My first experience of being on two wheels was when my dear old Dad took me strawberry picking on the back of his clapped out old Honda 90 in the 60s…I remember sitting on the back not being able to see a dam thing past the large bulk that was my Dad, but feeling the crack on the thigh from Dad for having my little arms wide open as though I was flying and not holding as I should have been…that feeling of exhilaration, adventure and excitement has stayed with me to this day…Throughout the 60’s I would be pillion on Norton’s and Triumphs and Scooters, flying around the streets of Lowestoft, riding pillion with the local lads, wearing no helmet, hair flying in the wind…It was incredible, memories that have lasted a life time. Bikes didn’t play a part in my life during my 20s into my late 40s as my love of horses took over and fed the desire for speed and power. In 2006 the bike bug bit me again hard, and I went out and passed my test and spent solitary time riding the roads of Norfolk. Then in 2006 on my way to an Eastern Lights cavalcade I met a fellow rider, who turned into my dear friend Angela, and from that moment we rode everywhere together, Many parts of the UK as well as Europe, the excitement that would swell inside me when we started off on a new trip was indescribable. What’s round the next bend, where will this road lead..who will I meet along the way. Taking on the challenge of travelling 3000 miles and camping the whole way is no mean feat for women over the age of 50…but we did it and loved every mile we covered. In 2011 we completed a rode trip to Austria, we returned in the July and Angie died on New Years Eve of stage four-brain cancer. I was devastated.
At this point I decided I no longer wanted to ride, my friend had gone and I felt desolate and alone. Then I heard of a female Biker group, “Norfolk and Suffolk Female Bike Group” I joined and I’m so glad I did, because through this group and the new friendships I have formed, the quest for adventure and the longing to experience the open road is well and truly back…….Being a biker to me means…you have family, your never truly alone, its doesn’t matter where you ride…be it to Tesco’s or Europe, you will always find a kindred spirit on two wheels to pass some time and tell each other stories of your travels…the Biking fraternity……there really is nothing like it, and as long as I’m able to “git me leg over” I’ll carry on riding to my next adventure.
Sandi Lowe
