It’s the end of April, 2022—so you know what’s right around the corner? That’s right, International Female Ride Day is coming! The annual event, which celebrates women who ride every year, takes place on the first Saturday in May, all around the globe. This year, that’s May 7—so wherever you are, if you’re a woman, you’re invited to participate in any way you see fit, on whatever you choose to ride.
It’s hard to believe we’re up to year 16 of IFRD already, but it’s true! The goals of IFRD remain constant: highlighting women who ride, encouraging other women to take up riding, raising awareness about women’s equality in motorsports, and celebrating women who ride and/or are involved in motorsports. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a group, or you just want to get out and ride for yourself. No matter how you do it, the main thing is to just ride.
Whether you’ve been doing it for a long time, or you’re just getting started, it doesn’t matter—just being visible can be someone else’s inspiration. From my own personal experiences, lots of kids love seeing my brightly-colored motorcycle helmets. They wave, and I always smile and wave back. You never know when you’re going to inspire some little kid to get into motorbikes—and of course, I definitely want to encourage little girls to know that they can do it if they want!
If you only hang out with the same group of riding friends all the time, it’s easy to get stuck in your usual routine, and forget the simple impact you can have just by being yourself and talking with non-riders. Generally speaking, I’m not the most extroverted person. However, like most people who are passionate about something, I’m totally happy to talk about bikes and riding with strangers.
Anyway, I’ve had multiple conversations with women who don’t ride over the years, who seem surprised and impressed that I do, in fact, ride my own bikes. The dialogue might be a little different, but it always seems like seeing me in my gear makes them at least temporarily rethink how they previously considered the idea of women on bikes. Sometimes, simply existing as yourself in this world is enough. Don’t be afraid to take up space, and do always strive to show other people how awesome riding can be.
To participate in International Female Ride Day, all you have to do is be a woman and ride your bike on May 7, 2022. That’s it. There will be a limited-edition T-shirt available for sale on the official Motoress website (Motoress founder Vicki Gray also founded IFRD), and you’re welcome to display the IFRD logo on your bike in the interest of showing unity—but the main thing is the riding.
Ready...set...let’s ride!
