In a very personal series on becoming a biker, Donna Powell has shared her journey from lonely single rides to the joy of being a member of various motorcycling clubs. In this final instalment, she muses on just how far she’s come and has a special message for not-yet-biking women reading this.

From the very 1st day of passing my CBT to now I can honestly say that for me, biking in no way has been a smooth ride. It’s not just been about learning to ride and making friends, it’s been a journey which has taken me on a path of self-discovery and doing something I love. Despite the challenges I faced.

It has been a rollercoaster of riding through hellish winters and glorious summers - luckily for me often involving riding off into an equally glorious Cornish sunset. Sometimes it involved battling my inner demons of self-confidence, shyness and socialising skills. Believe me, if you have those same demons, motorcycling can help you overcome them.

I can now say that after years of trying to turn my passion from commuting to a hobby it has now been achieved, and it couldn’t have been done without those I share it with.

Although I still occasionally enjoy a ride on my own, it’s the ladies and gents in the biker family - in my case T.W.A.T (Two Wheels and That) and The Litas (a global all-female riding group) - which make biking that little bit more fun.

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In fact, being a woman has also made it more fun. I love that, despite it being mostly a male-dominated field, I can say no, actually this is just as much my world as it is theirs!

Quite frankly it doesn’t matter if I am a woman riding a motorbike and the bike community have also made this quite clear. It’s great to see that stereotype slowing being diminished. Although there is still a slight sassiness about a woman riding her own!

Either way, taking a long motorbike ride whether it be on my own or with friends, I just love to travel and ride. For me this is what motorcycling riding is all about, enjoying the ride, being at peace with yourself and having fun.

I now do my own spannering (tools and complicatedness depending), look after my own bike, ride when I like and have established a huge respect for my fellow bikers.

There is nothing more in the world I would rather do. I am looking forward to my next adventure which will hopefully see me travel around New Zealand next year on the bike. This is how far I’ve come.

For anyone reading this, but especially the girls, who may be looking to getting into biking or has that slight urge to just want to do it, I would say just get out there and do it.

After all, you only live once. Life is there for living not just dreaming of doing so.

You can also follow @LonelyTWAT on her personal blog: https://motorcycletravels.site/

Get yourself sorted:

If you are thinking of becoming a biker but aren’t sure where to start the geton.co.uk website is a great place to start, offering lots of advice on gear and kit and where to try a bike, for free, for the first time. You can also read Donna’s series from the beginning and how another Biker & Bike contributor, Christoph got along taking his first rides on a bike.

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