AMA INSIDER

As much as we love sharing the thrill of riding with friends, for many of us, riding alone is our church, our freedom and, sometimes, our saving grace.

LONE RIDERS

By Joy Burgess

Iride alone most of the time, and I thought maybe I was unusual in appreciating all that solitary wind therapy. But turns out a lot of women are just like me.

Some time back I saw survey data asking women about their riding habits. The results showed that 67% of women ride alone “often, most of the time, or always.” Honestly, I was pretty shocked to find out that so many women are taking to the road (or dirt) on their own.

So, I asked myself, why do so many women ride alone? Is it a conscious choice? Is it a lack of other women to ride with? Or do women face enough stress and pressure in their personal lives that a chance to ride alone with their own thoughts is appealing?

To dig into that question I started surveying women. If you ride alone, why? The answers were enlightening, and very similar to many of the reasons I often take off on my own.

For newer riders, the chance to go at their own pace and learn new skills made lone riding appealing. “It’s nice to go out at your own pace,” one woman from California said, “working on my skills without worrying about anyone else.”

“I don’t have to worry about trying to keep up with someone else,” added another newer rider, “so I can go at what feels comfortable for me instead of feeling like I have to push myself beyond my capabilities to keep up to others.”

Ride your own ride…I get that! Pushing yourself to build new skills is great, but pushing beyond your limits can be deadly.

Other women find lone riding offers them a chance to get away from the pressures of life. “Riding is my thing,” said a long-time rider from Oregon. “It’s my chance to take some time for myself. No one is demanding anything of me…it’s a chance to just be in the moment.”

“Having the chance to explore places on your own leads to creating your own adventure on your own time,” a friend told me. “There is no one else to worry about; you set the standard for how the ride is going to be and you only.”

Of course, while a huge percentage of women like to hit the road alone, that’s not to say that many don’t enjoy riding with buddies. But as AMA On-Highway Government Affairs Manager Tiffany Cipoletti reminded me recently, “When riding in a group, you’re only as good as the leastskilled rider.” And other drivers come into the mix, too, as AMA Grassroots coordinator Erin Reda found out when she and other women in her group were run off the road and crashed.

Working to improve her own skills, Tiffany took the Yamaha Champions Riding School’s ChampStreet course (see p. 34 for her story) and passed along a lot of the valuable lessons she learned.

Tiffany also mentioned that an all-girl riding group called the Sirens from New York took the class at the same time. Smart! Learn together, build skills together and then ride together.

Of course, as much as we love sharing the thrill of riding with friends, for many of us, riding alone is our church, our freedom and, sometimes, our saving grace.

Joy Burgess is the Managing Editor of the AMA