Breast/ovarian cancer-fighting dirt-bikers roll to conclusion

August 17, 6:10 PMMotorcycle ExaminerKen Bingenheimer

Previous Next

2 comments 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

Organizer Sue Slate speaks at a rider meeting in Fairplay, the last stop before home for the Dirty Dozen

For some, the "Aha!" moments came as they put their dual-sport riding training into action on the trails. For others, they came as the group of mostly strangers found common cause and became family. For all, it was a week that has changed their lives.

The 2009 Adventure for the Cures ride reached its finale yesterday, and for the 12 women making up the "Dirty Dozen," as well as the staff and other support team members, as Jasmine Bluecreek Clark of Boulder put it, a road adventure also became an adventure of the soul.

These adventurers also, by the way, raised more than $40,000 for breast and ovarian cancer research. Donations are still being accepted, so the final total is still unknown. The initial fundraising goal for this first-of-its-kind event was $30,000.

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.

A challenging route

Daryll Drew, of Boston, found the ride "extremely challenging, and I was surprised how well I did. If I had seen beforehand how challenging it was I would not have done it."

Jasmine said much the same thing: "We went up trails I probably wouldn't even hike up, but it was shorter to keep going than to go back. At a pow-wow afterward some of us said the route was too extreme for beginners, and at one point I wanted to quit, but at the end of the day I was so proud that I did it."

The riders had one day of dual-sport training before the ride began, put on by Andrea Beach and Bonnie Warch, of Coach2Ride.

"On Monday, everything we learned on Sunday came into play," said Jasmine. "All that stuff worked, and the bikes were so maneuverable it was enormous fun."

Jasmine is a Motorcycle Safety Foundation riding instructor and she is accustomed to seeing her students get that big grin when they figure it out, but this time it was her. "Then I was just having a ball."

Karen Kime, of Geneva, NY, agreed that it was exciting doing things "I thought were just not possible, not for myself." Although she has been riding since she was 9, for Karen it was "another level of learning."

To date, Karen has raised the most of any of the riders.

"I thought it would be hard work to raise $2,000, but I've ended up raising $10,010. I'm really wowed that so many people would contribute so much.

Karen also earned Dan Patino's designation of "most improved player" in the bunch. Dan, the operator of Monkey Gripper Motorcycle Tours, was pro bono consultant on the route.

Some of the roads definitely were not easy, especially for beginners. All of the new dirt riders dumped their bikes at one time or another. Andrea and Bonnie made the ride, serving as on-trail instructors, and Andrea stressed forcefully that it was not a working vacation.

"It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, to get all these women through it and back safely." At the same time, she said, "I've never had so much fun in my life."

As it was, two of the riders ended up going to the hospital, although they were able to continue the ride. Neda Skific-Lee, from Toronto, suffered altitude sickness and had to stop frequently when crossing high passes so her body could adjust.

"That was pretty memorable, too," she said.

For these experienced street riders, riding dual-sport meant learning new techniques and unlearning some old ones.

Tina Sanders, not a Dirty Dozen rider but a staff member who rode some portions of the route, was intimidated at first with the height of the bike. After watching Andrea mount all week with seeming ease, she asked her to teach her how. Andrea showed her to turn the bars all the way to the right, grip the brake, and then lean the bike toward her. Then throw the leg over and straighten the bars while raising the bike back to the upright position. Made all the difference in the world!

For Neda the revelation was learning counter-balancing, where the bike is steered by putting your weight on the opposite peg to the direction you want to turn. "There are a lot of opposites you had to teach yourself to do," she said.

So, will these new dirt riders just return to the street now?

"I didn't think I'd like it this much," said Shelby Summers. "I told my husband to get on Craigslist and start looking for a dual-sport bike."

"OK, I'm gonna be shopping for one of these," echoed Tina.

Related articles
Dual-sport motorcyclists combat cancer
Dirty Dozen start ride tomorrow for cancer research
Learning dirt-biking techniques
Adventure for the Cure becomes adventure of the soul