Each hurdle another step towards learning what
we were capable of. The atmosphere overall was very
friendly and supportive. If anyone was stopped on the
side of the road for any reason, other passing riders
would slow down and an exchange of the universal sign
of the thumb would confirm whether the stopped rider
needed help.
I discovered a little something about myself over those
few days on the bike. There is an underlying part of me
that seems to want to show blokes what women are capa-
ble of, and that motivation would drive my wrist to twist
the throttle a little harder, dial in my line and calmly pass
them, leaving them a nice little dust cloud to sniff on.
It can be very easy to feel intimidated in a man's world,
and I know many women out there feel incapable of par-
taking in some of these male dominated activities but, I
say "bugger that!"
If there’s something you feel a pull to do, if there’s
something you think you’d enjoy getting involved in, then
who cares who else is doing it? Do it for yourself. At the
end of the day I just wanted to ride in some open country
and have fun.
This rally exceeded my expectations immensely. Not
only the riding but the camaraderie and encouragement
between riders, and the willpower, especially from my
female co-riders. One girl was there not to learn road
book, but to learn how to ride off road for the first time!
Turned out she plays unicycle hockey. She had a strong
core and good balance. I have plenty of dirt riding expe-
rience, and I still found it a challenge. Huge respect to
her for getting through.
I learnt many things that week. For one, looking the
part is definitely not everything. Some of the best riders
out there were the quietest and most humble, with tatty
old gear. Never judge somebody’s ability by how they
present themselves. I definitely received some double
takes from the men when they realised they were being
overtaken by a ‘chick’ on a 250. Whilst trying not to get
smug about it, it certainly gave me a little buzz.
Women are hugely underrepresented in the motorcy-
cling world, especially offroad riding, and I’m sure they
are often discouraged or put off by it being ‘dangerous’,
or something that only the ‘blokes’ do. In my experi-
ence women who go for it generally have bigger ‘balls’
than half the men out there, yet common expectations
keep them from making the leap into the more ‘extreme’
sports.
Don’t get me wrong, we have come a long way in
regards to equality between the sexes, but the numbers
speak for themselves. Ten women out of 112 riders? I
can tell you that not only are events like this totally wel-
coming to women who want to give it a crack, but it may
just give you the experience of a lifetime, and open your
mind to what is achievable. Like it did for me!
I am thankful to Stefan Rosner, the organiser of the
Bosnia Rally. When registering online he contacted me
immediately by phone; assuring me that as a solo female
rider I’d have his full support and encouragement. He
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