145 bikers join Monaco's Friendship Ride on Quai Antoine Ier

The Monaco Motorcycle Club brought together 145 riders on Quai Antoine Ier on Sunday morning for the annual Friendship Ride, a gathering that pairs civilian motorcycle enthusiasts with law enforcement officers from across the region. The event has run since 1985, when it was launched on the initiative of the Princely Family and has since become a fixture on the Principality's autumn calendar.

Riders assembled along the quay before setting off together, a show of numbers that underlines how the ride has grown from its original small-scale roots into one of the larger organised motorcycle gatherings on the Cote d'Azur. For residents around the port, the convoy's departure is now a familiar October sound, drawing spectators to the waterfront to watch the bikes leave in formation.

The mix of local police, gendarmes and private riders reflects the event's original purpose of building ties between motorcyclists and the officers who patrol Monaco's roads. With the club marking another year of the tradition, organisers say the format, a shared ride rather than a race or rally, remains central to what keeps enthusiasts returning each year.