Women's Sportbike Rally West, July 14-16 2017

Me and Goldie at Fontana Dam in 2015

I'm excited to announce that I'll be flying to Los Angeles in two months for the Women's Sportbike Rally in Big Bear, CA! 

The Rally was started 12 years ago by a couple of girls who just wanted to ride their sportbikes and meet likeminded girls who were interested in doing the same. 12 years later, it's grown to a few more women. The event not only benefits women who ride sportbikes, but the Skin Cancer Foundation in honor of one of the event's cofounders, Tiffany Weribach who passed away at the tender age of 24 from Melanoma. 

I attended my first East Rally at Deals Gap two years ago and loved the ride down from Philly. I am thrilled to not only attend, but also present as a speaker to share everything I've learned in my short riding career. 

This year's rally is going to be a little different from years past with the introduction of workshops to share as much knowledge with our fellow women riders as we can. 

The only way to grow as a motorcyclist is to keep learning. Especially with high performance machines that may need different attention as a rider. I'm thrilled to help promote this event and convince some of you to come with me! I'm flying in to Los Angeles and renting a bike (unless I can find a generous donor), as I don't have time to ride across the country right now. 

On Saturday, July 15th I'll be presenting two workshops. My first one is dedicated to the cause of riding motorcycles when you're short. Because well, riding really short bikes isn't as fun as riding taller, faster ones :D

Then I'll be doing a gear seminar to help you find the best options including the top performance brands, custom options, and how to figure out proper helmet fit and sizing. I'll also be fielding any specific, personal questions you may have about gear as well. 

For More Information about the event including registration and details visit womenssportbikerally.com

I truly hope to see you there. 

First MotoGP in Austin, A Wall of Death and Really Fast Motorcycles

*Drool* KTM USA Tent at Circuit of the Americas, Austin. What I wouldn't give to take this baby for a 1,000 mile test ride. 

The reason we flew out to Austin was to watch MotoGP, it's the tip top of international motorcycle racing. But along with MotoGP, other classes were out racing that weekend namely MotoAmerica. Which is "a professional motorcycle racing series sanctioned by the AMA and FIM North America." 

Valentino "the Doctor" Rossi, 38 years old, 7? time MotoGP World Champion. To most, a pavement god.

Whereas "MotoGP is the pinnacle class of world championship road racing". The machines achieve a maximum output of over 240 hp and reach speeds of over 340km/hr.  Watching live motorcycle racing is just awesome. If you're interested in the technical aspects of MotoGP, click here.

Racers from all over the world compete to win the title of MotoGP Champion. They race motorcycles that *no one* can buy, motorcycles that frankly, no one can really ride except champions. They cost millions of dollars, and are supported often (but not always) by the factory brands such as Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda, Ducati.

I urge you to go watch the Faster Series (Faster, Fastest, Hitting the Apex) on Netflix/iTunes/Amazon/wherever. It's an incredible look into the sights and sounds of MotoGP. 

The Doctor, as he's known, showing the pavement who's boss with mere inches making contact with the pavement while moving at steady speeds between 100-200mph?!?!  Photo: ValentinoRossi.com

Something that has always fascinated me are the physics of motorcycling. Physics to me, are like magic but REAL magic, supported by Science and Facts! You can't really see it, but it's happening and can be measured to match up what your eyes are seeing before you. 

It's something I highly recommend experiencing at least once in your lifetime. 6-8 years ago, we went to MotoGP at Laguna Seca in Monterey with friends to watch and it was exhilarating. 

The Track

When I think of The Circuit of the Americas, the first thing that pops into my head are the signature stars and stripes across the entire track. Red, White and Blue colors are everywhere which isn't too unusual but I would say of all the MotoGP tracks, this one is *especially* patriotic to its home country. 

View from The Tower, looking down on Turn 3 with all the glorious stars. 

And Turn 3 was a great spot,  with a nice tv screen to see all the action along with feisty commentary from Eurosport.

Check out a short video I took from the MotoGP Race on Sunday afternoon:

I wish I had incredible camera skills, but if you want to see some beautiful motogp photography, check out Photo.GP.

After the final race on Sunday, they opened the track for 30 minutes and let us walk around for a bit.

Walking Along the Apex

At The Start Line

Looking Up the Main Straight

Official Rubber

Could be from Rossi's tire, who knows? 

The Tower

Ever since I saw this Tower in photos, I always wanted to get to the top to see what the view was like. The elevator was out, so that meant we had to climb to the top. It took awhile, but totally worth it. The view was stunning, and you could see the entire track in any direction. 

Selfie At The Top

But it's not just about big motorcycles racing, it's about the little ones too like this minimoto track some kiddies were practicing on:

Kids Minimoto Track

And then there were the Budweiser Clydesdales touring the country, with Austin as one of their stops. Look at these cuties, they were gorgeous and Huge! I love how the one in the back is totally cheesing in the background. They seemed excited when everyone was there to take pictures with them. 

Of course there's also a few stands to buy some gear. I couldn't resist buying this "coolshirt" from Taichi. It's basically a zip up baselayer for hot weather. I got a really bad sunburn on Friday and I needed something soft up against my shoulders so this was perfect. It feels silky to the touch, really soft, I'm looking forward to wearing it in really hot weather to see how it compares to my other hot weather baselayers. I bought a Medium and it fits me perfect, not too tight / not too loose. You can check it out here. 

Wandering around the track, there were also some cool areas to check out including shopping, bikes and bikes. 

KTM SuperDuke GT

Can we go out sometime? 

Have I Mentioned How Much I Like You?

Isn't He Beautiful?

Yamaha FZ10

I'll admit, it's one of my top 3 bikes for future upgrades

A Brief Lapse in Judgment to the Dark Side

Pretty Yamalube Westby Racing YZF-R1

With Latus Racing's Kawasaki ZX-10

Racer Bobby Fong landed on the podium three times that weekend with this bike.

The Food

I think I gained 10lbs. SO much deliciousness in Austin. The food was fantastic, and the barbecue was amazing. 

Torchy's Tacos

First stop after landing in Austin, for some tacos and 'ritas

Crazy tacos from Torchys

Snooze, an A.M. Eatery

This was "Chicken Pot Pie" breakfast style

Counter Cafe

Another tasty breakfast right near our Airbnb

Coopers Old Time BBQ Pit

Second night in Austin. I swear I tried to take the entire hunk of Ribeye home (2 days later). It was SO good. 

Gourdough's Donuts

Homemade, fresh ginormous donuts piled with various toppings. YUM.

Blacks BBQ

Last BBQ in Austin. Another delicious meal. 

I swear practically on every corner was a food truck. Even in the parking lot at this adorable pet store. 

Yep, those are fake dogs on the roof! 

And food trucks parked in the pet store parking lot. 

Handbuilt Show

We spent Friday night at the Handbuilt Show, a popular event in Austin that happens the same weekend. It's remarkable what people can make with their own two hands. 

I Fell In Love With a Suzuki

This was a beautiful Suzuki, but I have no idea what it really was....

Nice Motodemic Headlight Conversion

Love the Glowing Tank

There was also a Wall of Death Show, which I missed, but my husband got some slow motion action live from the Wall:

Slow motion video of a brief moment at the Wall of Death, at the Handbuilt Show Austin, 2017

We had a great time in Austin, I really hope to go back next year.... Thank you Austin!

What's With Women's Motorcycle Gear?

I've been working at this for 10 years, doing everything I can to help my fellow female riders gear up, and ride (better, hopefully). For my next YouTube stream this Monday, I want to give you my side of the story.  

I feel like every time women's gear is brought up online, there are so many negative, uninformed reactions to what we have.  I know it's not perfect, and there is a lot of work to do to improve what to we have but there's more than just "make it better". 

So join me, let's talk about it. And figure what we can do to improve things because it's a two way street. 

Monday Nights, 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific. 

Click Here: My YouTube Channel from your desktop or laptop, because then you can live chat with us and send your questions/comments!

Otherwise email me a comment or question so I can share it

Women's Sportbike Rally East and West 2017

Photo at Fontana Dam, Women's Sportbike Rally East 2015

Two years ago, I went to my first Women's Sportbike Rally at Deals Gap. It was also my first time riding to the infamous Dragon. It was the longest solo ride I'd ever taken, and on Goldie too. 

This year I'm not only going to try and attend both rallies (still need to get time off approved) but I'm also assisting my friend Brittany Morrow, the National Director of the Rally. You may know her as Road Rash Queen. I just know her as a cool ass rider named Brittany.  

I'm excited to help her promote and share the rally with my fellow women riders who love riding sportbikes! Nothing else like it exists, and we want every female who rides a sportbike or is interested in riding sportbikes to attend. 

For the 3rd year in a row, the West Coast will take place at Big Bear Lake, CA in Southern California. And for the 12th year in a row, the East rally will take place near the infamous Dragon in Fontana Village, NC.

If I attend, I'll be hosting seminars and workshops too so stay tuned for updates when I make my final announcements for both events. 

For registration details and event info visit the website.