Motorcycle Explorer September 2016 Issue 13 | Page 11
As I came out of the bend on my Triumph Street
Twin I saw Joli, our guide for the ride out, pulling
up on the grass verge ahead. In front of me Kiki,
who had flown in from Portland USA and was
riding a rented Harley, also stopped. One by one,
all the girls in the group joined us and killed
their engines. It wasn’t on our itinerary, but Joli
had decided to explore the banks of the River
Usk, which we had been riding alongside for a
few miles; after several hours under an
unusually hot Welsh sun, the river was
beckoning us to take a break and jump into the
cool waters. We found a secluded pool below a
small waterfall; leaving our helmets and jackets
on the rocks, we enjoyed swimming, relaxing and
laughing together for two hours, reluctant to
finish the day and return to the campsite.
So how did I find myself riding through the Welsh
hills with like-minded women from around the
world, letting our plans float away down the river
and making space for surprises, spontaneity and
adventure as only girls can do? I was attending
the first Babes Ride Out event to be held in the
UK - a weekend of camping, riding, music and
partying in the Brecon Beacons, to which men
were strictly not invited.
Babes Ride Out is a global community of women
with a passion for motorcycling. Born three
years ago in the United States, the inaugural
event attracted about fifty girls; two years later
at Joshua Tree in California, that number had
grown to 1200! This year, Babes Ride Out
decided to cross the Atlantic and with the
support of VC London, an all girls’ motorcycle
club, they staged the first UK event .