Bratislava – the capital city of Slovakia. Sitting on the banks of both the Danube River and the Morava River it’s a place that boasts a rich and tumultuous history, and is that place that surely is a jewel in the crown of Europe.

We had a chat with Andre, the ride host for 2015 to have a look at how DGR Bratislava went. “We were nicely surprised by the classic and custom motorcycle community, the event definitely exceeded our expectations – manly because this kind of subculture had never existed here before.” Like mainly cities around the globe, DGR brought riders out from the woodwork and united them, forging new friendships.

One week prior to the big day, things were looking a bit risky in regards to the weather, as rain fell upon the historic city. “On the actual morning of the event, I arrived at the starting point and it was a brisk 6 degrees Celsius! Fortunately an hour or so later the clouds parted and the sun beamed down to warm us all up, at a much more respectable 20 degrees.”

“We divided the ride into two parts, one lead through the marginal road, which is lined with the Danube river and the beautiful flood plain forests in its surroundings which leads all the way to the famous gothic castle ruin called Devin – a symbol of the Slovak nation. In the past this intersected with the ancient Amber road that steered from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea.”

“The second phase of the ride represented the old part of Bratislava (in the old time known as Pressburg), and travelled along Bratislava Castle, which is the symbol of our city, it then lead through the old Square of the Slovak National Uprising (SNP). All of these are the most important spots in Bratislava.”

Fortunately for Andre and the riders, there were no hiccups in organizing and running the event. “All participants were well organized (they had some experience from some other gatherings), also our volunteers did a great job. We only need to see to what extend will our Town hall cooperate, as our aim is to get this event deeper into the old town for the next ride.”

With thanks to Andrej Skulecz (DGR Host – Bratislava, Slovakia) | Photography by Marek Nagy Fotografie