THOUGHT FROM THE ROAD

IN RESPONSETO APRIL FREE WHEELIN’ RIDE LIKEA GIRL

Brian - loved your “Ride Like a Girl” article in April Backroads.

I have held the same viewpoint as you for decades. Years ago I wrote a similar column for American Iron Magazine. I was really pissed that women were crying out for “ladies only” track days so they could become better riders, but without any men around. My fury stemmed from two issues. 1. After hundreds of years of striving to be regarded as “equals” by men, it makes women look weak to ask to be set apart from the general population of riders, and I think that’s a huge step backwards. 2. Riding motorcycles is mostly done on the street, in real world traf c. People can be mean and uncaring out there. Whatcha gonna do, dress up all in pink and write “please be nice, I’m just a girl” on your back? Doesn’t work. You want to learn to ride, then get out there with everybody else.

About a year ago my thoughts changed a bit. I wanted to take a rearm intro class, because guns have always scared the crap out of me. (Best way to get over your fear is to face it, right?) But I was so skittish about just walking into a gun store. One of my female friends told me that she was taking a class with a ladies’ shooting club. I signed up online, went to the class (two, actually) and had a wonderful time. I realized that I was guilty of what I had accused female riders of, but now I understand their viewpoint much better.

Mostly, I think the expectation of women has changed drastically in the last twenty years or so. Men used to expect us to be soft and frilly and incompetent. It was totally okay to look at a dangerous object like a motorcycle or a gun, bat your eyelashes and exclaim “Oh, my, won’t some handsome man come and teach little old me how to do this?” These days, I think we’re expected to be like Wonder Woman or Lara Croft; sexy, gorgeous and devastatingly talented. But no matter what you want to learn to do, it takes a lot of work and study to get to that devastatingly talented level. So it was really great to learn the basics about safely handling a gun with a bunch of other ladies. We all crowded around, asked all the dumb questions we wanted, laughed a lot, and decided that this was something we’d like to do some more. With our ladies’ group, but also with the guys. We were ready to join the world. It was a good way to get into a sport that really scared me.

On another branch of this subject, I’ve been riding and working in the motorcycle industry for more than 40 years now. There aren’t many men who dis me these days, but in the last few years I did encounter two instances of the cold shoulder turned toward women. My husband Tod used to attend Laconia Bike Week with a group of about 40 guys he knew from a friend’s motorcycle shop in Queens. It was strictly a “no girls allowed” weekend, and I had no problem with that. One year I rode up alone on the last day of their outing to meet Tod. The guys went out for dinner as they always do, and I amused myself at the motel. I later heard that there were distinct rumbles of “what’s that chick doing here?” Tod explained that we would be staying for a few more days for a vacation of our own. Our friend Bobby (who organized the ride) told the grumblers that, when they could prove they had ridden a thousand miles in a day, they could complain about my presence, which took care of that. The second instance was just weird. Two years ago I took an adventure riding class down in Maryland. There were eight of us, and I was the only woman. I’m used to that. But I got this, well, passive-aggressive bad vibe from the guy running the class. I had loaded my bike into Tod’s van and drove down ( guring if I broke the bike or got hurt it would save a lot of time and effort.) I found the campground, checked in, and started unloading my stuff. Suddenly I heard a bunch of bikes, and everybody left. They had gone off to get dinner and just left me there. The rest of that outing followed similar lines. So I guess there are still la few jerks out there who have problems with women who ride.

~ Stephanie Feld

When the issue of Backroads arrives at my house, I open it immediately. Imagine my delight to see a photo of my bike’s windshield with its “I Ride Like a Girl” sticker. You can get one from RideLikeAGirlRacing.com. They create clothing to “encourage female riders of all ages to express and celebrate their individuality, their strength and their passion for two wheels!!”

Regarding your inquiry, my advice is to take a marketplace perspective: women’s only motorcycle clubs and events exist because that is what women want. If there was no value, they wouldn’t exist. No demand and they would disappear.

I enjoy the camaraderie of men and women motorcyclists. Women’s only spaces offer a different experience. Not better, not worse, just different. The reasons are varied. For some it is safety, for others it is encouragement or support. For me it is fun.

I bought my rst bike when I was living in Columbia County, NY. I worked with a guy who encouraged me to get a used 1982 Suzuki 450 GS. I rode Continued on Next Page