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Tomorrow is International Female Ride Day, a yearly event that's typically celebrated around the world with big group rides on a Saturday in May. It's not surprising that this year the date was changed and the rides will be different.
While I wish I could join a big group ride this year, there was a time when I would never have considered joining in. When I started riding in 2016, I was also working at a Harley-Davidson dealership. You would naturally assume there are plenty of resources there for a new rider, including people to ride with. Occasionally I would join a co-worker on a lunch ride, but my first year consisted mainly of solo rides to and from work with weekend escapes.
I never felt like I needed a crew to ride with, especially since I was still practicing my new riding skills. Witnesses were not needed for all the times I dropped my bike. But during that first year, I started finding social media accounts dedicated to female riders, like The Litas and Babes Ride Out. After following a hashtag rabbit hole, I discovered The Fox Run, a women-only motorcycle camping event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that caught my eye.
The Fox Run Instagram was full of photos documenting the previous year’s event and the overall "cool" factor sucked me in. Along with the free beers, music performances, and planned group rides, of course. For those who have read my story on small rallies last fall, you know I enjoy a moto campout without a strict schedule. But as a new rider showing up to an event with no previous connections, I appreciated the structured group fun that would make it easier to meet other riders. I quickly signed up for the event.
Once I arrived, I hit up the registration tent, grabbed a beer, and wandered over to the campfire. Pretty quickly I was welcomed into the introductions: where you are from, what you ride, how long you have been riding and how you got started.
Those introductions set the stage for the whole weekend. I had been worried about connecting with total strangers, because who’s had to do that since grade school? But it wasn’t a scripted meet-and-greet. Rather, it was an energetic group of women who wanted to share their motorcycle stories and hear yours. We all had different bikes and riding styles, but shared a love of two wheels.
Thinking back on that first night I realize that the “origin stories” we all shared are ones I’ve heard often over the past few years. But at the time, it broke me out of the Harley bubble I lived in and made me realize the moto world is bigger than just baggers and bar crawls.
And that moto world also includes group rides. Before coming, I promised myself I would give it a go. As I looked forward to the ride, I was nervous and self-conscious: Would I rear-end someone? Would I drop my bike on someone at a red light? What happens if a bike breaks down? Thankfully, the event’s organizers had typed out routes and held a seminar for learning to ride in a group.
As we left the campground and started cruising the rolling Lancaster backroads, my anxieties disappeared. I was blown away at the respect and distance each rider gave one another. The group stayed organized, thanks to the responsible leader and follow bike, and each rider did their part to pass along hand signals for turns, road obstructions, and pretty scenery that we passed. Despite being on a two-wheeled death machine, I felt safe and cozy in the middle of the pack and could sit back and enjoy the ride.
The example set at The Fox Run has become my standard for group rides. I choose my riding buddies based on their ability to have fun but also ride with the group’s safety in mind. While I still enjoy solo rides, I now have a solid crew that I regularly ride with. I also look forward to reuniting with old friends from all over the country every year at motorcycle events. With a few years of group rides now under my belt, I’ve stepped up to leading groups with the intent of passing on the good times I had that year at The Fox Run.
I didn’t think I needed a posse of cool biker friends, but discovered at The Fox Run that I wanted them. My female riding friends are priceless to me, because not many people can understand both the thrill of riding with the risks that come alongside it. I encourage new riders to seek out events like The Fox Run and International Female Ride Day. It’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone because you never know how it can change your riding for the better.
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