STURGIS, S.D.—Motorcycle riders have a high tolerance for risk. That, and loyalty to friends who have attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for decades, are among the reasons many thousands of bikers came back here this year even as Covid-19 cases surge across the country.
“We sit on top of a combustion engine and a full gas tank. Do you think we’re not aware of our mortality on a daily basis?” said Zee Traveler, who runs a network that matches bikers looking for lodging with people willing to host them.
The rally has drawn throngs of motorcycle enthusiasts for more than eight decades to the Black Hills , the isolated mountain range around Mount Rushmore, in a public display of metal, leather and camaraderie. For 10 days in August, bikes own the roads and riders with long beards and sleeve tattoos embrace with abandon.
“This is my family,” said Brian Jones, 46 years old, of the fellow bikers staying with him at a makeshift campground. Mr. Jones, like many rally attendees, is unvaccinated against Covid-19. He said he doesn’t judge those who get vaccinated. He said it is a matter of personal freedom.
“You can’t force me to do something with my body that I don’t want to do,” he said.
