Women bikers at Daytona Bike Week talk about what riding means to them
DAYTONA BEACH — When Carolyn “Cricket” Lapins first rode from her home in Marquette, Michigan, to Bike Week on her motorcycle in 1987, she was a rarity.
“The people I rode with were mostly men,” said Lapins, 76, watching the parade of motorcycles and colorful characters on Monday outside the One Sexy Biker Chick retail store as the 83rd Annual Bike Week shifted into high gear. “Women didn’t ride much then.”
Nowadays, she is happy to report, she has a lot more company.
“There are a lot more women riders now, and they’re riding the big bikes, too,” she said. “Women are much more assertive now than when I started. They’re not stuck in the kitchen, making cookies.”
Statistics show more women riders
Although men still represent the majority of riders on Main Street during Bike Week, it’s evident that an increasing number of women also are in the mix. That reflects statistics that show a steady rise in female motorcycle owners and riders.
The latest national survey by the Motorcycle Industry Council found that among all age groups, the percentage of women motorcyclists has topped 20%, roughly double the total in 2009.
Among younger generations, the survey showed that, among Millennials, 26% of motorcycle owners were women. Among Gen X motorcycle owners, 22% were women.
Lapins, whose Bike Week devotion inspired her to move to Ormond Beach about four years ago, is pleased by that trend. Still, she isn’t always impressed by the mindset of the younger generation.
“They don’t ride the distances that the older riders did,” she said. “In the old days, we rode every day, at least 125-200 miles in a day. Bikers camped; they didn’t stay in hotels. Nowadays, if these young riders go 65 miles, they’re ready to go home.”
Next to her, Lapins’ motorcycle-riding friend Anthony Mangefrida nods in confirmation about her commitment to the road.
“When you ride with her, you’d better be prepared to ride,” he said. “Not like, 60 miles, but at least 200 miles. I call it Carolyn’s boot camp.”
For female riders, payoff is empowerment
At One Sexy Biker Chick, home to an array of stylish, rider-friendly shirts, hoodies, bras, boots, bandanas and other accessories, owner Inessa Hansen said that 90% of her customers are women.
Many of them are riders, she said.
“There are definitely a lot more women riding,” she said, adding that she also is a motorcycle rider.
It’s a trend often tied to life milestones that can range from divorce to children growing up and leaving home, Hansen said.
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“They are trying to find their freedom, their passion; trying to get their sexy attitude back,” she said. “They are finding empowerment, and riding is empowering. I call it a mindful awakening. A lot of women find their soul’s purpose when they’re alone with themselves on the bike.”
Female riders relish being 'in the now'
That might sound far-fetched, but women riders unanimously vouch that it’s true.
“When I’m riding, I go to my happy place,” said Stephanie Urrata, 43, a manager of yoga studios who traveled from Boston with friends for Bike Week. “I can unplug from reality, just be myself.”
Urrata, who started riding four years ago, now owns four motorcycles, including two Italian-made high-performance Aprilia racing bikes. When she’s riding, the moments of Zen result from multiple factors, she said.
“When you’re riding a motorcycle, you have to think about what you’re doing, about what’s happening around you,” she said. “There’s no time to think about your problems. You have to be in the now. The only other time I feel like that is when I teach yoga.”
That also reflects the experiences of Denise Beaver, 71, of Jacksonville, who hopped on her first motorcycle at age 19. A lifelong Harley-Davidson loyalist, she rode this year to her 52nd consecutive Bike Week in Daytona Beach.
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“I call it wind therapy,” she said of the spiritual benefits of riding. “If I have heavy things on mind, or if I don’t want to think about stuff anymore, I get on the motorcycle.
“You’re out there smelling the fresh-cut grass, the orange blossoms. I feel like it’s just me and God. I can talk to him and just feel relieved. When I get home, it’s like I’ve been to a therapy session. I feel so much better and content.”
Like Carolyn Lupins and other old-school bikers, Beaver goes the distance when she decides to ride.
“I’m not going to get on a bike to ride to the store to get loaf of bread,” she said. “When I get on my bike to ride I want to ride a couple hundred miles. If I’m going to mess up my hair, I want some miles out of it, not just up the road.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Women motorcycle riders arrive at Bike Week in Daytona Beach
