Female motorcycle enthusiasts looking for recruits at annual show
I am woman, hear me roar.
Lauren Reschke and Erin Woon weren’t even born when Helen Reddy first belted out that 1970s pop tune, an international bestseller that became the 20th century’s go-to anthem of female empowerment.
They also don’t do any actual roaring — each has her own Harley-Davidson for that. “I don’t really see it as a feminist statement, but it’s definitely a sisterhood thing,” says Reschke, a 28-year-old kindergarten teacher who owns a Sportster Iron 883. “We just love to ride and want to encourage other women to join us.”
On Friday morning, the two friends are getting ready to do just that, as exhibitors at the 15th annual Calgary Motorcycle Show (calgarymotorcycleshow.ca), which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the BMO Centre in Stampede Park.
Along with selling their bracelets, motorcycle-themed wall art and stickers through Reschke’s company, Stay Wild, they’re also handing out information about The Litas (thelitas.co/calgary), a female motorcycle collective with chapters in more than 175 cities in 25 countries around the world.
“We call it motorcycle meditation,” says the 31-year-old Woon, who manages a surf shop in Mount Royal, as we chat at their booth that has plaques with slogans such as “Throttle Therapy.”
“Riding is my ‘me’ time, my love,” says Woon, an expat American who rides a 1200 custom Excel. “I don’t know what I’d do without my motorcycle.”
Reschke and Woon are willing ambassadors for a sport that in recent years has been attracting an increasing number of female participants.
Back in 1916, sisters Augusta and Adeline Van Buren created a spectacle when they rode into the history books on their 1000cc Indian Powerplus bikes, becoming the first females to cross the continental U.S. in such a manner. Despite such a long-ago first, motorcycle ownership and participation has long been the purview of mostly males.
Over the past decade, though, manufacturers have stepped up to the plate, with a more diverse selection of bikes to suit a wider demographic.
Reschke and Woon both come by their love of motorcycles honestly.
“I can’t remember the first time I got on a bike,” says Reschke, who grew up in Sherwood Park as the daughter of a motorcycle enthusiast. “When I was around 16, my dad said I couldn’t ride behind anymore,” she says. “I was getting too big and the bike wobbled. I knew then I’d get my licence and my own bike.”
Woon’s dad also loved to ride, but she didn’t take up the sport until she fell in love with a Canadian and moved to Calgary from her home in Colorado seven years ago.
“I went on one ride with my husband, then he told me to get my own bike,” she says with a laugh. “Riding is such an adventure, there is so much more you see on a bike. I’d like one day to do a ride back to Colorado.”
Laurie Paetz, the local show’s manager for the past 15 years, says that it gets more popular every year, with men, women and fans of all ages.
“It’s not just static displays, we have action attractions as well,” says Paetz, an hour before the doors open to the large exhibition hall holding everything from shiny new machines to custommade and vintage bikes.
“Kids from six to 12 years of age can learn how to ride at the Yamaha riding academy, one of my favourites,” she says. “There, they’ll also learn right away about the important safety aspects of riding.”
While Paetz hopes the show will inspire a new generation of motorcycle enthusiasts, Reschke and Woon plan to do their part to ensure the number of women riders keeps growing.
“You can go the same route a million times by car, but when you do it on your bike, it’s a totally different experience,” says Reschke, who makes sure her long blond hair can be seen under her hemlet, as experience has taught her that drivers often give female riders a bit more room on the road.
“You can feel the temperature change when you drive through the mountains, the mist in the air before you see a body of water,” she says.
“It’s just beautiful.”