Bikers Gathering In Kalispell For Rally

As many as 3,000 bikers are bearing down on the Flathead Valley for annual rallies this week, but nobody’s worried about outlaws pillaging and looting. They’ve been here before.

“The ice cream shops will probably be busier than the lounges next week,” said John Schmidt of Rider Magazine, which sponsors one of the gatherings, the national Rider Rally. “It’s mom and pop and put them on a motorcycle.”

The cyclists at both the Rider Rally and the Venture Touring Society’s annual gathering will fit the same profiles, Schmidt said. They will be mostly male, average age 50, married, and with an average household income of $50,000.

The society has estimated its bikers spend $50 a day beyond lodging costs.