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The country’s largest scooter rally took Island streets by storm once more over the August Bank Holiday weekend, as more than 6000 scooter enthusiasts from all across the UK, Europe and further afield congregated in Ryde. Having played host to the event for over a decade, the Victorian town has now become the scootering capital of the Island and continued to provide riders with a warm welcome with live music and scooter-related events and festivities staged on a daily basis.
As always, the must-see spectacle of the four-day weekend was the mass ride-out on Sunday 29, where a deluge of scooterists and well-wishers assembled around the Ryde Superbowl pavilion along Ryde seafront. As uninterrupted parade of bikes made their way from the Planet Ice arena car park to Sandown and Shanklin Rugby Club, supporters and on-lookers squeezed their way into every available space along the pavements, roundabouts and verges to wave them off on their journey.
With the introduction of a live DJ outside Ryde Superbowl throughout the course of the event, there was also plenty of music to enjoy throughout the weekend; both at the Balcony Bar, Planet Ice arena, The Royal Squadron and various pubs and bars throughout Ryde. Acts included leading sixties R&B combo The Birds, mod revivalist favourites The Chords and larger than life eighties front man Buster Bloodvessel of Ska band Bad Manners. The event also coincided with the Summer Madness concert at Carisbrooke Castle fields on Sunday 29th August, which was headlined by the ultimate mod icon Paul Weller.
For those who may have been previously struggling to appreciate the artistry and appeal of scooters, Saturday’s Custom Show at the Planet Ice Arena wasted no time in converting would-be fans to firm fanatics. The event showcased the best collection of custom scooters from across Europe and the British Isles ever gathered under one roof, including top custom scooters that cost in excess of £15,000 to build! For anyone with a previously limited knowledge and appreciation of scooters, the Custom Show, together with the weekend's varying activities, certainly succeeded in turning heads and transforming attitudes.