ROCKY VIEW COUNTY— United by a love of exploring the back roads of Rocky View a group is looking to grow the women's motorcyclist community in the area.
Rockyview Lady Riders founder Debbie Leah said the group has gone pedal to the metal this year, explaining the group's Facebook membership has grown to more than 50 members over the last year bringing together bikers from Cochrane, Calgary and the surrounding area.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what it turns out to be this year,” Leah exclaimed. “We just hope that this group grows bigger so we can have a larger female community.”
The group is for women who ride motorcycles and love to get out on the highway, Leah said, adding with a laugh the key rule is that no boys are allowed.
Leah said any kind of motorcycles are allowed and some members are still looking for the perfect bike, the goal is to unite women who love to ride.
Rockyview Lady Riders member Sherry Hamel said a lot of women ride motorcycles and the Facebook group can serve as a fun way to unite women who like to take their rides for a spin on the amazing roads in and around Rocky View County.
She added that the COVID-19 pandemic might have played a role in growing the group because it is a safe way to get together while staying physically separated.
“People are eager to get outside — it’s not just getting outside and riding you’re eager to be with people,” Leah said.
Hamel noted that going for a ride can serve as an almost escape during the pandemic because you can focus on the road, staying safe and enjoying the ride.
“It’s a stress relief riding your bike,” Hamel said. “I just hope the weather is good this summer and we get a lot of rides in.”
Rockyview Lady Riders have proved to be a great way to be a part of a community and meet great, nice people on bikes, Hamel added, explaining that it is a different experience going for a ride with only women.
“It’s more fun,” she exclaimed with a laugh.
Leah said she appreciates how they can talk more openly about the nervousness about riding a motorcycle when it’s just women.
“Women can talk about it better with other women,” Leah said.
A key lesson all seem to share is that it is pivotal to “pretend they are invisible” when out on the road as a way to help stay safe, she said, explaining the bikers need to assume drivers will not see you when out on the road.
It’s exciting to see the weather warming up after a long hard winter, Hamel said, and she cannot wait to get her bike out on the road. The biggest challenge riders face now is negotiating through all the gravel, she said with a laugh.
Leah said speaking personally she tends to gravitate towards long rides on the back roads of Rocky View.
“I love riding the back roads around town,” Leah said. “We have the most beautiful landscapes to enjoy.”
Hamel added she enjoys taking the back roads for the amazing scenery and said the smaller roads are often safer than some of the busier areas in the area.
As a group, the Rockyview Lady Riders have already been out once for a ride at the end of April.
The journey proved to be a good, short ride Hamel said and was a fun activity to do as a group while following COVID-19 health measures.
Leah said she is hoping for a warm summer with minimal rain so they can get the group on the road as much as possible. She explained that it is a bit of a challenge going for a ride right now because motorcyclists face a bone-chilling cold wind.
Hamel said the goal, for now, is to host polls each week of different places they can ride to so members can collaborate and go for rides together to different areas.
“I think the women in the group were very eager to join the group and meet other women because we’re all pretty independent,” Leah said. “To find a group of women who can all ban together and ride together— I think that is really cool.”
