InZane in Europe is VRCC's annual international meeting. It is held in different countries each year.
Read more about the history of InZane here!
In 2024, it was Norway's turn to host the European InZane. The meeting took place at Straand Hotell in Vrådal, and we also celebrated the club's 25th anniversary!
170 participants on 115 motorcycles from 16 nations created the largest Valkyrie meeting ever held in Norway. It featured activities every day, and participants got to experience some of the most beautiful scenery Norway has to offer.
We had a strong desire to focus on recruitment, inclusion and community within the club. The following themes were therefore an important part of the marketing campaign up front:
"This meeting is about the unity of Valkyrie friends. In true VRCC spirit, you are equally welcome whether you come on a different bike, or if you are just interested in the Valkyrie. Let's shape the future of VRCC together by holding hands and celebrating the love for this bike, also called " The legendary Dragon "
The meeting had the slogan:
Where The Dragons Meet The Trolls!
Video by Per Arne Olsen
Video by Mariana Verpeide
A special thank you to:
EVEN LIE - event manager at Straand Hotell, for personal follow-up far beyond what one might expect.
LARS ARNE and KATHRINE STRAAND - 5th generation hosts, for their spaciousness, generosity and willingness to accommodate.
STAFF AT STRAAND HOTEL - to do their utmost at all times to ensure that our participants had an unforgettable stay.
ANNE GUNDERSEN - at Vest-Telemark Museum Eidsborg, for masterfully serving delicious food and for allowing us to organize our visit to their museum in a way that suited us best.
NO PROBLEM BAND - for fantastic music and entertainment on Friday night.
NILS ANDERS BRUUN - from the Grenland police station, who was primarily responsible for the execution and escort of the large ride-out.
TROND OLE OTTESEN - from Grenland MC-Marshalls, for good assistance in ensuring the safe conduct of the ride-out.
FRED OLAV SVARTDAL - who willingly lent his beautiful bumblebee Valkyrie to VRCC president Connie Hammond and her husband Michael who had made the trip all the way from the USA.
THE VRCC NORWAY CREW - who made a huge effort to ensure that all visitors felt taken care of during their stay.
Straand Hotel
The facilities, food and staff service level were top notch throughout the entire event! Straand Hotell is Norway's most prominent motorcycle hotel, and they have done a lot to accommodate motorcyclists. The hotel director is a motorcyclist himself, and it shines through during a visit here. They have also created the Hubriding concept, where you can use the hotel as a base for a number of great motorcycle tours in the region. Straand Hotell is a motorcycle destination in itself, and we recommend everyone to make the trip here!
We would appreciate it if you would refer to InZane Norway 2024 when booking your stay there.
Here you will find a number of photos taken at the hotel by both our photographer Per Arne and other guests.
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The preparations
In the spring of 2023, we were asked if we would like to host InZane in 2024. We never had any doubt that Straand Hotell was the destination we wanted. They were open and solution-oriented from the start and were very interested in helping us with all the practicalities surrounding the event. The location was perfect as it is centrally located in the heart of Southern Norway's MC eldorado Telemark! We worked closely with the hotel for over a year, and you will have to look far to find a similar level of service and goodwill. If you are going to host something, this is the place!
Vest-Telemark Museum was also a very important contributor to making the event happen. We also collaborated with a wide range of subcontractors to ensure everything ran smoothly.
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The first guests
Many chose to extend their stay ahead of the meeting, which the hosts who were already there thought was extra nice. Some came the day before, while others came a week before the meeting to explore the great MC destinations the area has to offer. The evening before the meeting started, we gathered for a story telling session in the old living room at the hotel, and then a shared dinner in the dining area. It was nice to get to know some of the participants a little more.
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The food
The common denominator among all participants was praise and feedback about the fantastic food. The buffet was so fresh and plentiful that even after several days there were always new, exciting things to try. The meals were both long and enjoyable.
Photographer Per Arne took a tour of the dining room with his camera, so here are many nice photos from the meals.
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Guided tour on Friday
We had planned 4 guided tours with different activities for Friday.
Route 1, option A - Gaustatoppen
Route 2, option B - Mæl station
Unfortunately, we woke up to heavy rain and low cloud cover, and many of those who had registered withdrew. The three longest rides were therefore cancelled. We gathered the most hardened motorcyclists on the shortest ride to Lunde Slusekro. The first stop was at the fantastic Z-Museum in Treungen, before the ride continued to Lunde where we had a fantastic lunch in dramatic torrential rain. After lunch, the weather cleared up, and we had a lovely ride back to Vrådal with views of the lakes Flåvatn and Kviteseidvatnet.
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Boat trip
Another of the activities we had arranged on Friday was a boat trip with the veteran boat M/S Fram on Vråvatn, right below the hotel. About 50 of the participants wanted to join this boat trip. The bar on the boat was open, Anita served chips, and it was a nice break on an otherwise wet and cool morning where most people left their bikes.
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Parts market
At the suggestion of the members we arranged a small parts market. This became a very popular event, and quite a lot of sales were made during the meeting. Connections were made, and we have heard that some have made agreements to continue trading after the meeting. We also had manufacturers of new parts who had the opportunity to show off their products to both end customers and dealers.
Videos:
25th anniversary
VRCC turned 25 in 2024. We wanted to celebrate this with an extra surprisee and had therefore ordered a specially made cake with the anniversary logo from Aasmundsens Bakeri . After a speech from the host, the guests who had traveled all the way from the USA had the honor of opening the celebration by sharing the first pieces of cake. 3 large marzipan cakes with raspberry cream were a popular addition to the hotel's tasty dessert buffet.
Live music and dancing
On Friday night, the No Problem Band provided the entertainment. They created a great atmosphere with many well-known hits and fun songs about the Honda Valkyrie. There was singing, laughter and dancing.
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Ride out/parade Saturday
The biggest attraction of the event was the big parade through spectacular scenery with several activities. This had been planned for over a year, and there was a huge machine in motion to make everything work. We started the day with a mandatory safety and information meeting in cooperation with the MC police and MC marshals who were our escort all day and were responsible for traffic safety and traffic management.
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With the assistance of the police, we had blocked off a long stretch of the main road outside the hotel so that the entire motorcade could line up in one line before departure. Unfortunately, there was an accident with personal injury. Thanks to the presence of the police and the fact that the emergency services were notified of the event, help arrived quickly at the scene and the injured person was taken to hospital. The person in question has since recovered.
We would like to extend a big thank you to the participants who helped during the incident.
115 motorcycles gathered on a 9-hour trip with several activities along the way was logistically very challenging. The rest of the trip went as planned and without further incident. Thanks to the skilled assistance of the escort team and patient participants, we all had an unforgettable experience!
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Ride out/parade Saturday
The biggest attraction of the event was the big parade through spectacular scenery with several activities. This had been planned for over a year, and there was a huge machine in motion to make everything work. We started the day with a mandatory safety and information meeting in cooperation with the MC police and MC marshals who were our escort all day and were responsible for traffic safety and traffic management.
The trip went down the Kviteseidsheiene hairpins and up through the magical Dalanvegen road between the communities Kviteseid and Mostøyl. According to local legends, it was in this valley that the legend of the Norwegian troll originated. We drove past a waterfall where some say the Nix lives, and a rock formation that is shaped like a troll - if you look really hard. At a leisurely pace, the participants had time to absorb the impressions as we danced through this beautiful cultural landscape.
The entire route in Google Maps
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After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the Vest-Telemark Museum Eidsborg for a longer break. At the entrance to the museum, pictures were taken of the participants in the cortege as we drove into the area.
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At the museum, there was plenty of time to look at all the beautiful bikes gathered. Here, the participants were served homemade moose stew for lunch. The moose was taken down by a local hunter during a hunt the previous fall, on order for this event.
At the museum, participants had the opportunity to learn about Norwegian industrial and craft history. The museum also has a fantastic collection of timbered buildings and a magnificent stave church.
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After a pleasant visit to the museum, we drove down the hairpin bends to the magical Dalen Hotel, Norway's oldest preserved wooden hotel in the dragon style. In the hotel's back garden we were given a very entertaining story about the hotel's history before we had a great photo shoot when the sun broke through the clouds.
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This was the last stop on the trip, before we drove up the mountainside on the other side of Dalen, where we had half an hour on winding roads before the landscape and clouds opened up along Lake Vråvatn.
When we returned to the hotel, photographer Per Arne was again ready to take pictures as the motorcade drove through the gate.
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CR / Presidential meeting
After the procession it was time for the annual meeting where all participating countries present their representatives. Tommy chaired the meeting, where a number of topics were discussed. To give you an insight into what the club's management is doing and planning, we are now posting the meeting minutes (eng)
We welcome input on what you would like from the club!
Closing ceremony
The first post in the closing ceremony was to present Thor's hammer to the next country to host InZane. Baka from Poland accepted it and welcomed everyone to InZane 2025 in Arłamów.
Afterwards, prizes were awarded in the following categories:
- Overseas travellers: Connie Hammond, Michael Bradford, Jerry & Sherry Sheffer, USA
- Youngest participant: Bartek Gołędowski, Norway
- Oldest participant: Michael Bradford, USA
- Most Participants: Germany v/ Ronny Bergner
- Longest ride: Alexis Brozek, France
We had a participant vote for best bike and best paint job. It created a lot of cheers when the bikes came riding through the hotel and onto the stage!
Here are the proud winners;
Best bike
Lill-Hege Strand, Norway
Outstanding paint job
Jarle Kvalvik, Norway
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At the very end we had an extra surprise for all participating women at the meeting. Each country was asked to send a female representative to receive the following diploma for all women from their country. The story behind it lies in the origin of the name Valkyrie. They were beautiful female guardiians of death with great power in Norse mythology. We thought our Valkyries deserved the extra attention.
For those of you who are still following along: if you were a participant at this meeting, we would like to thank you so much for attending. If not, we hope you were inspired to take a greater part in our community. Most chapters have annual meetings, and some offer multiple activities throughout the season. If you are curious, you can take a look at the European activity calendar.
Tommy Valkyrie
VRCC #38813