Come join us as we take on death valley in community
The Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley is an annual 3-day ride and gathering of LGBTQIA+ riders of all stripes making our way to the heart of Death Valley, CA via epic mountain roads and desert straight-aways.
This year’s ride is October 10-13 and we welcome all riders.
The main rendezvous takes place at Noon sharp on Sunday at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, followed by an overnight evening in Kernville, CA, where we gather to celebrate the day’s adventures with pizza, conversation, and good company.
Signing up is free and optional. It does provide a central page for rider communication, file exchange and announcements.
32
years
later
We’RE
still
doing it
OUR HISTORY IS EPIC
“On October 14, 1994, eleven motorcycles and fourteen riders left San Francisco for the First Annual (yes, there will be a second one next year) Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley. Please remember, queerness is a state of mind and has little to do with gender or sexual orientation.” ↗
QBIDV started with Michael Psycle passing out flyers for a birthday motorcycle ride from San Francisco to Death Valley that was more of a “show-and-go” run than an organized ride. The event grew to become a fixture of queer biker culture until 2012, when the National Park Service imposed permit requirements that necessitated costly logistics. From 2013 onward, many bikers have continued riding in their own (dis)organized small groups. While there is no official organizer, sponsor, or leader of the event, many of us continue to make the epic weekend ride to Death Valley each year in October from all over California.
In 2020, Michael gave Homoto MC his blessing to continue using the Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley name to help facilitate the ride and support individuals and small groups who wanted to take part and carry the tradition forward.
The club is a disorganizer whose only goal is to help riders get to Zabriskie Point in Death Valley at noon sharp on Sunday.
ABOUT MICHAEL
Michael “Psycle” Bettinger started the Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley in 1994 with a simple invitation: let’s ride. A longtime motorcyclist, family therapist, and community builder, Michael has always believed that the best adventures happen when people show up as themselves. His love of motorcycles, queer community, and the open road came together to create a tradition that has welcomed riders from across North America for more than three decades. True to its roots, the ride has never been about spectacle or rigid organization — it’s about freedom, connection, and the shared experience of the journey. Countless riders have answered that invitation over the years, a testament to the enduring spirit Michael set in motion.
BE A PART
OF LGBTQIA+
RIDING HISTORY
Photos credits Michael Pitchlyn, Mark Davis, Eric Davis, and Dan Radigan (Dashed Yellow Line) ↗
