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Pat Belling
Silver Spring, MD
Sharon Cheek
North Potomac, MD
Natalie Clothier
Silver Spring, MD
Linda Crill
Reston, VA
Carla Forehand
Rockville, MD
Ann Gooch
Silver Spring, MD
Hellen Gorde
Burtonsville, MD
Leslie Hammer
Berwyn Heights, MD
Kristi Hamrick
Vienna, VA
Lisa Hecker
Crofton, MD
Tina Hill
Lanham, MD
Karri Lamb
Clarksville, MD
Pamela Leith
Silver Spring, MD
Paula Leonardo
Bethesda, MD
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Annapolis, MD
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 my birthday in 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 2008 Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Edition Wide Glide.
Patricia McDonald
Rockville, MD
Vera Messina
Thurmont, MD
Lynn Oldenburg
Highland, MD
Ann Reinhart
Silver Spring, MD
Gaby Rudderow
I rode a Honda CB175 during college and my early 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 discovered 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,
and I was fortunate to have a local chapter of Women On Wheels® to join which
has enhanced my riding life tremendously.
One year after I got my bike, I did a solo trip from my home in Maryland to a
family reunion in Quebec Province, Canada, and the story of my adventure was
featured in the May/June 2004 issue of Women On Wheels® Magazine. Falling
completely in love with travel via motorcycle during that trip, I have since traveled
from Maryland to numerous Women On Wheels® Ride-Ins, most of them solo,
and loved every minute I have spent on the road! I ride year-round with heated
clothing and have traveled through 30 states and 2 Canadian provinces, to date.
When the '02 Honda Shadow Spirit 750 got up over 100,000 miles and I knew
I would not be using it toward the purchase of a replacement, I purchased a
second Honda Shadow Spirit 750, an '07. Now I have backup so I don't have to
be in a car on a day when I could be riding!
I am amazed at the many friendships I have formed, the wondrous adventures
I have had, and the countless memories I have accumulated since I joined
Women On Wheels®. If you would like to experience these things too, I highly
recommend you consider becoming part of the wonderful Women On Wheels®
organization!
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 the 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. On a '03 BMW 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. In May 2008, I took a 12-day trip with friends to Nova Scotia, Canada and in November 2008 joined the MotoDiscovery Road to Real Expedition for a 6-day off-road adventure in Mexico. Currently residing in York, PA, I have been a member of Capitol Cruisers for almost five years.
Cheryl Spohr
Hello! I'm in my mid 40s and I ride a red 1995 Yamaha Virago 250. Even though I got my motorcycle license in 2005 I didn't start to ride until 2009.
I rode on the back of a friend's Road King Harley and watched several girls learn how to ride from the guys, get their motorcycle licenses and then get their own bikes. I decided I wanted to get my motorcycle license but waited to find someone else who wanted to get their motorcycle license and take the class together. I wanted to learn from a professional. Finally the opportunity came and I took the Basic Rider Course (BRC) at the Prince George's Community College July 1-4, 2005 with Darlene, a coworker from the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce. I was so nervous about the class that I went ahead and got my learners permit before taking the class (which was unnecessary). Ha! I passed all of the tests with flying colors my first time and had a great time in the class. Almost a year later my son, Mike, gave me my motorcycle as a Mother's Day present May 2006. Isn't he wonderful?
By the time I got my license and motorcycle I was no longer hanging out with my motorcycle friends, switched jobs, and got busy with a new boyfriend who doesn't ride. So I didn't end up riding for a few years. After I bought a house in June 2007, and I was able to store my motorcycle in my own garage, I decided I wanted to start riding. I found out a coworker from where I work now, John's Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Kathy Cudmore, not only rides but is a motorcycle safety instructor. Through her Maryland Central Riders Yahoo group I met Capitol Cruisers' Gaby Rudderow and Lisa Hecker. They were both so nice and willing to ride with me even though I was just a newbie. After getting together with Gaby and hearing her talk about Women on Wheels® I decided it was the right group for me. So I joined Women on Wheels® and Capitol Cruisers in July 2008.
Since joining Capitol Cruisers I've done a lot of firsts. Like my first time going on a group ride, my first time riding over the Bay Bridge, my first time riding my own bike to a bike fest, my first time leading others on a ride and my first overnight motorcycle ride (Mid Atlantic Women's Motorcycle Rally in Gettysburg, PA June 2009). Fun times! It's great being around other people who just enjoy riding. Everyone I've met through Capitol Cruisers has been wonderful and there always seems to be someone who wants to go for a ride.
Doris "Dori" Turner
Silver Spring, MD
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
I
got interested in motorcycling when I was in the Army during Vietnam,
stationed at Fort Bragg, NC in 1971. I was almost run over by a
Kawasaki motorcycle ridden by a soldier with the 82nd Airborne. He took
me for a ride a few times while we were dating. Then, when I got out of
the Army, a girlfriend at home in Duluth, MN would ride me around and I
got used to being on a bike. I liked it.
When I moved to the East Coast, I met a guy who rode an HD Shovelhead who would take me for rides. One time we went on a long trip over the Fourth of July weekend down to central Virginia. My butt was so sore when we got down there that I decided to take lessons when I got back. I thought this would be a good idea even as a passenger, and that way I could ride his motorcycle at least part of the way on long trips. I found out the HARD way that the passenger's seat isn't nearly as comfortable as the rider's seat.
I took an MSF Course in the Spring of 1987 and flunked my first
motorcycle test. In those days it was separate from the course, but you
had to pass the course to get credit for an insurance discount. I
bought a used 250 cc Honda Rebel and practiced in the neighborhood and
parking lots to pass the motorcycle test. Within three months I sold
the 250 cc Rebel and bought a used 450 cc Honda Rebel which I rode for
four years, mostly with my boyfriend, his friends, and WOW Capitol
Cruisers.
My next motorcycle was a pre-owned HD 883 cc Sportster which I
rode to and from Springfield, IL for my first Ride-In in '93. It was an
interesting ride because I went by myself and the bike kept "cutting
out" every 50 miles or so because the battery terminals were loose. I
thought I'd gotten "bad gas" and stopped several times to get advice. It
was probably a combination of things but I made it although I arrived
in the middle of the night. For the ride back home I had company, Lynn
and
Tom, two other Capitol Cruisers members. It was a great experience.
Shortly thereafter Lynn called me about a HD Lowrider she'd
seen for
sale at a swap meet since I had told her that a Lowrider was what I was
eventually looking for. This guy was selling several motorcycles, but I
put a deposit down on a '91 HD Lowrider Convertible. It took me three
months to get enough cash together to buy that bike. It had 3,000 miles
on it then.
I still have that motorcycle and just turned over 51,000
miles. I've
been to 5 other WOW Ride-Ins over the years and to at least 12
MAWMRs. I really enjoy riding; my daughter grew up on the back of
my motorcycle and even fell asleep as a passenger when we went to
Myrtle Beach, SC. I like to ride with new riders but mostly ride by
myself now since my husband, formerly my boyfriend, has stopped riding.
I ride mostly on weekends now that I'm retired from Civil Service and
the Army and have more time to ride. I have been a Capitol
Cruisers Chapter Director and am currently MD State Ambassador.
Dawn Williams
Laurel, MD
Laura Zuiderveen
Sykesville, MD
Support Members:
David Cheek
Robin Esham
Isis Montalvo
Bob Vance
Kerry Ann Wargo
Child Member:
Molly Hecker
Jennie Weyers, 34, was traveling on the ramp of Route 424 toward westbound Route 50 shortly after 5 p.m. when she lost control of her motorcycle. She skidded off onto the shoulder and suffered severe head injuries as a result. She was flown to Washington Hospital Center's MedStar Unit where she later died.
Jennie was a professional nanny in Washington, D.C. and an active member of Women On Wheels® in Maryland as well as Missouri, where she previously resided.