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The discos of Lloret remained open until the early hours of Saturday morning. Bikers awoke on Saturday with the choice to see the vendor areas again or check out the soft and incredibly clean beaches and ride over the winding mountain roads with seaside views. Saturday afternoon, the AMD showmaster asked builders to vote on the bike show; the winner would get to attend the AMD show in Sturgis this year. As the 30 + planned for show bikes grew in number, the tent designed for them wouldn’t hold them all. Mostly Spanish and French entries vied for the Sturgis trip. Bertrand Dubet of Odyssey Motorcycles won overall and will represent the Harley Butts 2010 Show at Sturgis later this summer.

“We are still developing this event, but this has been a good start,” said promoter Antonio Blanco. Late Sunday vendors began packing their vans, as others used the promenade as a backdrop for photos of their custom bikes. Access to the event was free of charge with booth and t-shirt sales financing the event. “We see this as an investment in Lloret,” said Blanco who is backed by the town and several disco owners trying to offer Harley riders a perfect holiday experience. This year’s crowd numbered somewhere around 2000 bikes. Hoping for better weather next year, the town could easily handle 6000 bikes. Everything is within walking distance, the beach, hotels, restaurants.

Extra: Barcelona, Spain Dream Town and Traffic Nightmare

Ever since the 100th Anniversary events held in Barcelona, the town has been a symbol for Harley riders. Traffic, though, is some of the worst in Europe with one exception: Sunday morning. Getting up at 5 a.m. and riding over the empty motorways up to Mount Montjuic, you can watch the sun rise over this huge city of about 4 million including the suburbs. You still have to stop at hundreds of traffic lights, but the city is much easier to navigate before a million people jump in their cars or onto their scooters. The view from the hill is fantastic; but beware, the huge forest of antennas can interfere with a Harley-Davidson’s electronics. You’d better park where you can roll downhill, because your bike might not start. Ask me how I know!