Wheels & Waves
After our 1000-mile run down from Rotherham, Biarritz’s Wheels and Waves custom show was everything we’d hope it would be…
THE the the helmetsfive scene BELLOWinsistentmassedmad takes and days the ranks sunburntburrOF the roundabouts, straight-thruof of custom two-strokes,open-facenoses. bike streetFor pipes, cornersusually France’s refinedand Basque parkingand coast. elegantspaces Eighteenof resort Biarritz, thousandtown a on bikers,every June. custom And and Wheels otherwise,and Waves head is here still growing its legend, and size. Wheels and Waves is in its sixth year and is sandwiched between the Ocean City museum and two secluded beaches south of the town centre. It’s a busy strip of tents and food trucks, but the event roster also takes advantage of the surrounding Basque countryside. First up is the El Rollo flat track race, where 80 classic and modern customised flat trackers chase each other for a sandy quarter-mile. Then there’s the Punk’s Peak sprint race: knock-out duels on 400 metres of closed road near the top of the thatbe The ridden. 680-metremany stars bikesof the Montedo show actually Jaizkibel.nearly comeall It’s makehere obviousto an appearanceSuperior with at its Punks 100mph Peak. clock-faceThere’s a Brough speedo, a Triumph Triton with a lube can cap covering one of its air intakes and a BMW Scrambler with surf board attached. There’s noise, action and horses munching grass in the field below. It’s all a bit surreal. But no less good for that. Classes are run in 25-year increments starting with the pre-1950s. There’s also a class for 50cc two-strokes. Riders include a human beer bottle, Spiderman and the obligatory chicken. Our bike’s in the race, too, competing against the seven other European Yard Builts. Racers start with their left hand touching their helmet and then reach for the clutch when the flag nd drops. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen. Full race report over there on the opposite page…