These are challenging times for us all and I am aware that we live in countries with different situations both regarding the extent of the spreading of Covid-19 and the strategy put forward by each government. I can only hope that this will bring out the best in people and I am happy that our WIMA community remains supportive and positive. Many of our national activities are being cancelled right now as countries go in to lockdown or impose restrictions on movement but we have to treasure our memories and look to the future – we shall ride together again!
The theme that UN Women has chosen for this year’s International Women’s Day is
“I am Generation Equality” and although it is more an aspiration than a realisation, for sure we are working towards it. In many countries, being a woman riding a motorbike is no longer anything that turns heads. However, in some countries women are still battling with legal restrictions and stereotypes – and are pushing to break these gender boundaries. Bangladesh is such a country and we are proud of our sisters in Bangladeshi Women’s Riders Club/WIMA Bangladesh who, on a regular basis, are arranging events in order to, bit by bit, tear down the boundaries that limit their lives.
This year they are celebrating International Women’s Day by putting on an event with the slogan “Stop Women and Child Rape and Murder Now!” In the following video clip, you can hear Rozen Mahmood, Vice President of WIMA Bangladesh and a long-time motorcycle rider, one of the pioneers in Bangladesh, talk about the event. In Bengali with English subtitles.
In Bangladesh, and many similar countries, riding a motorcycle is not just something you do for leisure, it is also a way to keep you safe. If you have your own transport you are independent, moreover – you do not need to travel on packed busses where men take advantage and grope you or put yourself at risk taking vespa taxis driven by unknown men. Trui Hanoulle, president of WIMA Belgium and Dimple Chaudhary, member of WIMA India, have published an in-depth article about this issue that will be available for you to download here.
In WIMA we love to connect people, here are WIMA members, Nirmali Nath and Dimple (India) who, together with Trui (Belgium), took the WRWR baton to the border of India-Bangladesh to meet up with Israt Kahn Mojlis, president of WIMA Bangladesh and WRWR Ambassador. This is women power – to get things done!
At the WRWR closing party WIMA World awarded Hayley Bell and the WRWR Admin Team “Special Recognition” and honorary lifetime membership of WIMA.
The nomination, by Trui Hanoulle, national president of WIMA/BAM Belgium:
“The WRWR has created a virtual and physical community where women riders from all over the world can share information and build friendship. This has led to broadened horizons and solidarity between women riders worldwide.
The WRWR is the biggest international motorcycle event ever and is changing the face of motorcycling. It is effectively bringing women together globally and it has and continues to contribute to the growth of WIMA as an international association.
Countless WIMA-members across the globe —from Europe, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia to name but a few— have participated in the passage of the relay through their countries, helping WRWR with their established networks. And vice versa, the WRWR has lead to new contacts and divisions (Luxembourg, UAE and Norway amongst the first), effects which are still rippling and will continue to do so. Many members have reached out to previously unknown women riders, visiting them and riding together. This refreshing, youthful, massive sparkle has strengthened and improved WIMA noticeably.”
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We are thrilled to welcome WIMA Pakistan and founder Guliafshan Tariq to our sisterhood! Guliafshan was the WRWR ambassador for Pakistan and she goes from strength to strength now building the first all-women motorcycle association in Pakistan.
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We are delighted to welcome WIMA Morocco and the all-women club Miss Moto Maroc to our international sisterhood. Miss Moto Maroc was founded in 2011 by Dalila Mosbah, their president. They are the first all-women motorcycle club in Morocco and are known for their popular rally March Moto Madness.
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Incredible to see that the women in WIMA Norway don’t let the bikes gather dust ❤️
Mai-Britt Johansen won this year’s challenge with 25000 km.
Anette Winne Highlands with 23 000 km came in a nice second place.
Emilija Kostovska with 22000 km came in third place. Beate Iren Olsen with 21000 km came in a great fourth place.
We have several people who have been riding around 15000km this year. Fia Filipsen, Linda Blondi Gjermundsen, Elise Marit Lauvdtad, Inger Line Pedersen. Well done!
There are even more people who have ridden around 10000 km and it’s awesome. So much fun to see you are all active motorcycle riders. ❤️ see you next year on the road 😍
The Belgian Amazon Motorcycle Club (shortly said: BAM!) is a non-profit, women only organisation. At the moment BAM has about 60 members ( and counting…) and is the Belgian department of the Women’s International Motorcycle Association.
On top of that, it is the one and only official ladies’ motorcycle club in Belgium.
Our goal is to promote riding amongst women. Every lady with a motorcycle license can become a member of BAM, regardless what type of bike she rides, her age, her origin, religion or sexual orientation…
Enjoy our activities of last year in the following resumé…
Please, turn on the volume
See you
Greetings
Sylvie
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Last Sunday, some members of WIMA the Netherlands made a walk together. This time, the traditional WIMA-fallwalk took place in Lemele. The ladies had to ‘climb’ one of the Dutch mountains, the Lemelerberg, with a height of 77 meters.
Our Eastern European Romania has many attractions. Most of the people riding motorcycle come here to ride awesome offroad tracks or the famous Transfagarasan and Transalpina passes.
We though have other hidden gems and one of them is a South East area called “Dobrogea”. Despite a large view over the Black Sea and unique Danube Delta, Dobrogea is a county of a rare beauty, with curvy roads between midget ancient mountains, lakes, sunflower and wheat fields.
Raise your horns girls, because this year of 2019 we, the girls of WIMA Romania chose Dobrogea for the second annual gathering.
