Europe
The longest established motorcycle rally in Europe is the Elefantentreffen (Elephant Rally), established in 1956 by former Wehrmacht motorcyclists and named in honour of the Zündapp motorcycle that was nicknamed the "green elephant." The growing reputation of the Elephant Rally led to the creation in 1962 of a British winter rally, the Dragon rally, held each February in North Wales.
One of the largest motorcycle rallies in Europe is the Thundersprint, held annually in May in Northwich, Cheshire, England and usually features notable motorcycle champions or enthusiasts such as Giacomo Agostini and James May.
In the UK, the Iron Ore Rally is held annually in Egremont Cumbria and the Rally of Discovery is held in Ireland. Rallies are held all year round. Many motorcyclists (or bikers) prefer the winter rallies, such as the Mayflower MCCs Force Ten Rally or the Dean Vally MCCs Rallymans Rally. The usual order of the day is camping with a real ale tent and music. Rallies usually start on a Friday afternoon and finish at lunchtime on a Sunday. The point is to travel there by motorcycle, motorcycle and sidecar or trike (not cars or vans), meet friends from all over the country and sometimes further afield, claim a rally badge and enjoy the entertainment. Prizes are awarded for the furthest distance travelled, best bike, best rat bike, oldest person attending, youngest person attending, etc. There are usually planned ride-outs on the Saturday taking in good roads and sometimes historic sites, museums, etc.
In the UK many people relate motorcycle rallies to the famous Bulldog Bash near Stratford-upon-Avon. This is a hugely popular event and attracts thousands of people including non-motorcyclists. There are many much smaller rallies that attract between 50 to 500 bikers to each event, organised and controlled by a host club. Rallies are still attended by motorcyclists that have been going to rallies for up to 40 or 50 years. In the UK motorcycle rallies began in earnest in the early 1960s as young, mainly working class men and women (usually on the pillion) gained freedom by motorcycle ownership and set off around the country camping. Some went in groups or clubs and thus the rally was born. Many were Ton-up boys, later Greasers and then Greebos.
Read more about this topic: Motorcycle Rally
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