| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay | December 2009 
Vallarta Biker Event a Roaring Success
 Sylvie Scopazzo - PVNN
December 05, 2009
| | Motorcyclists from all over Mexico came to Puerto Vallarta on the weekend of November 27th to attend the Ovejas Negras 69 motorcycle club's first ever biker event. | |
Motorcyclists from all over Mexico came to Puerto Vallarta on the weekend of November 27th to attend the Ovejas Negras 69 motorcycle club's first ever event. In the past, there have been attempts by other Puerto Vallarta biker clubs to do the same but unfortunately, were not able to succeed.
Due to this fact, the Ovejas Negras 69 club members could be seen walking around the Flamingo grounds with a nervous edge. However, by late Friday afternoon, they were soon smiling through the dust as bikers were rolling in one by one. Their confidence grew as Friday night turned into one big biker party with several different bands playing their hard rock tunes
Saturday morning arrived and the day began with more bikers, more dust and more confidence that the event was going to be a success. The registration desk was getting backed up as bike club after bike club started to roll in one after another.
Bikers were proudly sporting their club member logos and by the looks on their faces, were happy to finally reach their destination. Some rolled in with their women co-pilots and some with their kids and then, a rare site for Puerto Vallarta appears. A woman riding a Black 600 Honda Shadow pulls up into the scene. She resides in Puerto Vallarta and is a doctor at one of the local hospitals. I mention "rare" because as a woman biker, (750 Shadow) I can feel people's eyes on me when I ride around town. These are eyes of shock!
In Mexico, women bikers can be seen in the bigger cities, but in this beach town, if you're a woman on a motorcycle, you are an anomaly. This was proven when I asked the 600 Shadow woman to do a photo shoot with me the next day. We placed our motorbikes side by side and our photo was taken. We were about to dismount our bikes when I noticed there were men and women lining up wanting to take their picture with us. It was a paparazzi moment! We were women on bikes!
One of the many highlights of this event was the motorbike parade that occurred Saturday afternoon around 4 pm. We were led by the Puerto Vallarta Transit Police who were kind enough to donate their services. Traffic with patient drivers was brought to a dead stop when there were close to 200 bikers roaring through the streets of Vallarta. We made our way along the Malecón, Viejo Vallarta then to Pitillal, onward through the Marina then making our way back to the Flamingo grounds for group photos.
By early evening, the dust picked up again with bikers heading back to their hotels to freshen up for the second big night of rock and roll. More bands, more contests and more bikers rolling in late to register. By 1 am, bikers were already lined up outside the bars on the Malecón doing what they know best, hanging out and having fun.
Sunday was a day of good byes with last minute t-shirt and pin sales. The buzz around the bikers is that the Ovejas Negras 69ers know how to throw a good party and this time next year Puerto Vallarta can expect to see even more bikers roaring the streets. A good time was had by all.
One of the highlights for me in this biker event was when I had the pleasure to interview a 34 year old man whose name is Patricio. Better known as "Pato", he is from the city of Ameca. He is a biker and he is blind.
What? That can't be! Well, believe it or not, you can find him in the 2005 Guinness World Book of Records as the only blind man in the world to ride a motorcycle. This is his story:
Q. How long have you been blind?
A. Since birth.
Q. How old were you when you started riding a motorcycle?
A. I was 15.
Q. How did the idea of riding a motorcycle come about?
A. I was a teenager and became too lazy to walk so I asked a friend to help me buy a motorbike.
Q. What did your parents think of this idea?
A. They suggested I buy a coffin first. They didn't like the idea but I wasn't going to let anything stop me from learning how to ride.
Q. How on earth did you learn to ride if you can't see?
A. I had a brave friend get on the back of the bike to help guide me through the streets. When we first started, we picked a street with no traffic of course.
Q. Have you ever been in an accident?
A. Yes, only once but I wasn't driving. I was on the back of the motorbike.
Q. What kind of bike do you have?
A. A Yamaha 1100
Q. Who helps guide you now?
A. My wife. She sits on the back of the bike and guides me by touching my shoulders left or right.
Q. Do you have any children?
A. I have three kids who all have their sight.
Q. Are you currently working?
A. I deliver bread for my bakery business.
Q. You also drive a car?!
A. Yes, I have a pick up truck and my wife is in the passenger seat guiding me.
Q. Do you ever have a problem with the transit police?
A. No.
Q. Do you think it's an amazing feat that you are able to what you do?
A. Not really. I think musicians have an amazing talent and wish I knew how to play an instrument. It's sort of the same thing; I guess we all have our talents.
Q. Would you recommend driving to other blind persons?
A. Why not?
So there you have it. Not only was it a fun and successful event, I had the opportunity of meeting a Guinness World Book of Records celebrity and was reminded again that, "The only limits we have, are those we place on ourselves".
Ride on...
|
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us