solo

Join Me: Instagram Live, Sat. 7/25, 6PM EST

Me and my friend, Tamela Rich in WVA, 2016

Me and my friend, Tamela Rich in WVA, 2016

Hop online this Saturday night at 6PM EST with me and my good friend Tamela Rich. Just go to my instagram page and you should see me go live right at 6PM.

We’re going to chat about among other things, our short experiences as women riders on two wheels. I can’t wait for her to share how she developed the courage and determination to go on a cross country, solo trip just 3 months after getting her motorcycle license when she was just starting out! WHAT?

I call her my Moto Wife, because she’s the only other person I’ve traveled with on two wheels more than once other than my husband. We’ve met up in VA or WVA several times in the last 5 years and it’s always, always the best trips I’ve ever taken. Last year (pics below), we met up in Roanoke VA and eventually made our way up towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. Without her support and encouragement I would’ve quit while trying to make my way up a ~2 mile stretch of uphill, gravel and dirt. Eek.

Adventures Resources for Women Riders

Oh Hai! Are you thinking of taking yourself on your first long, solo ride? YES! YOU CAN DO IT.

Oh Hai! Are you thinking of taking yourself on your first long, solo ride? YES! YOU CAN DO IT.

Women have been traveling solo on two wheels since almost the invention of the motorcycle. Personally, I have many female riding friends who’ve ridden everywhere from Chile to Mexico to Mongolia to Vietnam and everywhere in between completely by themselves. 

If you’re a woman rider who’s new to solo adventuring or traveling on two wheels, I want to give you some inspiration and resources to help guide you along the way. Because there will *always* be someone whispering in your ear (sometimes it’s just you, but that’s a story for another time) that “it’s dangerous”, or “a big mistake” or “a terrible idea”. 

These women have ridden across almost every continent and they have exciting and sometimes scary stories to tell. But if you ask each and every one of them if they’d have it any other way, I think you’ll be interested to hear what their answers would be. 

So here’s a list of resources that will hopefully give you a combination of confidence, inspiration and motivation to travel anywhere you want to go on two wheels, all alone.

Friends/Sheroes: 

Some of these are friends that have inspired me to do my own long distance solo rides in the US. I know that if you sent any of them a message via social media that they would be happy to answer any questions you might have about their solo travels.  And some of these women are simply cool, amazing sheroes that I have found crawling thru Instagram’s hashtag feeds.

Alisa Clickenger IG @motoadventuregal

Porsche Taylor IG @porschetaylor

Cristi Farrell: IG @moterrificmedia

Brittany Morrow IG @brittanymorrow 

Rachael @fuzzygalore

Anna Greschishkina @anna_grechishkina

Sinje Gottwald @sinje.gottwald

Egle Gerulaityte  @eglegerai 

Motobird Adventure @motobirdadventures

Shruti Singh @girl.on.himalayan

Sarah Moreau @seccret_cross_country_rider

Maryam Talaee maryam.talaee.1/

Momma D @mommadandherfreedom

Web / Social Media:

  • #solowomentravel Follow this hashtag (on any platform like Twitter, Facebook or Instagram) or simply enter it in a google search and you’re going to find women traveling any way they can to see the world. I know that motorcycling has its own challenges, but we can always find inspiration from eachother, especially when we’re all trying to achieve the same travel goals. 

  • HorizonsUnlimited.com - This is a global meetup that takes dplace all over the world, I highly, highly recommend attending one of these events in your area. This is the one place you’ll find at least 10-20 women in one place who’ve ridden quite literally, around the world solo. It’s also a highly comprehensive online resource for anyone looking for help planning their journeys around the world.

  • Facebook.com/groups/WomenAdventureRiders/ - If you’re a facebook fanatic, you can find this public group (membership does require approval) with thousands of likeminded women who are out there riding solo right now

  • Facebook.com/groups/MotorcycleConfidence.ByWomenForWomen/ - “We're here to support and encourage all lady riders with an open heart and adventurous spirit.”

Moto Books:

Lois on the Loose. By Lois Pryce.

Please keep in mind, these are NOT Top 10 Lists or meant to be ranked in any way, shape or form. It’s simply a list of women that I either know or have found searching online that I thought were worth sharing.

Please feel free to add your own inspirational women adventurers or travelers that you love or follow.

First Solo Motorcycle Ride

Lake Tahoe Rally August 2012 

TahoeAdventureMoto.com - August 23-26, 2012

Lucky me, I was asked by one of the organizers of the Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Rendezvous to attend a special press only preview this weekend to see what Lake Tahoe has to offer.  

The event is taking place in August and will be filled with group rides, clinics, more rides, vendors and more. I've never ridden my motorcycle through Lake Tahoe but it's always been a place I wanted to ride to. Highway 50 is definitely fun and I'm sure there are more roads hidden away around the lake that will be a blast to go riding on.  

I'll be posting pics and updates all weekend, so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (GearChic).  I'll also upload my ride pics on my blog when I get back as well.  

This is my first solo motorcycle trip. I've done a couple of short solo rides but nothing like this. Although Tahoe is only ~200 miles away from San Francisco, it's the longest I've ridden alone. I'm so excited! I'll be taking all the necessary tracking precautions so that my husband can find me and the weather should be perfect. I think they picked the perfect weekend to host, because the weather is supposed to be high 60s, low 70s. YES!