By Joy Burgess
Despite more than half the country being blanketed in snow and ice, we’re getting close to the warmer days of spring. That means – wait for it – events season is nearly here! Most of us are pretty events-starved after 2020, and despite ongoing restrictions and learning to do things a bit differently, 2021 is bringing events back…especially for the ladies.
Ride Wild (formerly known as Wild Gypsy Tour), founded by my dear friend and industry shining star, Kelly Yazdi, works to empower women through adventure-lifestyle events, cultivating connection and community among women who ride. At the end of 2020, frustrated with a year of canceled events, she and her team felt it was time to take events back. And it wasn’t just talk…they came up with a plan that included small events through the end of the year and now they have a packed calendar for 2021 that all gets started with the Duffo Campout in beautiful Temecula, California.
For ladies who want to spend time playing in the snow, the Togwotee Retreat and Wyoming and the Silverton Retreat and Colorado have schedules packed with chilly fun. Then there’s a Powersports Palooza in Indiana later in April as the weather warms up. And while the events are women-oriented, they are co-ed, so you can bring your ride-or-die dude along, too.
If you’re already thinking about Sturgis this year, Ride Wild has something special for the ladies. They’re bringing the Wild Gypsy Tour back to the Buffalo Chip, making it the fourth Wild Gypsy Tour women’s festival and campout. It’s a camping event – no glamping this year – and the schedule is packed with nightly live entertainment via the Chip’s Main Stage, women-only group rides through stunning South Dakota scenery, motorcycle maintenance classes, special workshops, free roadside assistance for ladies involved thanks to Russ Brown, and enough games, fun, and immersive experiences to keep you telling stories the rest of the year.
Another popular women’s event at Sturgis is the Buffalo Chip Biker Belles Celebration, which includes the Biker Belles Morning Ride, Women & Wheels Bike Show (which is presented by the Wild Gypsy Tour), Symposium, and more. If you attend the Wild Gypsy Tour this year, the Biker Belles events are all included, but even if you can’t make the entire Wild Gypsy Tour, you can still join the Biker Belles fun by making a $65 contribution. All contributions go to benefit South Dakota Charities involved in women-related causes, including the Strider Foundation, Helping with Horsepower and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame.
Much like Ride Wild, I think most of us are ready to take our lives back a bit and get back out there to our favorite – and new – events this year. And events are working harder than ever to take extra safety precautions to keep everyone safe.
It’s time for an adventure; it’s time to get out there with our wind sisters; it’s time to ride!
Check out the upcoming Ride Wild women’s events at www.ridewild.co
I want to go I don’t have my bike I hade to sell it to take care of me. My son born with a clef lib and a cleft palllet. And we had to move.
To: Joy
How about a story on Valerie Thompson, world’s fastest female motorcycle racer, who will be racing both the BUB 7 Streamliner and the Team Turbo Tiger Kawasaki at the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials? She’s already set two new speed records this year with the Tiger (ECTA Arkansas Mile).