2021 marks Moto Guzzi’s 100th anniversary, so it’s no wonder that the storied OEM from beautiful Mandello del Lario is in the mood to celebrate. While it’s been a weird couple of years, that’s a drop in the bucket when you’ve been around for 100 of them, right? Unsurprisingly, Guzzi had some big plans to honor this momentous occasion all year long. 

One of those plans was Moto Guzzi World Days, an event originally scheduled to span September 6 through 12 in Guzzi’s hometowm, Mandello del Lario. It’s now July 30 as I type this, and unfortunately, the Italian press reports that Guzzi is postponing this event until 2022. I’ll give you three guesses about why, and the first two don’t count. 

However, both Moto Guzzi and the city of Mandello del Lario—which looked forward to the added tourism boost this event would bring from visitors all around the world—stress that it’s not a cancellation. They simply want to ensure that residents and guests alike can take part in such an event with reasonable expectations of pandemic safety. Current conditions unfortunately do not suggest that this is possible by the dates originally scheduled. 

To be fair, no matter how excited you are about something, it’s difficult to really celebrate if you’re super worried about something else in the back of your mind. We all ride motorcycles because we enjoy it, and frequently because we find that it helps us clear our heads of whatever is bothering us out in the world. Those times when you’re not able to shake those worries can be dangerous, because they can be distracting—and you need all your attention while riding so you can look out for drivers who are on their phones. 

Neither Guzzi nor Mandello del Lario have announced official dates for the rescheduled Guzzi World Days event in 2022 just yet. Presumably, those will come as and when the pandemic situation improves in the country. As more contagious COVID variants spring up in various populations, and health authorities do their best to take countermeasures against them, it’s clear that the situation is still as fluid as ever.  

We’re all hoping for a time when announcements like this will be a thing of the past. Until then, ride safe, ride strong, and take care of yourselves. 

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