Just last week, we had the opportunity to travel to across the pond for the 8th annual edition of the Wheels and Waves festival in Biarritz, France. Here’s what the organizers say of the event:
“Wheels & Waves is an annual rendezvous, an eclectic cultural proposition around various influences: collector motorcycles, art, music, and surfing!”
Truly, the festival is unlike any other, where the overlapping cultural spheres of custom motorcycles, surfing, skating, and art converge into a single 5-day celebration. While the main Wheels & Waves Village is based in Biarritz itself, the races and events take place all over the stunning Basque country of southwestern France and northwestern Spain. This year’s races included the following:
- Punk’s Peak Sprint Race: Monte Jaizkibel, Hondarribia, Spain
- Deus Swank Rally Enduro Race: Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, France
- El Rollo Flat Track Race: Hippodrome de San-Sebastian, Spain
Uniquely, the spread-out nature of the festival forces attendees get out and ride or drive to various locations throughout the week, making Wheels and Waves much more of an adventure than other shows. There are few “trailer queens” here. The city streets and countryside are jam-packed with interesting motorcycles, and many custom builders enter and ride their bikes in the various races held throughout the week. It’s not uncommon to see a bike you know from social media rounding a country bend, blasting up a Basque mountainside, jumping a tabletop at an enduro event, or parked in front of a bar, grimy from days of riding.
Below, we highlight some of our favorite bikes from the show. All photos courtesy of our Taylor Brown and AJ Grey of BikeBound.
Wheels and Waves: Custom Bike Highlights
Follow Wheels & Waves
Web: www.wheels-and-waves.com
Facebook: @wheelswaves
Instagram: @wheels_and_waves
Very cool ? looking bikes more of the same
Very nice pictures! ? there is the photo of my father’s cross bike: The yellow Yamaha 500. I just have to rectify: it’s not an MX but a SC!
Thanks, Charlie — updated!