International Female Ride Day May 7th 2010

In 2007, little did I realize that I was taking part in an event that would grow to the proportions it has today. On May 4th, 2007, I threw my leg over the saddle and proudly rode to work, took photos of myself and Jade out on the road to celebrate women riders everywhere. I sent those photos to Motoress, the sponsors of the event and received from them a commemorative pin, decals and bragging rights.



Fast forward to 2010 and this event has grown to encompass not only Canada and the US, but Australia, England, The Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Poland, Israel, Qatar and Denmark to name a few. You can read all about this year’s event to take place on May 7th at their web site. While my new pal Blaze and I will be regulated to ride our commute, I have other plans coming in the near future that will celebrate women riders everywhere.

One of our very own NER female rider’s is organizing an overnight adventure for a group of us women only. The route she has planned, is to me, exceptional! It has points of interest, fun stops, and vistas. We will not take with us any male “protectors” and want to travel this adventure ourselves, feel empowered, and stop where no man would ever dream. Think farm stands, or road side gift shops; whatever strikes our fancy, it is not off limits.

Where are we going? For now, we are keeping that to ourselves, partly for safety sake. You can be sure however, that the ride will be well documented by me, along with photographs you will not want to miss. I plan to interview the ladies, take photographs of them and the sites we will see, and offer the route post ride to anyone interested in taking this tour themselves.

One of the positive results of such events as the International Female Ride Day is that it raises awareness in the industry that women are indeed serious riders. It tells manufactures that we need articles of clothing designed for women and that we are tired of wearing men’s riding gear. Also, too, while some women stay away from the really powerful bikes, the industry has begun to recognize that we need something in between 650 and 1500. This is what I love Blaze so much for. Her 1300 CC is a perfect fit!

Remember to ride your own on May 7th. While women are often the care givers, we often forget to watch out for ourselves. Bringing awareness is one way we can help each other. Then too, this event brings to mind so many lyrics we could make our own from “I am woman hear me roar in numbers to big to ignore,” to the more light hearted, “anything you can do I can do better!” It just makes for more lighthearted banter when we ride with our male counterparts the rest of the year. Something we thoroughly enjoy as well!