Superrally 2023, Igoumenitsa, Greece
Going to the Superrally, Europe’s biggest Harley-Party takes a long-distance-capable bike, an iron will and a lot of space in your calendar. Especially when it takes place in far off places. This year, Greece was the far off place :)
Our Man with a Plan, and with the License to Roll, Don Pedro himself had picked a well trusted ’85 Tour Glide Classic as his ride, appropriately named "The Pipe Organ".
With his wingman, also on an ample example of Milwaukee shipbuilding, they start off in a refreshing drizzle at 13°C. The first stop will be across the Alps in Bolzano, Italy. The further south the wheels are rolling, the friendlier the temperatures. Next stop painted on to the tank is PsT (Passignano sul Trasimeno being way too long). The weather stays dry, but the thermometer drops again to 10°C, not funny. Combined with the headwind a definitely North Sea type of climate. Day 3 sees party weather though, 20°C and sunshine the friendly town of Pescara, right down the middle of the Italian boot heaves into view. Friends await the riders with food, drink and a place for their tent. The start on next day’s part of the trip is a slow one … still, they catch the ferry at Bari, gently crossing in the night to Igoumenitsa.
When the ship finally is moored it’s 5:30. The perfect time for a fresh coffee and croissant in the kafétería, the Welcome Centre opening its doors at 8 anyway. We’re way too early, so it’s "Yamas!" in the nearby tavern and the first beer of the day,
At last "The Pipe Organ" rolls into the grounds. Which are too good to be true: right on the beach there’s room to pitch the tent, which means from the sleeping bag to a dip in the ocean it’s mere seconds. GREAT! Makes it much easier to overlook a few minor organisatorial hiccups.
Everything is classic Superrally here: beer, bands and bikes of all kinds. Starting with hardcore choppers wich make the back hurt from looking at them and not stopping at majestic long distance charabancs. The road fever is still high, so the two travellers soon point their headlights North again and open their throttles.
The plan sees Albania, Montenegro, Croatia with their stunning coastal highways. Somewhere there the only little machanical gremlin of th etrip occurs: one of the organ pipes wants to desert the mothership, but with half a beer can and a few tricks out of the toolkit the wobbly pipe can be persuaded to stay on board.
This Superrally will stay in our collective rear view mirror as an extended ride to a Greek beach with plenty of curves, bends and switchbacks thrown in, and an pipe organ that produced nothing but heavenly music.