It’s interesting that news coverage – which so many times focuses on blood, gore, and shock tactics – has given so little coverage to the fact that over 460,000 bikers descended on Sturgis for the 80th Annual Rally.
In all that, only a handful of COVID-19 cases have been confirmed.
The real irony is that – as we all know – the average age of bikers has eased up north of fifty years and, if you believe the talking heads of the media and medical fields, this is prime territory for a potentially lethal spread of COVID-19.
Is there a chance that many folks were exposed? Of course! But the reality is simple: we don’t know, and we haven’t known all along. And as bikers, we did what we always do: we didn’t let it slow us down. In fact, attendance this year was only down 7.5% over previous years.
Now, this isn’t a stab at bad science, or about beating our chest because we didn’t let a virus scare us away from the party; but it IS about how we all manage to keep doing what needs to be done – and what we believe to be right.
So that leads me to this question: Did YOU go to Sturgis?
Why or why not? You can comment below but it would be a lot more powerful if you’d post it on The Bikers’ Den Facebook page.
Here’s the crazy part – we’re not talking about a two or three hour concert, we’re talking about an event that had thousands of people elbow-to-elbow for ten days.
We can get out. We can ditch those silly-ass masks. We can return to doing the things we love and the things that make this country great.
Of course, that’s kind of the problem, isn’t it? The fact that nearly half a million bikers socialized and partied for over a week with so few health challenges poses a HUGE threat to the narrative the media has decided to follow. On the other hand, there are signs that regular folks are waking up, too.
I’m finally hearing about Poker Runs taking place – down south, out west, and even one in New England last week. What about you? If you’re in a club, how much has changed this riding season? Are local governments mandating masks? (Are they enforcing that mandate?) How about your regular watering holes and hangouts?
So much of what we’re seeing and hearing is about seemingly random enforcement of social distancing and masks, it’s become more of a joke than a rule.
They didn’t do it in Sturgis, and so far, that doesn’t seemed to have made any difference.
I’ve been going to Sturgis since the 80’s but didn’t go this year because of Covid; Most bikers i know didn’t go.
I’m a scientist, and numerous friends and relatives are in medicine. I will stick with the science.
In fact, Sturgis was a Covid spreading event this year. I recognize that many peoples’ livelihoods have been seriously affected by the pandemic. It’s unfortunate that there hasn’t been any clear leadership concerning this health crisis. Along with the virus spreading has gone a lot of disinformation spreading and a lot of unnecessary deaths.
Ride on in health and safety.