Leah Tokelove
Success is no easy ride Flat-track racing is wild, brutal and doesn’t have a women’s category. No problem for this rising star of the sport Words JESS HOLLAND Photography JUAN TRUJILLO ANDRADES
motorcycle and adventure festival Camp VC in Wales’ Brecon Beacons earlier this month, she encouraged more women to get into the scene – something Tokelove actively pursues through her own women’s flat-track school, Days On The Dirt. Here, she tells us why she loves playing rough. the red bulletin: What does being part of the flat-track community bring to your life? leah tokelove: I do think, “What the hell would I be doing if I wasn’t racing bikes?” The meets, the places I get to go, like Morocco and California, it’s all because of riding motorcycles. It’s made me a more interesting, well-rounded, better person. I’ve mixed with people I wouldn’t have mixed with before. It’s a real passion that’s driven me to be the best version of myself. The Hooligan race series is aptly named. Consisting of street bikes with no front brakes racing on dirt speedways, the discipline of flat track is rough, dangerous and scary. In this heavily male-dominated sport, it’s tempting to underestimate the chances of Lincolnshire-born Leah Tokelove, aged 21 and a little over 5ft tall. But that would be ill-advised. Having ridden off-road bikes since she was five, and raced them from the age of 13, the self-proclaimed “hooligan with pigtails” became the only female competitor in the UK’s Dirt Track Riders Association pro championships before she was out of her teens, and is ranked ninth in the pro class (at the time of going to press). But Tokelove doesn’t want to stand out in that regard. At women’s 30
What goes through your mind when you’re racing? Flat track is over very quickly. I do a lot of positive visualisation before I start, because I sometimes feel my mind drifting when lining up for ages. But the second the green light hits, all you think about is who you’re behind and how you’re going to pass. There’s not much space, so you have to be tactical. In some races, towards the end, I’ll make more aggressive moves, not really caring if I crash, just going for it. But if you’re in a good starting position, you’ve got to stay focused and not let anyone pass. Are big crashes a part of the sport? Touch wood, I’ve always walked away pretty lucky. I’ve been run over a few times when I’ve fallen off. I’ve been clipped, T-boned, just normal
bike stuff. I’ve had some bad ligament damage and bruises – one of my knees is permanently swollen from a crash – but I haven’t broken anything. As a rule of thumb, I’m a really fluid rider. I’m a bit like a cat: I always seem to land on my feet. Why do you run events specifically for women? I know how much of a thrill I get out of riding a bike, so why shouldn’t someone else get the same? Yes, I race against the men, but I love being on girls’ rides. Every time I go to the track and see more women, I’m stoked they’re there. I don’t think there will be enough riders for a women’s class for some time – but then, in a sport like flat track I don’t think we need a women’s class. I don’t just want to be the best woman, I want to be the best out of everybody. Do you face pressure to play safe? Yeah. The Indian Scout I was riding in the UK Hooligan championships last year was 250kg. I’m 5ft 2in [1.6m] and everybody was offering their unwanted opinions that I would never be able to race that big bike. I was too small, I was too this, not enough that. But if I’d passed up that opportunity, I don’t know where I’d be now. Obviously I know there are massive risks riding a 250kg bike. I don’t need every Tom, Dick and Harry saying, “Oh, you don’t want that landing on you.” Of course I fucking don’t. I’m not stupid. But the second I got on it, I fell in love with the way it rode. It was like taming a beast, and once I had it tamed we had some unreal riding moments together. I won on that bike. I got multiple podiums on it. How do you find strength to push against those pressures? People are always going to give you their opinion and put doubts in your mind, even if they’ve got your best interests at heart. You just have to get that tunnel vision on, disregard all the negative comments and focus on what you want to get out of riding the bike. One of my favourite things to say to myself is: “Just be your own person, do your own thing.” That’s how I’ve worked it out. Be your own. leahtokelove.com THE RED BULLETIN
