Breezy riders

From Easy Rider to Ewan McGregor, for years men in leather have been leaders of the pack when it comes to motorbikes. Now a group of Guernsey women bikers are changing all that ' and they're giving the boys a run for their money, as Suzanne Heneghan reports. Pictures by Zoe Ash.

Ladies, if you're bored with your soft-top but still want to feel the wind in your hair and a purring engine at your fingertips, then it's time to ditch the car and get a motorbike.

This is what members of the Guernsey Girls in Biking group have been doing. And they're leaving the boys standing ' as well as staring.

When I meet up with them at L'Ancresse, several men look transfixed by the scene. It looks like something straight out of a male motorbike fan's dream, with rows of shiny machines lined up, glinting in the early-evening sun. Nearby more than a dozen women in leather are chatting, laughing and revving up to hit the road.

Take a closer look at the biker bunch and things get even more interesting. It's a real mixed gathering. There's a teacher and a 21-year-old, a pensioner and a PA. The only essential qualification is that you have to be female.

The group, which recently organised its first tour, of Jersey, hit the road in November thanks to island motorcycle instructor Brian Martel. He arranged for some of his female pupils to meet for moral support. Now the pack, which is open to all ages and abilities, is in top gear. They ride together every weekend come rain, shine ' or even Mother's Day, as motorbike mum Jackie de Carteret can vouch.

For her, the bike represents a great escape, a chance to leave the household chores behind and head off on the highway. Every Sunday at 1pm, she meets up with the others at the Model Yacht Pond where the more experienced riders take it in turns to plan and lead a ride.

'We do raise a few eyebrows when we all turn up,' laughed Jackie, whose grown-up family has had to come to terms with her beloved biking. Nothing is sacred.

'Even on Mother's Day I whizzed off out on my bike. But they understood. Once you've got on a bike, once you can do it, you're hooked.'

Now the group is calling for other women to join their ranks. But isn't biking for boys?

'God, no,' said Jackie, who looks at me as if I have just insulted the whole of womankind. 'That's just stereotype stuff. We want more women to try it out. I know they'd love it. Besides, why should men keep having all the fun?'

But Jackie does find people's views about women and motorbikes hilarious. She often runs into comical situations because of her bike.

Her husband is also motorcycle-mad but new friends can sometimes be caught unawares.

'Once he told some people I was on my way to meet him and that I was coming on my bike. They had no idea I was a biker and expected me to turn up on a pushbike. So they got a bit of a surprise when I arrived on this.

It gave us all a good old laugh.'

But if a girl really wants to ride the gauntlet, then turning up at the ultimate bikers' hang-out is really the only way to go.

'Going to the caf' at Vazon on a Sunday is a bit worrying when all the male bikers are there and you're trying not to drop your bike,' she admitted. 'It is definitely a man's place, although they're always very nice to us.

'We have our own venue, though. We usually go to a nice patisserie in Town. And sometimes we do our shopping when we're out and about. We'll pick up some hedge veg, that sort of thing.

'I'm sure the men wouldn't be impressed.'

Riding with the pack has become a true passion for Rhiannon Hughes. The former deputy head at St Peter Port School is leaving the island this summer to work in Kent, but she has been instrumental in setting up GGIB.

'I got my bike because I was coming up to 40,' she laughed.

'I thought, 'What shall I do next?' I had a crisis and thought,

'I know, I'll buy a bike'.

It sounds a bit mad I know, but I've never looked back.'

According to Rhiannon, many women keep their biker plans a secret for as long as they can. 'For a lot of them, I think it's concern at how their male partners are going to react.

But they shouldn't feel like that. It's up to them, after all.

'I would recommend it to any woman. I just know that it's superb, exhilarating, being out there in the open space.'

And start-up costs can be kept quite low. She began by hiring a bike for a '62 training session at Les Beaucamps to see if she liked riding and to get a feel for being on the road. By the end of the week, she'd left with L-plates after completing a compulsory basic training course.

Rhiannon's first bike was a 600cc Bandit but these days she's the proud owner of a sparkling Suzuki Bandit 1,200cc that has been christened Silver Star.

'I don't know why I thought I should name it, really. Well okay, yes, I guess it's a girl thing.'

Having a women-only group works well, she said. 'Being able to ride with the blokes is good. But they like to just go from A to B ' it's always a competition.

'With girls it's different. We talk about different things.'

And it seems that women of all ages are susceptible to the biker bug. Her mum, Hilary, 62, can't resist the thrill of the road either ' despite being a bit wary at first. She soon overcame her worries and is now happy riding pillion.

'When Rhiannon passed her test and said she wanted me to be her first pillion passenger, I gritted my teeth, though I went along with it.

'I got on the back with butterflies in my stomach. But by the time we got back, I said 'I've just had a blast'. I hang about motorbike shops now.'For Anita Batiste, getting a bike felt like a logical step.

'I had a sports car, a Mazda MX5 turbo, which I had waited until I was 50 to get. Then one day I just thought, 'Now I want a bike'.'

Anita proved a natural, later going on to be in a motorcycle display team. But being a biker isn't about having to be fearless or live life in the fast lane. 'It's about whatever you want it to be,' she said. 'You don't have to be a go-too-fast. It's completely up to you.'

Trudi Manning is just about to join the group and is looking forward to this type of female advice and support. She'll be riding a 535 Virago and can't wait. 'It's a lifelong ambition. I was excited and then I started having a go and got better. It's skill-building and it's harder than I thought it would be. But the other girls are great and I love it.'

Anne Le Herissier is the only woman in her office even remotely interested in bikes. But she doesn't care.

She joined the GGIB in February and takes all the motorbike jokes from her colleagues at Brehon Chartered Accountants in her stride. 'The other women call me their resident biker chick,' she smiled, 'But it's all in good humour.'

Anne, whose pride and joy is a Suzuki GSXR 750, traces her love of bikes back to childhood.

'My father had motorbikes so I grew up with them. In fact, my sister and I had them before cars.'

And, for her, the bike buzz is just as strong today.

'I think it's cool being a woman biker,' she laughed. 'It's quite sexy.

'What's even better is when you pull up at the lights on your bike and there are two men in a car and they take a second look.

You hear them say 'Hey, it's a bird on a bike'. Then they try to overtake you, of course.'

With so many styles and sizes of motorcycle around, from sporty models to tourers, Anne's advice to would-be girl riders is to find a bike that 'fits' them and to get the proper training.

'I hope more women will take this up. As far as I'm concerned, the more girls on the road, the better. I think the men have hijacked it all a bit.'

At 21, Rachel Girard is the youngest member of the group. She started off riding a scooter at the age of 14 before going on to learn to drive. But her heart still belongs to motorbikes. 'I just think that bikes are better. It's as simple as that.'

She never has any flak from her boyfriend, who is happy that she shares his passion for bikes.

'He just thinks 'fair play'. But I don't like having pillion passengers. I prefer to ride alone.'

Retired physiotherapist Wendy Pratt can't wait to hit the roads of New Zealand later this year, despite being a relative newcomer to a motorbike seat.

She said she was 'a total wuss' at first and even cancelled her first test. But she went on to pass in April.

Wendy was encouraged to get a bike by her husband who has been riding since he was 16.

She used to ride pillion but was determined she should learn too.

'It's much more fun this way. But my friends were a bit surprised. As a physio, I had treated head injuries, so overcoming my fears of not being in control was hard.

I think everyone is different.

You have to be taught to ride defensively. Once you have got your confidence, it's addictive.'