Harley dream competition winner announced

Get ready to feel a little jealous!

Harley-Davidson has announced the lucky winner of a competition in what was billed as the ‘ultimate job’ with French motorcyclist Luis Castilla being paid to ride around Europe for two months.

Castilla beat thousands of other applicants for the job which pays him almost £18,000 for the trip and he also gets to keep the Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special touring bike worth £19,000 he will use for the trip.

The competition is part of the Harley-Davidson ‘Discover More’ initiative launched last year and encourages people to try a Harley for the first time. It has been won by a single winner chosen from across the whole of Europe for the trip starting in May.

Harley’s press release states: “The seasoned French motorcyclist and adventurer was painstakingly chosen from more than 10,000 applications submitted from 27 different countries. The overall quality of the written and video applications proved inspirational to the Harley-Davidson team, but Luis’s immense passion for riding, adventure, meeting new people and overall suitability for the challenge earned him the coveted job.”

After his selection Castilla said, “I am absolutely thrilled about this Harley-Davidson opportunity, which will, without a doubt, be the most amazing experience of my life. As a biker and a passionate traveller, Discover More 2015 is everything I’ve been looking for. Sharing the experience of riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle through Europe, listening to other people’s adventures and riding with them through their local towns will make this an extraordinary event and one that will become larger than the sum of its individual parts. I want to share my experience with others so they can feel just how incredible this journey will be.”

Harley’s statement continues: “Luis Castilla will now plan his adventure of a lifetime, embarking in May 2015, to spend the summer cruising through some of the greatest landscapes Europe has to offer. He will be accompanied every step of the way by a professional film crew to document and share his experience on social media and via a blog on the ‘Greatest Rides’ website – www.greatestrides.eu

The brand new GreatestRides.eu website, also launching today, gives riders across Europe, Middle East and Africa the chance to upload and share highlights from their own ‘great rides’ with fellow touring enthusiasts; Luis and his team will use this content in the coming weeks as inspiration when they plan the Discover More 2015 route. The online community created by riders for all riders will also support touring motorcyclists across the region to research and discover interesting roads, places and events local to them when out on the road, regardless of the brand or style of motorcycle they ride.

“We were truly humbled – and overwhelmed – by the response to the Discover More 2015 advert,” said Harley-Davidson EMEA Marketing Director Mike Johnstone. “Every application showed a spirit for discovery and spoke about the freedom only riding a Harley provides, but in the end Luis Castilla was the worthy winner. His deep passion for motorcycling and his love for adventure will hopefully inspire riders across the world to experience the magic that comes with touring on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.”

For more information on the Discover More 2015 Tour, to share your greatest ride and follow Luis Castilla on his journey of a lifetime, visit: www.greatestrides.eu.