When it comes to motorcycling, sisters have always been doin' it for themselves

In recent years, the Motorcycle Safetyrace oval at over 100 miles an hour. In WWII she
Foundation has reported that almost half of thebecame the first woman ever to serve as a
students in most new rider training classes areBritish military dispatch rider.
women. But history shows that there haveAfter the war, she moved to the U.S. where she
always been avid, expert female motorcyclists.worked as a motorcycle mechanic, eventually
Here are five famous female riders who are trulyowning her own dealership. She wrote a popular
"old school."motorcycle training manual, then moved to
1.) Linda Dugeau - The original "Motor Maid"Phoenix where she operated a riding school. She
In the '30s, there was an association of femalehelped found WIMA, the Women's International
aviators called the "Ninety-nine Club". This inspiredMotorcycle Association. She never owned a car
Linda to form a similar association of femaleand rode until her eyesight failed at the age of 88.
motorcyclists. She teamed up with Dot Robinson,She died less than two years after giving up her
a well-known competition rider, to form a clubbeloved sport.
called the "Motor Maids."4.) Bessie Stringfield - The Motorcycle Queen of
It took Linda and Dot several years to find the 50Miami
members they needed to earn an AMA charter,The American Motorcycle Association's "Bessie
but the Motor Maids were soon known for theirStringfield Award" is given to women who
smart uniforms, complete with white gloves. Thedistinguish themselves in the sport of
club still exists, with branches across the U.S. andmotorcycling.
in Eastern Canada. (As an African-American woman in the '30s and
2.) Dot Robinson - Sidecar champion'40s, Bessie made several well-publicized
Dot's father, James Goulding, was the designer ofcross-country rides, fearlessly taking on both
a popular line of motorcycle sidecars. When Dot'sracists and sexists. She was frequently denied
mother went into labor with her, Goulding tookaccommodation and there are pictures of her
her to the hospital in a sidecar. As an adult, Dotsleeping right on her motorcycle. Once, she was
and her husband were Harley-Davidson dealers inrun off the road. Those experiences didn't dim her
Detroit.patriotism however - during WWII she served as
When she won a Jack Pine enduro in the sidecarthe U.S. military's first female dispatch rider.
class, she became the first woman ever to winBessie was truly a larger-than-life character. She
an AMA national competition. She rode until sheonce disguised herself as a man to win a dirt
was well into her 80s, often in a pink riding suittrack race. She said she'd owned 27
that she adopted in the 1950s, when theHarley-Davidsons and one Indian. She owned up
customary black leather outfits becameto no less than six husbands, too.
associated with outlaw gangs.5.) Marjorie Cottle - Rode in motorcycling's real
3.) Linda Wallach and Florence Blenkiron - Taking"Great Escape"
the Rugged RoadMarjorie Cottle was one of the first female
Linda grew up in the 1930s, in the English midlandscompetitors in the International Six Day Trial,
near the factories where BSAs and Triumphswhich is often called "the Olympics of
were manufactured. Despite her early fascinationmotorcycling."
with bikes and her obvious skill as a rider, she wasIn 1939, the ISDT was held in Nazi-controlled
never encouraged to pursue such an unladylikeAustria in the last few days before England
sport.declared war on Germany. That year, Britain sent
Undeterred, she studied engineering and later tookboth a civilian and a military team to compete.
her friend Florence on an epic sidecar journeyAfter four days, when it seemed that war could
across the Sahara and south all the way to Capebreak out at any minute, British officials told the
Town, South Africa. The women had to arguecivilian team to return to England immediately.
their way past French Foreign Legion outpostsCottle refused to leave and competed on the
and face man-eating lions (luckily they weren'tfifth day alongside the British Army team. When
woman-eaters). They rebuilt their engine inthey too were ordered to abandon competition,
mid-journey and once pushed their rig 25 miles.Cottle and the Army team rode their
They told the whole story in a popular book titled,motorcycles to neutral territory in Switzerland.
"The Rugged Road."Next week, we'll post the stories of five
Linda later became the first woman to earn acontemporary riders who lend a whole new
coveted "Gold Star" for lapping the Brooklandsmeaning to the phrase "fast woman!