All roads lead to Senigallia – Bruno Picchianti and Sylvie Schmit, France

As H.O.G.^® members across Europe and beyond prepared to make their way to the 30^th European H.O.G. Rally, The Enthusiast^® met a few of them 

For riding duo Bruno and Sylvie, every journey by Harley-Davidson brings new discoveries and special memories. A couple since 2005, the pair describe their discovery of the brand as ‘love at first sight’, and they have both been riding Harleys since 2010. Between them they have owned seven different models; Sylvie is currently riding a Low Rider^® S, while Bruno rides a Road Glide^® ST. 

The duo have been members of the Armeville Chapter St Étienne for ten years, with Bruno currently serving on the committee as Assistant Director. As seasoned long-distance riders, they rack up around 20-25,000 kilometres per year, riding both with the chapter and also just the two of them. “We have loved all the road trips that we’ve done with our chapter,” says Bruno. “Even when the weather conditions haven’t always gone our way!” Indeed, when we catch up with the couple, they are enjoying a few days in Andalucia with friends, despite the trip having got underway in the rain. 

Next, Bruno and Sylvie will be setting their sights on the journey to Senigallia. There will be 10 members of the chapter joining the ride, on nine Harleys, and the convoy will set out on Saturday 1 June. The group have decided to spread out the ride over a few days so that they can avoid rushing and enjoy the sights along the way. First, they will cross over to Cuneo in Italy via the Maddalena Pass, before riding on to Talamone in Tuscany – there, they’ll spend two days enjoying the Termi di Saturnia natural springs. From there, they’ll ride along the famous avenue of cypress trees in Bolgheri, then through Siena and Asciano. The final part of the journey will see them ride to Magione, where they’ll spend two nights on the shores of Lake Trasimeno. They’ll then just have a couple of hours more to ride to reach Senigallia, and are aiming to arrive on Thursday 6 June. 

Bruno and Sylvie are European H.O.G. Rally veterans, having attended previous editions of the annual event in Croatia in 2014 and Cascais, Portugal, in 2019. They also attended the celebrations for the Harley-Davidson 110^th Anniversary in Rome in 2013, the 115^th in Prague in 2018, and the 120^th in Budapest last year. In addition to these, they’ve also attended European Bike Week^® on more than one occasion, and have enjoyed other regional H.O.G. rallies in France, Italy and Portugal. It’s been a busy few years with events, but as Bruno explains, there is always something new to enjoy, whether they are visiting somewhere for the first time or the third. “Even though we return regularly to H.O.G. events such as European Bike Week, we research new routes in order to discover new places,” he explains.  

The couple are keen travellers, venturing all over Europe on their bikes. Favourite destinations include Italy – they toured Tuscany, Rome, Naples and the Amalfi Coast during a 2017 trip – and Romania, which the pair found ‘captivating’ when they visited in 2022. This year, they will be heading to Albania for their summer holiday. “We discovered it last year and would like to explore it in a little more depth,” says Bruno.

In the meantime, he and Sylvie are looking forward to what they describe as the ‘unique spirit’ of H.O.G. when they arrive in Senigallia in June. “H.O.G. events are special as they bring together members of the largest motorcycle association in the world, and welcome Harley lovers into an incredible atmosphere,” Bruno enthuses. 

The passion that he and Sylvie share for the Motor Company is plain to see, as is their pride in being members of the Harley Owners Group. “H.O.G. is a family, a reassuring tribe that we are always happy to be part of – whatever the destination may be – and one that we are always impatient to see again”.  

The Enthusiast also followed the journeys of Angela and Uli Konietzko from Germany, Evert Richter from The Netherlands, Emiliano Izquierdo del Barco from Spain, Valentina Giachino from Italy, and Knut-Bjarne Klaussen from Norway. 

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