rally, but also to ride the hills,
as this motorcyclist does on
the road between Sturgis and
Deadwood, S.D. The week
long rally at Sturgis draws an
average of 200,000 bikers.
(bottom left)
MAIN STREET in Sturgis is
ground zero for all the week’s
activities, including several
parades of bikers from all over
the world,
(bottom right)
PASTOR CECIL and his dog,
Harley Girl, of Oklahoma City,
Okla., watch the bikes pass
on the Strip at the 57th Annual
Sturgis Rally and Races. Cecil
said he had attended the rally
for the past 17 years.
Story and Photos by Daniel Luedert
When the sun beats down and the only
way to escape the heat is to come out of
our caves, the gypsy heart takes flight.
With a thunderous rumbling the bikes roll
over the hills in streams of light.
The 57th Annual Sturgis Rally and
Races has begun.
Motorcycle enthusiasts from the
world over, from China to Poland, con
verge on a small town in the Black Hills
called Sturgis. It was started more than 50
years ago by motopcycle enthusiasts and
dealers in what were referred to as Gypsy
tours. These gypsies, or bikers, are still
alive today. The only change has been the
size; the ever-growing rally expects to see
an estimated 200,000 bikers this week.
The locals of Sturgis have no com
plaints, except for the “racket,” local resi
dent Bob Weizorek says.
“They don’t quiet down until three in
the morning.”
There have been some interesting sto
ries passed down from previous rallies.
Bikes have been stolen, women have been
left behind and the casual fight may hap
pen.
But as Weizorek says, shrugging his
shoulders: “About 95 percent of the bikers
are nice people, there are always a few
bad apples in a bunch.”
As one makes way through the locals,
having to park in the residential district
and walk to the infamous four-block Main
Street, the number of people is astonish
ing. Bikes are parked with barely a breath
between them and the people move in
snaking lines down the sidewalks.
A biker puts his arm around a young
girl, no older than 13. His beard rubs her
shoulder and he pulls up her blouse. Her
blue eyes show innocent fear as the biker
makes his way farther down the street.
There is an adrenaline that rushes
through the veins as the Harley Davidsons
send their exhaust into the air. Bikes in all
forms, from the Classic Indian to the
Harley Davidson Boss Hoss, are stream
ing across the interstates and highways
making their way to Sturgis.
The rally will continue through the
weekend, eventually winding down with a
professional wrestling match featuring
Hulk Hogan on Saturday.
And on Sunday these wayward gyp
sies will end their wanderings, or move on
to warmer climes.
