a travel photographer who can tell the whole story

Posts tagged “florida

Daytona Bike Week

The 100,000 bikers who invade Daytona Beach each spring look intimidating. Big men on big Harley-Davidsons wearing black leather, tattoos and a scowl.

The sort of men you would regard as worth avoiding as they were probably rather familiar to law enforcement officials and the inside of a courtroom.

However, a closer look will reveal that their ragged jeans are actually rather new and carefully torn.  The tattoos are somewhat less than permanent and any familiarity with the legal system, is probably down to their employment as a lawyer. 

It wasn’t that long ago that Florida’s annual bike week was the destination of choice for two wheeled gangs who brought a whole lot of trouble to the town. It got so bad that the mayor told the organisers and the police to clean it up or close it down. So, out went the street racing, nudity, fighting and public drinking and in came organised fun and a family friendly atmosphere.

Once the bikers swapped tales from the road and traded punches in bars. Now they network and exchange business cards.

martin-norris.co.uk

For licensing pictures, commissions and articles