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Lauren Matthews was inspired by an Aaliyah videowhen she was younger and decided to buy herown motorcycle when she ... Read More
Loud motors and wind-blown hair are part of a motorcyclist’s
everyday life. In your mind, you might be picturing a man with a
thirst for risk-taking as the person atop the Harley.
But a 2012 survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council found that
about 1 out of 4 riders is a woman. That number is increasing, up 20
percent from 2009 to 2012.
At the start of the
Republic of Texas
Biker Rally, in which
thousands of bikers
will descend upon the
Travis County Expo
Center and downtown
this weekend, we look
at some of the local
women who have
discovered the thrill of
the bike.
Why they ride: Female motorcyclists talkinspiration before ROT RallyPosted: 12:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 11, 2014
By Lucia Benavides - American-Statesman Staff
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Pamela Larson loves to ride the highways and upoverpasses. “It’s like you’re entering an alternativereality. You feel so alive,” ... Read More
Teffany Lovell
During the day, Teffany Lovell is a mother and an emergency room
nurse at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. On her time off, she
is a motorcycle rider.
“I think people are
split between those
who love to ride and
those who think it’s
crazy,” Lovell says. “I
have always loved it.”
Lovell has been on the
back of motorcycles
since she was 15 years
old and began riding
dirt bikes at age 19. It
wasn’t until six years
ago that she finally
purchased a Harley.
The day she first rode
her bike, which she
named “Zoe Jane”
after a Staind song,
home, she was
undoubtedly nervous:
the kind of
nervousness you experience before you get on a roller coaster, she
says. After a few days of getting a feel for the bike, she began to feel
like she was flying.
“It’s so freeing,” Lovell says. “The smell when you pass a laundromat
or a taco joint. The scenery around you.”
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Teffany Lovell is an emergency room nurse and amotorcycle rider. She’s been to three Republic ofTexas bike rallies.
Lovell has attended the
ROT Rally three times.
The first two times, she
volunteered at the
medical service tent,
which used both her
skills as a nurse and
her knowledge of
bikes. The
overwhelming number
of motorcycles at the
event is always an
amazing experience,
she says.
“I ride any chance I
get,” says Lovell,
whose favorite route
includes the Three
Sisters Ride in Medina.
“Texas weather lets
you ride any time of
the year.”
As a female rider, Lovell gets people who approach her to help, even
when she doesn’t feel she needs it. When she rides with a group,
fellow male riders take on the situation assuming she’ll be slower
than the rest. It takes a while to gain their respect. There’s nothing
about being a woman that gets in her way, though; she always keeps
up.
MIGUEL GUTIERREZ JR.
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Kate Layton rode her motorcycle up and down thecoast of Brazil.
“When you ride, you’re
one with the machine,”
says Lovell. “You get to
know how the bike will
respond to different
situations.
“When I go on long
trips, everything I need
is behind me: a
toothbrush, a change
of clothes, and most
importantly, my bike.”
Kate Layton
Kate Layton, Latin
American studies
graduate student at the
University of Texas,
has been riding
motorcycles since she
was 17. Before going off to college, her father wanted to give her one
last important present: a motorcycle license. In order to acquire the
license, Layton took a class where she learned how to ride. Along with
this present came a motor scooter, which she used until moving to
Brazil in 2013 for a Fulbright scholarship.
“I immediately loved it,” Layton says. “It’s a sensory experience: the
landscapes, smells, even the bugs that hit you.”
During the nine months she spent in Maceio, Brazil, her main mode
of transportation was a motorcycle. It was much quicker than taking
the bus and easy to navigate among the city’s busy traffic. She was on
her bike at least four hours a day, and for recreational purposes, she
would ride with local friends up the Brazilian coast once or twice a
week.
“I would definitely get looks at the light when I was in Maceio,”
Layton says. “There were hardly any women riders.”
While male motorcyclists tend to be enthusiastic when they
encounter a woman who rides, most of the sexism comes from
outside the bike community, Layton says. She did experience random
acts of support from fellow women in Brazil. One day a bus carrying
female students cheered Layton on as they drove past.
MIGUEL GUTIERREZ JR.
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“When you ride, you’re part of the machine,” says Layton. “The car is
a shield, but a motorcycle is a companion.”
Lauren Matthews
Ever since watching Aaliyah’s “More Than A Woman” music video as
a kid, in which the late pop star rides a motorcycle, Lauren Matthews
knew she wanted to bike. For her 21st birthday last November, she
finally gave herself that present: a motorcycle license and her own
bike.
“Learning to ride was a lot more work than I thought,” says
Matthews. “At first I was afraid I bit off more than I could chew.”
Eventually, the fear wore off and the exhilarated feeling began.
Matthews says she can feel herself smiling when she rides, and she
has learned to appreciate how fragile life is. She is able to take in the
city as she rides along her favorite neighborhoods, something she
wouldn’t be able to do if she were on any vehicle other than a
motorcycle.
“I’m treated a lot cooler and get asked a lot of questions now,” says
Matthews. “Sometimes I get unwanted attention, but it’s all worth it.”
Pamela Larson
Since 2010, Pamela Larson had sworn off motor vehicles. It was an
attempt to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, and as a
community transformation grant planner at the city of Austin, the
issue hit close to home. Bicycling around town eventually proved to
be difficult, however, and she found herself unable to get to certain
places. Last year, she began to borrow friends’ motor scooters, and in
January, she finally purchased her own motorcycle.
“It really makes you feel empowered,” says Larson.
Larson was attracted to the fact that motorcycles use a small amount
of gasoline but can still take her to distant places. While her bicycle
continues to be her main mode of transportation, her motorcycle is
used about once a week. Her favorite part of riding is getting on
highway overpasses.
“The amount of wind up there is incredible,” says Larson. “It’s like
you’re entering an alternative reality. You feel so alive.”
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The Republic of Texas Biker Rally
One of the biggest motorcycle rallies in Texas and one of the largest
motorcycle events in the U.S., it will be held rain or shine.
When: Thursday-Sunday
Where: Travis County Expo Center, 7311 Decker Lane
Tickets: $65 for all four days, and attendees must be at least 18 years
of age. No bike is necessary. The price includes full access to concerts,
shows, attractions, exhibits and vendors. Acts include Dale Watson,
the Reverend Horton Heat, Omar and the Howler and Sammy Hagar.
ROT Biker Rally Downtown, presented by Austin360
When: The parade hits Congress Avenue about 8:15 p.m. Friday.
Stunt show, demo rides, music, vendors and food 10 a.m.-midnight
Friday-Saturday. Acts include Ruby Jane, Bright Light Social Hour
and Los Lonely Boys.
Where: Statesman parking lot, 305 S. Congress Ave.
Tickets: Free, ROT Rally ticket holders get VIP treatment and
parking.
Information on events at both sites: www.rotrally.com
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