By: Dave Abrahams
Cape Town – If there is one thing to be learned from the Women’s Day Track School at Killarney, it is that there is no such thing as a typical woman rider.
Twenty-three ladies turned out to take advantage of sponsors Mike Hopkins Motorcycles and Western Province Motor Club’s offer of free entry for women riders, on motorcycles of all shapes and sizes, ranging from 180cc to 1600cc.
There were riders with less than a month’s experience, others with more than quarter of a century of riding under their wheels – but they all had one thing in common. They were there to learn, to become more skilled and safer riders, unlike some of their male counterparts, who were there to see how far they could push the envelope.
So they listened intently to chief instructor Wayne Arendse’s presentation, occasionally nodding heads in response to a particularly telling point, more aware than most men that what you learn in your head doesn’t help much on the bike; you have to learn it with your fingertips and the seat of your pants.
Learning curve
That’s because women lack the upper body strength to ‘man’handle a motorcycle during a tight manoeuvre; they have to ride the bike through it with skill and balance. Which is why the real learning curve started when they followed the instructors out on to the circuit in groups of six, to experience for themselves what Arendse had been describing.
All the ladies were very nervous during their first session, but as the afternoon progressed and confidence levels improved (radically so in some cases) average speeds went up, the lines through the corners became smoother and the grins broader.
Together with an understanding of why and how a motorcycle does what it does came the realisation that ‘Yes, I can do this’ which is when anybody, gender notwithstanding, really starts to learn how to ride.
These 23 ladies stepped into what is still regarded as a male preserve by some mainstream bikers, with grace and true biker spirit. For them it wasn’t about gender activism, or about proving a point; it was about the ride – which is how it should be.