I've had the great honor and privilege to get to know and occasionally ride with Vicki Gray, the one and only Motoress and founder of International Female Ride Day, for over a decade. For those unfamiliar with her, she's a former motorcycle racer, a current motorcycle instructor, and an all-around badass (as well as an awesome human being).
And crucially, she is all about encouraging women to find their power and strength through motorcycling. That's why she started International Female Ride Day back in 2007, as a way to encourage women riders from everywhere, at every skill level, to get out and enjoy their motorbikes.
It doesn't matter what you ride; it matters that you ride. All motorbikes and women are welcome!
Too often, all of us can get too wrapped up in our daily lives, not making or taking time for ourselves when we really should. Yes, I know that women aren't the only ones who do this, but we're often the ones who lie to ourselves about it and say that we're fine when we're really not.
IFRD is, and always has been, about women taking up space, on our bikes. Whether it's on-road or off-road, on a track, or really anywhere; if you're a woman who loves motorbikes, then you belong in the community.
If you can ride together in a group, that's great; but even if you can only spare the time it takes to commute to and from a job or other everyday obligation you have on Saturday, May 2, 2026, then hopefully that time will be a sacred space for you and your bike. There have definitely been years when that's all that I've been able to do, because I had work to do and couldn't take the time to go for a longer ride.
Everyone is different, and we all have different things we need to do, but the important thing about IFRD is recognizing that even in that aspect, you're not alone.
Hopefully, you've already met other awesome women riders on your journey, but maybe you haven't yet. That's okay, because there are many more miles and kilometers for you to explore, and hopefully you'll meet some rad moto sisters along the way! One possible way you can do that, if you're active on social media, is to post a rad moment or two from your ride with the event hashtag #IFRDWomenAccelerate. You never know who else is celebrating and riding nearby!
