Summer is closing in, that is clear. More riders are heading out on early morning rides with buddies to enjoy a hearty breakfast at their favourite local spots, and what a perfect day Saturday was to host the Ladies Learn To Ride event.
What can I say…it was the most exhilarating experience I have ever had. I had no idea what to expect walking into the event, I was nervous and excited at the same time. Motul SA was there in full effect along with Honda Wing SA to welcome us at registration with a gift bag filled with goodies and coffee to start off the day.
I was surprised to see so many women eager to learn to ride, it was heart-warming to see that ladies are starting to open themselves up to new experiences. In our group of 30 ladies, more than half have never ridden a bike before!
ADA started off by splitting us into groups according to our skill levels. These groups ranged from; never ridden a bike, knowing how to ride but still new to it, and then my group which was ladies who already know how to ride.
The first group was dedicated to teaching the basics such as where the controls are, how to pull away, braking and changing gears. The second group was more on-road focused and dedicated to improving the skills that the riders already had, and then there was my group, which was more adventure-riding based where we learnt adventure-based manoeuvres.
I am solely an on-road rider, never having done any form of off-road riding other than the short gravel road to my house. However, when I was given the option to either head to the on-road group or the adventure-riding group, I opted for the latter. I thought “if I’m going to learn something, it might as well be something out of my comfort zone”.
I’m not going to lie, my heart was racing as though I had just consumed 30 cups of coffee infused with Red Bull. My biggest fear was my height-to-bike-height ratio. At a mere 5ft tall these semi-adventure bikes were a tad bit intimidating. I was already envisioning myself toppling over the moment the bike came to a stop. But then again, I am a bit dramatic…
Our ADA instructor, Jacque, started our training off with some practical advice before jumping onto the bikes. It is safe to say that he did a great job at making us laugh as well as cooling down the nerves.
Even though our group knows how to ride, our style of riding was completely different to that of off-road bikes. It took some time to get to know the body positioning, but once we got the hang of it, we were doing emergency braking and riding circles around those cones.
I was amazed at how well the instructors explained every little detail and made things, that would otherwise be impossible to achieve, seem like second nature. At the beginning of the day, the most daunting task for us all was standing whilst riding, by the end of the day, we were all riding in a standing position the entire time—and it felt comfortable.
Jacques even threw in a little ‘badass’ manoeuvre called a pivot turn. This was one of the most challenging things I have ever done, but with a little support from him, I managed to get it right, however, doing it by myself I wasn’t quite strong enough to keep the bike upright to do the full spin. That being said, I think with a bit of practice and some extra weight training I might just be able to master it.
When the training concluded we walked away wanting more, and to me, that is the best kind of experience. I had a good chat with the instructors and they advised that I attend some of the additional riding courses that ADA offer to build on what I have learned at this event.
Bikewise had a stall with accessories and cleaning products available to everyone that attended, my favourite part was their helmet cleaning station. After a long sweaty day, it was such a relief to have my helmet cleaned for me with some amazing and highly recommended Motul products; “it also smells good” as they said.
I personally think that this event is an amazing initiative to introduce riding to all ladies. It is a safe environment to get you out of your comfort zone and learn something new. Whether you are someone who has never ridden before or a rider looking to learn a new skill like myself, then this event is something you should invest your time in. I promise you’ll walk away with a newfound confidence in yourself and on a bike. Not only did I overcome my fear of turning sharp corners, but I can now take each one with confidence in knowing that I have the skill to do so safely.
One of the ladies in my group had a terrible accident involving the use of her front brakes on dirt prior to the event which led to her having PTSD when it came to using front brakes. Our ADA instructor guided her through the process of the emergency braking exercise and at the end of it, she was able to use her front brakes in a safe manner with confidence.
So, in my opinion, after completing this event, I can vouch on behalf of the group by saying that we all learnt a heap load of new stuff, but in the end, it was so much more than that. Many of us walked into the event at the beginning of the day feeling anxious whilst others had baggage from mishaps in the past, but with a bit of help and guidance, we can all now ride more confidently than before—situations that were previously daunting are now fun.
I cannot begin to thank everyone involved, Motul SA, ADA and Honda SA, for creating this amazing opportunity for us ladies. It is an experience that I will never forget, and will certainly carry with me on every adventure I embark on.
If you would like to join the next Ladies Learn To Ride event email [email protected], or you can join one of the many courses that ADA offer.
To learn more visit – www.adasa.co.za
