Adina Balas

My name is Adina and I am from Romania.  When I was 13 a friend took me for a ride on his very old motorcycle.  One time he stopped and said, "Let's see how YOU would do riding this."  I didn't want to since it was easier for me to sit on the back, but even though I was scared I tried it.  After that, every time we'd go out on it he wanted me to be the passenger but I wanted to do the riding!  I couldn't wait to get a motorcycle of my own.

I rode a Yamaha 80cc for two years in Romania.  Now that I'm here in the U.S. where I've decided to stay, I hated to be without a bike.  So I worked hard to save enough money to buy my new bike, a 250cc Kawasaki Ninja.  It was hard to go from the small bike to this one, but Gaby (who is another member of the Capitol Cruisers) has a motorcycle safety course instructor friend who helped me get used to the bigger bike and worked with me to help me pass the MVA test.  Even then I wasn't very experienced, but thanks to the patience of the Capitol Cruisers, I'm now riding every weekend and look forward to every lovely ride with the girls!

Annalee Cardillo

It's amazing to me that I started riding a motorcycle in my mature years! I have been riding for about five years and have found that many women start riding somewhat later in life. After the little Honda that I started on, I enjoy the power, looks, and safety features of my current bike which is a 2003 BMW F650 GS. Initially, I took the MSF course and found it to be extremely helpful and an absolute must for new riders. I became more active with the Capitol Cruisers a few years ago and try to go to meetings, events, and rides as I am able. There are many interesting women in the group and, if you are a rider or thinking of becoming one, come to meet us! You can find out info about our monthly meetings on this website. I look forward to sharing more fun events with Capitol Cruisers! Safe Riding!

Jenn Chatfield

I decided to attend the Basic Rider Safety Course in April 2007 to support someone who had always dreamed of riding a motorcycle.   Before then, I’d never even ridden on the back seat of a motorcycle and was just hoping to pass the course.   From the moment I got on that training motorcycle, a Honda Rebel, I knew I was hooked.   The next weekend I got my license and my first and current bike – a 2006 Suzuki Boulevard C-50.  I am in my mid-40’s and love the exhilaration I feel in the open air on a motorcycle.  I joined the Capitol Cruisers chapter of Women On Wheels® to share the ride with other women motorcycle enthusiasts, and to get involved with a motorcycle organization that nurtures its members.

I was originally exposed to motorcycles as a child because my father rode.  I expected to learn to ride when I got old enough, but my father unfortunately stopped riding before then. A few years ago I got re-exposed by some female friends and I got the "bug".  I signed up for the MSF Course and passed with flying colors.  As soon as the wheels rolled underneath me for the first time, I realized it was exactly where I was meant to be. I got my license on the day of my 27th birthday, July 3, 2003.  I looked for clubs to join and ran into WOW at the International Motorcycle Show.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my membership to Women On Wheels® and the Capitol Cruisers.  I especially enjoy the monthly rides on my latest cruiser, a 2000 Honda Shadow ACE 750.

Veronika Martin

The first time I sat on a motorcycle I was 16, in Germany, visiting my childhood best friend. We spent the day on the back of BMW motorcycles touring the gorgeous hilly country side.  I loved the feeling of freedom, and when the bike dipped low around a turn, and I thought my keen would touch the ground, I was thrilled.

And then I went on with life, on some gender norm autopilot--not waking up the reality that I could make those moments happen myself until some oh--15 years later.  I began riding little Honda mopeds during my seven years living in Thailand.  It’s like obstacle course driving--over there--with cars, bikes, people, and dogs all occupying the road in what feels like a chaotic, no rules environment (then you figure out there are rules—and they are nothing like ours).  I was the only “foreigner” I knew who never had an accident.  In 1999 I decide to upgrade to a Honda NSR 125.  It was a “man’s” bike with the gas tank in the middle, not like the mopeds women wore skirts and sandals in.  I knew I wanted to get more serious about riding so I got my kick start Honda and rode that for my last year in Thailand before coming back to the US.  Thai people were great about seeing a woman on a “man’s” bike.  With their usual tolerance, I would occasionally get a thumbs up from men and women for pushing the gender envelope.  Once back in the US, I got a Honda Nighthawk 750 (talk about a real upgrade) and have been riding that ever since.  My favorite rides are in the beautiful and twisty hills of West Virginia--seeing just how close to the ground I can get that knee again.

Gaby Rudderow

I rode a Honda CB175 during college and my working years before I sold it to get married and become a full-time mom to a family of eventually four children. Many years later I went back to work as an administrative assistant to an architect. When warm weather arrived and I realized he was a motorcycle-riding architect, I was bitten by the riding bug again so badly that I went out and spent my newfound paycheck on a replacement bike, a Honda Shadow Spirit 750! I didn't realize how much I'd missed feeling the wind on me and experiencing the openness of being on a motorcycle until I got back out there. I was fortunate to have a local chapter of Women On Wheels® to join which has enhanced my riding experience and enabled me to form many new friendships. I love to ride so much that I do so year-round with heated clothing. I even did a solo trip from my home in Maryland to a family reunion in Quebec Province, Canada! The story of my adventure can be found in the May/June 2004 issue of Women On Wheels® Magazine, but you're gonna have to join to read it! Wherever you live, there's probably a chapter near you. Come ride with us! We "women on wheels" know how to have fun!

Elsie Smith

In the early '70s, I learned to ride on a 185 Suzuki dual-sport and quickly moved up to a Kawasaki 350 dual-sport. During gas shortages, when it cost $5 to fill the WV Beetle, I traded it for a Yahama 750 triple! In '78, I bought one of the first Yahama XS Eleven's at the time, which was the fastest production street bike. In late '70s, I raced 4WD Broncos in the mid-Atlantic. Most notable was in Danville, VA at what is now Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The '80s were spent commuting 130-miles a day on the XS Eleven and discovering great roads in the mid-Atlantic. In March 1990, I purchased a '71 R75/5 after BMWs were recommended by my brother. Then, I was bitten by long-distance riding. I Finished 28th in the '97 Iron Butt Rally riding an '85 BMW K100RT. Since then, there have been several 48-, 24- and 10-hour rallies with varying success. Aboard my current ride, an '03 R1150RT, I took Larry Grodsky's Stayin' Safe course, a two-day track day with Reg Pridmore at VIR, and spent a week riding solo in Ontario & Quebec. In 2001, I traveled from Nice, France to Munich with Edelweiss Bike Travel. Since 1990, I have been an active member of BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington, serving on the Board or as a committee chair. I have been a member of the Capital Cruisers for two years.

Elaine Vance

I've been riding for about 15 years or more than that if you count the time spent on the back of my husband's bike. I guess he got tired of me behind him and encouraged me to learn to ride my own wheels. I've been a member of Women On Wheels® since 1992. I am currently the Treasurer of Capitol Cruisers. I am also a former Director. I love to ride my Suzuki Savage just for fun, so I don't commute on my bike since riding in the city with potholes isn't fun. The long highway or winding country roads is the life for me. My husband and son also like to ride so we sometimes take family trips, but most of my riding is with my Capitol Cruiser sisters. We do more than ride too; community outreach and fund raising keep us busy year round.

Mary Ann Van Petten

Sandy Whalen

I spent the late 80’s and early 90’s on the back of a Harley, always dreaming that someday I would be driving my own motorcycle.  In April 2007, after acing the Basic Rider Safety Course, my dream came true.  I purchased a used 2006 Yamaha V-Star Classic 650 and we have been inseparable ever since!  Joining the Capitol Cruisers Chapter of Women On Wheels® will increase my opportunities to ride with like minded women and enhance my skills for the road.  Live to Ride… Ride to live!

Sharon Cheek
Natalie Clothier
Carla Forehand
Lisa Hecker
Peggy Johnston
Valentine Kephart
Paula Leonardo
Patricia McDonald
Lynn Oldenburg

Support Members:
David Cheek
Isis Montalvo
Bob Vance

Child Member:
Molly Hecker