TAMPA, Fla. — Ybor City is known for its parades – yet, the one on Wednesday night seemed to take everyone by surprise.
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Heads turned as hundreds of motorcycles rolled down Seventh Street – engines revving, blasting a mix of classic rock and Latin music.
The Latin American Motorcycle Association certainly knows how to draw attention.
“Our main purpose is to promote peace, love, and harmony on a world scale,” said LAMA international president Mario Nieves.
LAMA’s riders come from all over the world.
Each year they gather for the LAMA International Rally, which takes place in a different country every time.
This year, their travels led them to the Bay Area.
A total of 1,300 bikers traveled to Tampa for this year’s rally.
“We came from freezing Chicago to cold Tampa!” Nieves laughed.
The grand tour of Tampa Bay was supposed to start on Tuesday with a visit to Tarpon Springs, but rainy weather foiled those plans.
It didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits.
“It’s great, it’s great to have everyone here in my town,” said LAMA Tampa chapter president Johnny Urrutia.
Carmen Velez and her husband flew in from Puerto Rico. It was their first time to Tampa, but that’s not to say that they’re not well-traveled.
In fact, their motorcycle has been on quite the journey over the last eight years.
“Our motorcycle has been to Mexico, to Santo Domingo,” Velez said.
The couple joined the parade of motorcycles which started at the Sheraton in Brandon and ended in Ybor City.
“Ybor is one of the places, you know the old cigar towns, it’s part of the Tampa culture. You know, everything started in Tampa, in Ybor City,” Urrutia said.
Bikers from as near as Cuba, and as far as Spain and Germany, soaked up Tampa’s rich history and culture as they rode down Ybor’s streets.
The bikers ended up at Zydeco Brew Werks, where they ate and laughed with old and new friends alike.
“The distance traveled doesn’t matter as long as we get to hug each other, all these crazy people. We’ve all come from who knows how many countries!” said one biker who traveled from Mexico City. “Arriving in any city in the world and meeting up with people who wear the same vest and riding together – it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”