BACKROADS • MAY 2022
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W H AT C H AT HI NK I N ’ SHIRA KAMIL
CAN YOU TAKE ON THE RIDE? Brian’s column last month elicited a handful of responses, some of which you’ll read in this issue. When he wrote it, he asked my opinion and I, being the equal partner of the opposite sex, said that it was his right to opine as he would but should know the reactions he would probably get. After getting these rebuffs, I went back and re-read his words. In the past, I have written about ‘women’s only’ events and how some female riders look to separate themselves, whether it be in a learning situation, rally or just to ride, and have come upon the same rebuttal. I did not see anything in Brian’s writing that would bring about such words as ‘privileged white male’ or ‘hissy fit’. We recently returned from a tour in Ecuador with Ecuador Freedom Bike. We have been with them twice before, the last, in 2018, with a group of 10 friends and Backroads peeps. We anticipated this tour to be just as excellent and a great escape from the last two years, as well as a break from the northeast winter. Court and
Sylvain, the principals, brought us on a great adventure which showed those who had not been to Ecuador before the diversity of this beautiful country. It also put us on some challenging roads which for which some of us were not totally prepared. Why do I bring this up after speaking about Brian’s last column, you ask? Because there was one rider who took on whatever was thrown at us, not only as a challenge but because it ‘had to be done.’ Janet Mueller, a rather petite but athletic woman who I have known for many, many years, has a ‘take on the world’ attitude. She seems to look at things with wonder and, for the most part, finds the good in most situations. I would certainly categorize her as a type A personality, as she is motivated and, as she puts it, somewhat competitive. Janet has been riding motorcycles since 1979, with a short break during her stint with the Army. She started on an old enduro, which she got street legal, and from there it was no looking back. When we met her she was on a Kawasaki Concours, quite the bike for a woman her size but she rode the wheels off it. During our Ecuador trip, Janet was on a BMW 310 and she handled that dominantly. She and her husband Glenn have been riding off-road for quite some time and have taken a number of training courses in all genres for cross-training purposes: MSF, trials in Tennessee, enduro in the Pine Barrens and New England, several track days at various locations, the BMW Performance Center 2-day off-road ADV class, flat track in Delaware, and many adventure training classes around the country. I asked Janet if she had done any women-only events and she said she had. The track days she did in Laconia and Millville, as she stated, were always half the price of coed, so it only made sense. She did a women’s only tour last year – a 10-day training tour with Pat Jacques of SheAdv – which was the best of the Colorado BDR. In her words, ”What impressed me most about the tour was the training combined with the touring. The tour started out with a one-day training class at an off-road location and then during each day of the tour, the trainer would go over any difficult obstacles and over lunch discuss the riding and give feedback. The only difference I found with touring with women only was the women’s lack of inhibitions and spontaneous silliness and a sense of freedom without judgment from more experienced/opinionated people (such as men).” I have to say that I am in awe of Janet, her riding and her take-charge attitude. While I was floundering and developing my fear rather than control of the situation, she was tackling the cobblestones, gravel, mud and whatever else was put in her path with, yes, a smile in her helmet. What does this have to do with women’s only events and the separation it may cause? Janet’s push to learn as much as she can about the sport and lifestyle that she loves looks beyond gender so that she can be the best she can be no matter where or with whom she is training. Discussions circulated amongst the women riders of the Ecuador trip after we got back to the States. It was mutually agreed that we all would benefit from training for dirt riding. Coincidentally, Bob’s BMW in Maryland was having a Women’s Only Training but, unfortunately, they did not get enough women signed up to hold the event. We are looking at DC Dirt Camp, also in Maryland, for the near future mixed gender, I believe. For over 26 years Backroads has been holding rallies, bringing women and men, and some children at times, together to some wonderful places and riding. We do these, at no charge, to promote motorcycle touring and for riders to meet other like-minded riders. No gender specific, just a fun time for all. Come join us, let’s all ride together. ,
