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Carved into the rolling green hills of central California were the dark brown ribbons of a groomed motocross track. It was a picture-perfect spring day with blue skies and the occasional braap in the distance of dirt bikes warming up.
From completely new riders to seasoned pros, this was a weekend for women riders of all ages and skills to come together and just simply ride. This was the 2022 Over and Out Moto Camp with X Games and Supercross pro rider Vicki Golden.
Over and Out female-only moto campout
For five years running now, Over and Out founder Kelly McCaughey has been organizing these female-only moto campouts primarily on the East Coast. This year, Kelly and her crew decided to travel across the nation and bring their version of moto-camping fun to the West Coast.
Keeping with their theme of finding rare opportunities to ride difficult-to-access places, the Over and Out crew arranged a whole weekend of riding at the private American MX track in Delano, California. The venue also aligned with their other core value, making sure their events offer a wide variety of options for all riding skill levels. A turn track, mini oval track, pee wee track, main track, and extended off-road loop gave riders the opportunity to pick and choose their own riding experience.
This particular Over and Out event was unique in that it was an all-ages moto camp. Whereas most other women’s moto camping events I have attended have a strict 21 years of age and up policy, it was encouraging to see riders as young as seven years old intermingling with the crowd and geared up to ride, too. Mothers and daughters, friends old and friends new, a very positive vibe permeated the entire campsite.
Riding with Vicki Golden
A huge draw for me personally to attend the West Coast Over and Out event was the opportunity to ride and train with Vicki Golden. For those unaware, Vicki has quite the rap sheet of incredible achievements in the sport. Three consecutive X Games women’s MotoX gold medals, X Games bronze medal in the Best Whip contest, Guinness World Record holder after beating Evel Knievel’s wall of fire stunt, the first woman to qualify for an Arenacross main event and the first woman to qualify for a Supercross night show. Vicki might be an all-star rider, but could she really help an intermediate vet track rider like me?
Not all pro riders necessarily make great coaches, but Vicki had the gift of observation and communication. Our group training session centered on the turn track, where we focused our efforts on cornering technique.
This short drill-style track was prime for fast repetitions and easy pull-offs for some huddles as Vicki instructed us on key elements to improve our speed and form through the corner. For me, an emphasis on squeezing and keeping contact with my knees to the bike helped with stability and then the reminder to get my eyes up and around the corner produced significant gains in my cornering speed.
Ruts have been a long-time nemesis of mine on motocross tracks. I am one of those habitual riders who will always run the wider and often slower line around the outside of the corner to avoid a rut altogether. With Vicki’s guidance, I forced myself to ride the rut on the turn track every lap, and while the first few attempts were a bit shaky, by the end of the training session I was actually looking forward to the reliable rail and hook-up sensation as the rear tire found grip in the cupped terrain. Much like the “aha” moment of dragging my knee the first time on a road race track, I found lean angle I never knew existed on a dirt bike, thanks to this rut practice.
Vicki’s training was concise but effective. In just a few words she delivered all we needed to know to improve in the corner. With eight riders in this training session, what stood out to me was that in every group huddle she had very specific instructions for each rider. I’ve been a student at a ton of riding schools, and normally an instructor would have special call-outs for maybe three students, at most, in a group huddle. Vicki had a hawk eye for watching us each individually, identifying our weak points, and being able to recall each and every one of us at huddle time. It was impressive.
The final hour of each day, Vicki would join the crowd on the main track for laps and strangely it is a huge confidence booster to watch a pro blow by you at warp speed. If Vicki is going that fast around the corner, surely I could go a tenth quicker? Her confidence was infectious and her ability motivated me to push just that little bit more to go faster. Sharing riding space with heroes in the sport is in so many ways unique to motorcycling and events like this one really drive home that point.
Meeting like-minded riders
For a lot of female riders, a big draw of Over and Out is just the opportunity to get together and meet more like-minded riders. The East Coast fan base of Over and Out came in strong numbers to this California event and it was really fun to trade notes on how the moto scene and culture can change with the terrain and distance.
It was also the perfect excuse to reconnect with a long-lost moto gal pal of mine, Tonya. Many years ago we rode moto quite a bit together but as kids, career changes, and mortgages got in the way we slowly lost touch. After years of not talking, when I simply texted her “want to go?” with the Over and Out link she responded almost immediately with an emphatic “YES!” Our friendship picked up right where it had left off, with laughs and tall stories and a helping hand here or there as we unloaded bikes and set up our pit space.
My new colleague and friend Nicole joined our camp and it was a fun dynamic of us all getting better acquainted and turning laps together, cheering each other on, and of course snapping some photos to capture the memories. As we loaded up after the long weekend of riding, we were already deep in planning our next moto adventure to our favorite nearby riding spots.
The Over and Out moto camp with Vicki Golden was a weekend of opportunities. Opportunity to try a new track I had never ridden, to get instruction from one of the fastest women on two wheels, to reconnect with old friends and make a bunch of new ones. Kelly and her crew create an environment of encouragement and camaraderie that is priceless.
If you're interested in experiencing an Over and Out moto camp yourself, see the schedule of remaining 2022 events below or visit their website for more information.
| Over and Out 2022 event schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| Event | Date | Location |
| Off-Road Training Camp | July 8 to 10 | Hampton, N.J. |
| Dual Sport Retreat | August 12 to 15 | Plantation, Maine |
| Over and Out 2022 | September 16 to 18 | Tamaqua, Pennsylvania |
| Adventure Retreat | October 7 to 10 | Pond Eddy, N.Y. |
