Adventure for the Cures becomes adventure of the soul

August 17, 6:54 PMMotorcycle ExaminerKen Bingenheimer

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Motorcycle Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Neda Skific-Lee, Tina Sanders, and Daryll Drew sing "We are dirt bikers," a song made up on the ride

"I don't think anyone expected such a powerful experience," said Neda Skific-Lee, discussing the bonding and the significance the "Dirty Dozen" ride that just ended took on for all involved.

"The only thing that has meant more to me was the birth of my children, Shelby and Tanner," said Mary Taylor,of Vancouver, WA, whose daughter Shelby Summers, of Seattle, was also a Dirty Dozen rider.

Adventure for the Cures took 12 street riding motorcyclists who were not experienced in dual-sport riding on a seven-day tour of some of Colorado's finest--and not necessarily easiest--unpaved backroads. They returned seasoned dirt riders, as well as close-knit family.

    Marna Deitch and the medallion

Much of this grew out of the Medallion Passing ceremony the group engaged in each night. A four-part medallion symbolizing past, present, future, and the heart, was passed each night from rider to another to be carried the following day. As each rider accepted the medallion, he or she spoke of the meaning the fight against breast and ovarian cancer had for them.

Assembling the medallion on the final night of the event was Marna (Trapper) Deitch, who had been scheduled to ride but was hit by a motorist two months ago on her bike and is still healing.

"I've been blessed," said Jasmine Bluecreek Clark of Boulder, who has had no cancer in her family or among her friends. Others in the group are not so fortunate, several of them themselves being cancer survivors and with many loved ones dead. "It was a real eye-opener. I didn't realize how bad it is."

For Peg Preble, of Boston, the real surprise of the ride was that "My friend Woody is not here." Woody Woodward, a fixture on other cancer fundraising rides, died June 13 of ovarian cancer. "Right up to three days before she died she was planning on being here," said Peg. Peg "stepped in not even to fill her shoes, maybe the big toe."

Peg said one thing the ride has taught her is that she still has sterotypes.

"When I watched these women pull in I had ideas about who would have fun and who would find it an ordeal. I was totally, completely wrong."

"We tell ourselves we can do anything but we need to prove it to ourselves, too," said Tina Sanders, who worked the ride as staff. "We fell down and we got back up. It was so empowering."

Credit for making all this possible is given by everyone in the group to Sue Slate and Gin Shear, the founders of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation, organizer of the ride.

"There's a real family feeling to this experience, and it's mostly due to Sue and Gin," said Neda. "They've created something much bigger than 12 individual people doing a dual-sport ride."

"They are very empowered and empowering women," said Shelby. "They did it all and they're so humble."

"These women need to be cloned for their passion," agreed Mary.

And there is a very strong likelihood this will not be the last Adventure for the Cures. Wait till next year.

Related articles
Dual-sport motorcyclists combat cancer
Dirty Dozen start ride tomorrow for cancer research
Learning dirt-biking techniques
Breast/ovarian cancer-fighting dirt-bikers roll to conclusion