From August 27 to September 3, thousands of bikers gather to ride the roads of the department: the Brescoudos. Family spirit, organization, animation, Christian Peyras, president of Brescoudos, speaks about the coming of the event.
What does the Brescoudos event represent?
It’s a gathering of motorcycles, the only one traveling in France, and perhaps in Europe. There is a lot of concentration of people in parks, stadiums, arenas and people are static. Whereas for us, the goal of the game is to set off on a motorbike and introduce the hinterland, then the big cities, to all these motorcyclists who come from France and elsewhere. We took the name of Brescoudos, in relation to Fort Brescou, which is off the coast of Cap-d’Agde. It is the only island of Languedoc-Roussillon, it is a military fort. Les Brescoudos is a meeting that began 34 years ago. Associations with this longevity, there must not be many. With the success we had, at first it was two days, then we maxed out at three to four days. In the end, people who come from far away told us that we had to do the seven days, because they were taking a week’s vacation to come to Cap-d’Agde.
How is such a gathering organised?
We are currently working on the 2024 edition. We are approached by towns and villages and this must correspond with the course which will be decided in November for next year. There are plenty of parameters to respect so that there is a distance between villages or towns, which is not too high but a bit all the same, just to walk around. There are constraints like certain high traffic roads that we cannot use. It is then necessary to juggle on small roads. That’s why we take it very far in advance.
What is the specificity of the 2023 edition of the Brescoudos?
You should know that, each year, we try to find a theme. The Brescoudos gathering must always be family-friendly and friendly, and it must be open to everyone, both bikers and the public. People like to come and see the bikes, be it kids, parents and grandparents, and take pictures. The idea is to have a theme that has something to do with publishing. Last year was the 33rd edition. 33, it reminds me of the doctor. We wanted to pay tribute to the nursing staff, who were present throughout the Covid period. This year was the 34th. 34 is the department of Hérault. We found the theme “Superheroes”. People are invited to come masked, we are going to organize a competition, at the end of which we are going to offer a holiday weekend in Cap-d’Agde to the couple who will be the most “looked” as superheroes.
How is this year’s gathering shaping up?
At the beginning, we start “small” by favoring the small villages of the hinterland, such as Puisserguier and Riols, where there will be wild boar on the spit. Then, other villages and small roads, which are nice as there are not too many of us at the start. Towards the end of the week, we prefer the big cities, which have the capacity to welcome us, such as Narbonne, Béziers, Sète and of course Cap-d’Agde. The number of participants changes during the gathering. Some people cannot take a week’s vacation and only come for four or five days. This is the freedom of the Brescoudos. For example, a couple participating on August 27 and 28. If they want to take a day at the beach or a sightseeing day in Sète or Carcassonne on the 29th, they can do so and re-register the next day. It is total freedom. There are no rules, nothing is fixed, we do what we want at Les Brescoudos. The main thing is to register for meals, because this is a delicate matter. If we report the wrong number to a municipality, it is not possible. In terms of entertainment, every afternoon we organize contests: the most stylish couple, the most tattooed one, the best kilts, the best beards. It’s fun and it gives all those people a good time. These are busy days.
2023-08-26 21:35:24
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