When I was 16, my mum asked me what I wanted, and my answer was simple:
"A bike."
Learning to ride wasn't the easiest introduction to motorcycling. Taking my test in December certainly wasn't the warmest time of year, but even then I could already feel the freedom that riding promised.
It wasn't until my dad's funeral years later that I discovered he had been a motorcyclist too. Looking back, I like to think riding was always in my blood.
One of my earliest memories still makes me smile. I'd bought an RXS100 and asked the man I bought it from if I could use his driveway while I learnt how to change gear. We all start somewhere.
At 18, life took me in a different direction when I had my first child, and motorcycling had to take a back seat.
Six years later, with family life a little more settled, I decided it was time to come back. It was just before the motorcycle test changed to the current Mod 1 and Mod 2 system, and every Sunday became the highlight of my week.
I'd travel over to Rugby for two-hour lessons, gradually building my confidence. After passing my theory test and completing my CBT, I asked my instructor if I could book my test.
He said yes.
From then on, every Sunday was spent riding for two hours until test day arrived, with my instructor following behind in the car. I passed and finally held my full motorcycle licence.
It would still be another four years before I owned my own big bike—a Kawasaki ZX-6R—but when I finally did, I threw myself into the biking world. In 2010 I attended my first Bulldog Bash, and I was hooked.
Since then, I've always believed that learning never stops.
I haven't joined IAM RoadSmart or RoSPA, mainly because of the cost, but I've taken every opportunity to develop my riding in other ways. I've attended slow riding days, had a go at Moto Gymkhana and completed Biker Down several times over the years. It's one of those courses you hope you'll never need, but if you're ever first on the scene at an incident, the knowledge could make all the difference.
If someone asked me for advice about learning to ride, I'd tell them to practice.
Practice your slow-speed control in a car park. Go out on short rides by yourself to build confidence. If you don't feel comfortable with your instructor or even the bike you're learning on, speak up and change schools if you need to.
There is always someone willing to help.
As women, we can be guilty of overthinking things and sometimes talking ourselves out of opportunities before we've even tried. One thing that helps me is simply telling myself:
"I can."
Today I ride a Triumph Tiger 800 XRx.
My girls call it "the dinosaur."
I call it "the comfy sofa."
I bought it from a friend after taking it out for a test ride—in the rain! It was earlier than I'd planned to change bikes, but as my children grew older and I had more time for camping and touring, it felt like the perfect next step.
Last September I achieved something I'd been nervous about for years.
I took my bike on a ferry to Ireland.
I'd always worried about getting a motorcycle on and off a ferry, but after five incredible days riding around Ireland, I realised I'd built the whole thing up in my head. It was easy, and with that fear gone, it suddenly felt as though the world had opened up.
The trip was even more special because I live with fibromyalgia, and completing such a journey showed me just what was still possible.
Although I love my Tiger, there's one bike that still holds a special place in my heart.
My pearl orange Kawasaki Z750.
There was just something about that bike. It made me smile every time I rode it, and one day I'd love to own another one alongside the Tiger.
One of the highlights of my year is the Midlands Lady Bikers weekend away. Since 2018, around 25 women have ridden together to Barmouth for a weekend of miles, laughter, hot tubs and friendship.
It's become something I look forward to every year.
For me, owning a motorcycle has never just been a hobby.
It's become a lifestyle.
A family.
Through biking I've met incredible people and made lifelong friends. My children quite naturally came first when they were young, but now they're older, there are so many more adventures waiting to happen.
I'm genuinely excited to see where the Tiger and I end up next.
It's also wonderful to see so many more women taking up motorcycling today. We now have motorcycles designed to suit us, and clothing that actually fits properly instead of making us wear oversized men's gear.
When I think about riding my bike, I genuinely glow inside.
Motorcycling has helped carry me through some of the hardest chapters of my life. After recently leaving an abusive relationship, and now being over 5 months free, my bike has been part of finding myself again.
The road ahead feels full of possibility.
And I can't wait to see where it leads next.
