Female bikers tackle the #ride5000miles challenge in style

It’s been an action-packed summer of motorcycling for the dedicated female members of #R5K, with riders tackling big trips and achieving high-mileage.

Making up 10.1% of the 12,000-strong group, women have taken centre stage in 2019, sharing their amazing experiences, hints and tips and offering stacks of encouragement to all members.

Trisha Waugh, 54, from Chippenham, joined the group around a year ago, after starting riding two years ago.

She has piled on the miles aboard her trusty Honda CBF600, exploring local roads, touring Wales and even marshalling at this year’s Isle of Man TT races.

“My sister and her husband have been riding for years. I thought she was mad for learning in her 50s, but now I’m like ‘This is the way to go.’

“Then there’s all the people you meet: I’d never have gone to so many places and met so many amazing characters without being into bikes.”

These sentiments are echoed by Angi Todd, 45, from Hinckley, who said: “Life is too short to think about it and sit back and not do what you want to do. If I can do it, anyone can.

“I wish I had done it years ago, I really do. I always said riding a bike was something I was going to do but when you have a family, bikes get sidelined.”

Elsewhere, Louth-based delivery driver, Michelle Gardner, has been piling on a serious amount of miles, too, covering 35,000 in the last two years across four machines.

Speaking to MCN about her mammoth progress, she said: “I’ve been interested in bikes since I was a teenager, but due to health and family it’s something that never happened.

“I decided to live one of my dreams and learn to ride a bike two years ago. At the time, I was suffering with anxiety and depression, but the biking community have been so helpful. Basically, it’s completely changed my life.”

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