Scooter City

When the fourteenth annual AmeriVespa National Scooter Rally rides into town tonight for a weekend of parties, rides, competitions and clinics, don't expect raucous, all-night bonfire melees or drunken, topless Harley chicks. Scooterists are a far cry from motorcyclists, after all, and AmeriVespa ain't no Sturgis.

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More About

• Tai Beldock
• Erico Motorsports

"We typically don't wear leather, and we typically don't run around half-naked," says Tai Beldock, co-owner of Erico Motorsports and an AmeriVespa organizer. "But I guess it's a little bit like a mini-Sturgis in terms of the camaraderie. It's very righteous."

Compared to the almost 600,000 riders who attended Sturgis last year, the 600 scooterists expected at AmeriVespa seem mini, indeed. They won't all be on Vespas, Beldock says, but they will all gather for swap meets, rock shows, barbecues, show 'n' shines, obstacle-course competitions and themed rides. And they'll do it without so much as a judgmental glance.

"There are two schools of thought in terms of scooter riding," Beldock explains. "There's the vintage crowd, who will dress the part and ride vintage Vespas, and there's the over-forty crowd, who just love to scoot around and don't give a shit about anything. The nice thing is, both schools get along. At AmeriVespa, everyone fits in; it's very inclusive."

Registration for the whole weekend is $50; most events are free to the non-scootering public. Get more information and a full schedule of events at www.amerivespa.org or by calling 303-308-1811.
July 27-30