Women’s Freedom Ride with Sponsor Wild Gypsy Tour Breaks U.S. Record, Builds Community, and Helps Veterans
By Joy Burgess
Within the past decade, the number of women riders has exploded, and women now make up a significant segment in the motorcycle community. Women are buying their own motorcycles and gear, and they’re creating rumblings in the motorcycle industry that cannot – and should not – be ignored. They’re standing up and showing the world that they’re not to be relegated to the back of a bike or merely posing with one, but they have their own voice and the power to make a difference.
Something special always transpires when you get a group of strong women – especially strong female riders – together, and that’s what happened on June 15th, 2019 with the Women’s Freedom Ride. Women from across the United States flooded to Topeka, Kansas intending to break the world record for the most women riding in an event. And while they didn’t topple the world record, they did set the record for the largest all-female motorcycle ride within the United States, and that’s a huge step in women’s motorcycle history.
One of the main sponsors of this rally was Wild Gypsy Tour, and Thunder Press got the chance to catch up with Wild Gypsy Tour’s founder, Kelly Yazdi.
Tell me a little about the Women’s Freedom Ride and Wild Gypsy Tour’s involvement in this rally.
Women’s Freedom Rally is an event focused on bringing together women from all over the nation to build community, help veterans, and break the world record for women riding together. About a month before the event took place, I received a phone call from my colleague asking if I had heard of the event. At that point, I had never heard of the Women’s Freedom Rally, but you can bet that I booked my ticket immediately after that phone call. It’s not every day you get a call about something this iconic; an invitation to make history should always take priority!
My team and I saw the vision of what the Women’s Freedom Rally was doing, and we wanted to make sure they were fully supported in their efforts. Wild Gypsy Tour came forth as one of the main sponsors of the rally, and we plan on doing it again! Wild Gypsy Tour is passionate about supporting women in their avenues of building community, so partnering with the Women’s Freedom Rally was in perfect alignment.
While the Women’s Freedom Rally didn’t break the world record, they broke the U.S. record. How many women actually took part?
Women’s Freedom Rally did break the USA record. We had over 760 riders come together to ride, and that in itself is worth acknowledging. It’s women’s history in the making!
What was the atmosphere like? How did this event affect you?
It proved to be one of the best women’s events I’ve ever participated in. Every single one of those women was there because of passion and purpose. To be in a room, let alone speak to a room, of so many badass women was breathtaking – it was like being in the presence of pure strength, sisterhood, and love.
Tell me a little more about Wild Gypsy Tour and what you’re doing.
Wild Gypsy Tour is a motorcycle- and adventure-sports platform that supports “for women, by women” events that are passionate about building community and culture. In addition to our own events – campouts, rallies, and festivals – the Tour supports many other #WomenWhoRide events, including other industrial and entrepreneurial ventures, as well. The Women’s Freedom Rally is one of the events we support and will continue to do so. For more information on Wild Gypsy Tour, readers can find us on Instagram @WildGypsyTour, www.WildGypsyTour.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WildGypsyTours.
This year, 762 female motorcyclists (no passengers counted) did a continuous 7.5-mile ride to break the U.S. record while raising money for veteran’s charities. But the Women’s Freedom Ride organization isn’t satisfied – they’ll be back next year to make an attempt at that world record again. Of course, it’s about more than just setting a record to these women. It’s about uniting women riders and showing the world the power of the sisterhood. And hopefully, more women are going to see what these ladies are doing and say, “I can do that, too!”
NOTE: Photos used by special permission from Women’s Freedom Ride and Kelly Yazdi
