rallies

Women's Sportbike Rallies 2017

Left: National Director Brittany Morrow, Me, Jennifer Eskew/Volunteer 

Left: National Director Brittany Morrow, Me, Jennifer Eskew/Volunteer 

This year I was honored to be a volunteer on the staff that put together the Annual Women's Sportbike Rally. 

I went once before in 2015, but only as a sponsor / attendee. This year I joined as not only a sponsor of the workshops for both West and East rallies, but I also climbed in board to help Brittany with marketing efforts. I'm excited to continue volunteering time next year to such a unique rally experience. Both rallies served to help women who love sportbike riding, to meet other women who enjoy the same riding lifestyles and to educate and inform. 

Any profits generated from the event are fully donated to the Skin Cancer Foundation. As riders, are are constantly exposing ourselves to the outdoors and communicating this message important for the event due to the loss of Tiffany Weirbach “Sportbikegirl”.  After losing her life to Melanoma, the event has carried on her memory by sharing her story over and over again to the next generation of sportbike women riders. 

I was too busy having fun with my girls so I didn't heavily document my trip but if you followed my Instagram earlier this summer you saw some awesome riding photos. 

Here are some highlights:

I also had the opportunity to borrow a wonderful friend's Triumph for the event. Does she look familiar? :) Actually she's a much more glamorous version of Goldie with her awesome Rizoma farkles. This was bike was actually lower (but not lower-ed due to the change in seat type) and sportier than mine. More details on that in a separate post to come. 

Here are some of her highlights (look familiar? :P) 

Birgit in My Pants at the West Rally :D

Birgit in My Pants at the West Rally :D

But my favorite moment from the rally was connecting with Kiona's mom, Birgit.    

She had remarked to me how difficult it was for her to find proper riding pants. And she wished she had a pair of comfortable leathers that she could feel protected and comfortable in. 

Well lucky we're almost the same size. I gave her my two piece Rev'it outfit and told her to take them for a spin! 

Birgit was very petite and trim. Although she could have sized down to a 34, she preferred the looseness of the 36 that I have. (my hips are too big to fit a 34). 

She didn't know that pants like this existed and would fit her so well. 

And now she does! 

Here's a pic of her on Instagram: 

Kiona's mom wearing her own Rev'it Galactic Jacket and Gear 2 Leather Pants.

Kiona's mom wearing her own Rev'it Galactic Jacket and Gear 2 Leather Pants.

I couldn't be happier for her, I'm so glad she found something she loves to wear. It's these little moments with people that I enjoy the most. If I can help someone I'm thrilled to do it. 

At the East Rally I met so many cool women again and got to chat with a few gals who needed help with gear. I also did a Helmet Fit Workshop which I think got everyone rethinking their helmet size (one gal needed to go down 2 sizes!). I'm excited to teach and sponsor workshops again next year at both events because they're so important to increasing rider skills and education. 

Check out some of the highlights and visit my Instagram feed for more pics including towing our bikes with the Jeep all the way down to Deals Gap!

crosstown-jeans-crash-side-seam.jpg

And last but not least, I was able to meet with Laura Smith, coFounder of Worse for Wear riding denims for women. We sat down for an hour and I recorded a podcast for Moterrific, my side podcast gig. I hope you'll take a listen and let me know what you think! I learned so much about riding pants and how to make sure they protect every inch of you but more importantly how Laura's pants do that better than any other women's jean on the market. Take a listen now:  

http://www.moterrific.com/blog/2017/9/18/episode-98

I am looking forward to next year's rallies, although I may not be able to attend both events, I will be supporting them 100% with volunteering as much free time as I can to ensure both locations are a success. 

These events would not have taken place if not for the contributions of these specific sponsors who provided money, raffle donations and / or volunteered their own time to assist with our event. THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS!

ROK Straps USA, LLC – RokMotoStraps.com

Hoo Rag – Hoorag.com

GearChic – GearChic.com

Women’s Motorcycle Tours – WomensMotorcycleTours.com

Worse for Wear – WorseWear.com

MotoHub USA – MotoHubUSA.com

In addition. the following businesses donated raffle items for giveaways for our attendees: 

Eagle Rider @ BMW of Murrieta

Sargent Cycle Products North America

Rock the Gear

Modern Moto Magazine

Helmet Halo

Raci-Babi

Rachael Maltbie, Independent doTERRA Consultant

ICON Motosports

Racer Gloves USA

Fable Riders

On-Track Wellness

TechNiche International

If you're interested in attending or sponsoring next year's events please visit:  womenssportbikerally.com

Next year's dates have NOT been announced as of this post. Please sign up for the newsletter and follow the rally on Facebook and Instagram to find out as soon as dates and locations are announced for 2018! 

Women's Sportbike Rally West, July 14-16 2017

Me and Goldie at Fontana Dam in 2015

Me and Goldie at Fontana Dam in 2015

I'm excited to announce that I'll be flying to Los Angeles in two months for the Women's Sportbike Rally in Big Bear, CA! 

The Rally was started 12 years ago by a couple of girls who just wanted to ride their sportbikes and meet likeminded girls who were interested in doing the same. 12 years later, it's grown to a few more women. The event not only benefits women who ride sportbikes, but the Skin Cancer Foundation in honor of one of the event's cofounders, Tiffany Weribach who passed away at the tender age of 24 from Melanoma. 

I attended my first East Rally at Deals Gap two years ago and loved the ride down from Philly. I am thrilled to not only attend, but also present as a speaker to share everything I've learned in my short riding career. 

This year's rally is going to be a little different from years past with the introduction of workshops to share as much knowledge with our fellow women riders as we can. 

The only way to grow as a motorcyclist is to keep learning. Especially with high performance machines that may need different attention as a rider. I'm thrilled to help promote this event and convince some of you to come with me! I'm flying in to Los Angeles and renting a bike (unless I can find a generous donor), as I don't have time to ride across the country right now. 

On Saturday, July 15th I'll be presenting two workshops. My first one is dedicated to the cause of riding motorcycles when you're short. Because well, riding really short bikes isn't as fun as riding taller, faster ones :D

Then I'll be doing a gear seminar to help you find the best options including the top performance brands, custom options, and how to figure out proper helmet fit and sizing. I'll also be fielding any specific, personal questions you may have about gear as well. 

For More Information about the event including registration and details visit womenssportbikerally.com

I truly hope to see you there. 

Women's Sportbike Rally East and West 2017

Photo at Fontana Dam, Women's Sportbike Rally East 2015

Photo at Fontana Dam, Women's Sportbike Rally East 2015

Two years ago, I went to my first Women's Sportbike Rally at Deals Gap. It was also my first time riding to the infamous Dragon. It was the longest solo ride I'd ever taken, and on Goldie too. 

This year I'm not only going to try and attend both rallies (still need to get time off approved) but I'm also assisting my friend Brittany Morrow, the National Director of the Rally. You may know her as Road Rash Queen. I just know her as a cool ass rider named Brittany.  

I'm excited to help her promote and share the rally with my fellow women riders who love riding sportbikes! Nothing else like it exists, and we want every female who rides a sportbike or is interested in riding sportbikes to attend. 

For the 3rd year in a row, the West Coast will take place at Big Bear Lake, CA in Southern California. And for the 12th year in a row, the East rally will take place near the infamous Dragon in Fontana Village, NC.

If I attend, I'll be hosting seminars and workshops too so stay tuned for updates when I make my final announcements for both events. 

For registration details and event info visit the website.