Tag @motosportinc and use #BreakTheMold to show us how you, or someone you know, is unequivocally pursuing their passion to ride. We'll be highlighting your unique stories over the next couple months, giving away cool gifts along the way.
I'm a mental health counselor as my profession, so one of the things I used to overcome fear is meditation. I use it both on and off my bike, visualizing what is going on to help calm my fight or flight system. On the bike, I'm not closing my eyes or anything because that would be dangerous (laughs). On the bike, I use the same skills of breathing and concentration.
Another way I have overcome fear is by riding the sections that really challenge me over and over again until its easy. I'm really grateful for my husband for this technique. I have learned what skills work for me.
Utah is one of my favorite places to ride. While teaching an art class I saw a picture of Bryce Canyon and that immediately went on my bucket list. Utah is so beautiful and I have this weird relationship with red dirt. I love red dirt! So I ended up going to Utah to ride and it is so hard to describe. The beauty there is so unique with the giant pillars of red rocks and the endless dirt roads. It's phenomenal. There is a piece of me that feels like Utah is another home even though I've never lived there.
The most impactful trip I have taken was the California Backcountry Discovery Route. We did that this year and I had quite a bit of trepidation going into it. Its 850 miles of mostly sand and rocks which are two of my biggest challenges in riding. We did a lot of training and bike prep leading up to the trip. During the training, I fell often and would become scared making it hard to ride. When we got down to the start the road was just slightly sandy and my heart dropped. But I slept, woke up, and it was all ok. I did it. It was this transformation that I have been becoming the rider I wanted to be. I'm becoming more of the person I'm meant to be.
My dream trip tends to change depending on the day you ask me. I've always wanted to explore Africa on a motorcycle. Mostly because it feels more wild, uncharted, and remote than anywhere else in the world.
At the same time, I have been really in love with getting to know my own area more intimately. We just did the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route and it was so much fun to explore parts of Oregon I had never been to. I still have a list of places in Oregon I haven't seen so in many ways my dream trip is to explore Oregon as deeply as I can.
One of my biggest inspirations is my husband. He's an excellent rider and always makes it look so easy, he has been riding motorcycles longer. When I started riding I had been surrounded by a whole bunch of guys who rode like him. I had a lot of fear and experienced a lot of struggle. I started to wonder if riding motorcycles was something girls did. I had met a few girls on the trail but nobody consistent.
I started looking at books because I'm a book lover. I found Liz Jansen's book Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment. That book was really pivotal for me. The book is a collection of stories of women who had started riding anywhere from age two to age eighty. For some of them, it was really easy while for others it was harder. It gave me all these role models to look towards. I adore Liz Jansen for making that book and all the people in it.
Around that same time I was also on the forums and found Steph Devons from England. At the time, she was about to set off on an around the world trip on a little tiny CRF250L. I was delighted to hear about this woman riding by herself because at that point in my life that wasn't something that was normal. So I reached out to her and told her when she got to the Pacific Northwest she had to come to stay with me. I followed her trip and when she got to Portland I put together a presentation space for people to learn about her journey. We got to raise some money for her and spread the word. She was really raw, honest, and authentic about her struggles. She's so inspiring and still a role model in my life.
I feel like every little thing I do is a big achievement. Even things that may not be that big to other people. Baby Head Hill is one of those, its on the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route. Baby Head Hill is a long, steep hill with tons of big rocks. The first few times I tried I fell, but then all of a sudden one year I made it to the top. I love that feeling of getting to measure my progress against my own past.
I feel like everyone has their own unique path on a motorcycle. The concept of ride your own ride is so important. Riding with a partner who is really gifted comes with the struggle of comparing myself to him. So Breaking The Mold to me means having a variety of role models. Also, being honest and authentic about struggles. I put my struggles on social media and I have friends who do this as well. So we are seeing each other fall but also seeing each other succeed. For me, I feel as if my path has been about overcoming fear. That might be different from someone else but we are all trying to become the best person and motorcyclist we can be.
I Break The Mold partly by coming from a family that does not ride motorcycles. I had an uncle who fell and had a significant traumatic brain injury, the family story was always don't ride motorcycles. So I broke the family mold.
Also by being a woman in a sport that is primarily male-dominated. I was always surrounded by guys while learning so I was carving my own path by doing my own thing. I also feel like not learning while I was young, I was 36 when I started riding. Being ok with where I was at was important.
My biggest dream is not having to ask the question of what is the mold. I want to eventually see that there is no mold for riders. They come in all kinds of colors, shapes, sizes, and genders.
