My Life, Dirt Bikes and the Ryedale Rally

The Ryedale Rally has a special place in my heart, the reason for which will become apparent later on....

Fast approaching my 41st birthday, my friends think I’m completely bonkers spending my leisure time out on a dirt bike - isn’t it supposed to be a sport for fit young men and boys? I can say hand on heart that no other mothers wait at our school gates for their child to come out kitted out like a “Power Ranger”!!!! James (our son) takes it all in his stride, but the other kids are a little unsure what to think of it all.......

Where did this love affair with dirt bikes start?? With two older brothers, both obsessed with bikes, I grew up with the regularity of a bike in bits in the middle of the kitchen floor, one brother was a speed freak, and the other just wanted to know how it all worked - he later became a mechanic, and a very good and sensible road rider. I can remember my first “long distance” pillion ride at the age of 5 to Manchester airport - I think from then on I was hooked...

Over the years, the words “Don’t you ever let me catch you on a motorbike” were commonplace from Dad - he thought they were too dangerous - they can be, but a heck of alot of fun in the right place though Dad!!!!

In 1992 I married Richard, a keen motorcyclist, and shortly after we married, I decided that I was grown up enough to take the responsibility of riding a motorbike - sorry Dad!

With the assistance of Keith Boyling in Burnley, I passed first time, and became the proud owner of a GPZ500S - then children happened..... All biking was suspended for me for a few years - I’d had too many near misses on the road “Sorry mate I didn’t see you” just wasn’t good enough, especially with the responsibilities of Motherhood....

My Brother Roger (the mechanic) bought my GPZ off me, and I turned to rearing children - at that stage I thought - That’s it, I’ve had my fling with motorbikes now.......

Until.......... Richard came home and said - I’ve been to the Motorcycle Centre in Stockport, and I’ve bought a dirt bike - I’ll go out on Sunday mornings trail riding with the TRF. Ok Love, I’ll have the dinner ready for you when you get back!!!!

Next thing, I was stood on a mountain side in the middle of Shropshire, waiting for a glimpse of him doing his first event - The Long Mynd - I have to say it’s not nearly as much fun “Watching”, as it is “Doing”. He kept saying to me, you should have a go, it’s really good fun, and you don’t have to go fast to get a buzz from it. Then, he turned up with a bike for me to have a go on - I was hooked.....

I cut my teeth on the Strata Florida loop from Llandovery, and riding round the Peak District - if you can do that - you can ride anywhere, Richard assured me..... We were off......

My first rally was the one and only Northumbrian. Brian Eland had arranged the most perfect weather conditions - horizontal rain, and I was chucked in at the deep end. As for other ladies, well Patsy Quick was there, it was her first rally following her big crash in the Dakar, and I think there may have been one or two other girls taking part, but not many.
I was riding a Honda XL 250 degree, which weighed a ton, and felt a bit like a tank to ride - I truly believed that I needed something a bit lighter and more modern - like a mountain bike with an engine in it - so came the Beta Alp 200 - great fun, and it saw me through a few rallies, and a trip round Burgundy in France, after a while, the CRF 230 was introduced to the market, and I swapped the Beta for one of those - brilliant!!! It was on this bike that I really felt like I was competing, and not just taking part in the events - (I’d had a fling with a WR250, which I prefer to forget about).


Everything seemed to click into place for me when I got the CRF - I joined the witchbikes forum set up by Marianne Walford, and got chatting to other ladies involved in dirt biking. Quite a few of us met up for a weekend to do some practice in the Hafren Forest, just before the Patrick James Memorial Rally - it was the first time I had spent time with other girls riding, and it was great. I met Liz Millett, Karen Weaver, Maria, Harriet, Anita, and of course Marianne. Shortly afterwards, I met up with Clare Gwinnett, who, I’d only ever seen from behind when she’d whizz past me, so it was nice to meet her face to face. Clare and I seem to be regularly doing the same rallies, and more recently we have been out trail riding in our area together, and have even done the “Doing the Rounds” for TBM.

My first Ryedale Rally was in 2004, on the Beta, and I was delighted to finish - it was the first ever rally that I had completed - blummin hard - I have the mug (with handle) to show for it - what a result, and the next year on my CRF, I completed it again - getting more and more confident, and being able to deal with the more complex terrain gave me such a buzz. I was so looking forward to the 2006 event, which would be a 2 day’er. I’d found a terrific looking B & B right near to the start, and got us booked in. I spent months looking forward to the event, and had taken part in some of the Welsh rallies, and done OK in those too. Tragically though, a few days before the rally, my Brother Roger was taken ill, and passed away on the 10th June - the saturday of the 2 day event, so we missed it .... for whatever reason, I didn’t get back on my dirtbike for 6 months !

The regs came out for the 2007 Ryedale Rally, and, thanks to the nesting Goshawks, the rally was moved to July - I was determined to get back into gear, and get some practice in, and on a personal level, complete the rally for Roger.

Richard and I sat down and planned our “Dirtbiking Year” - First thing we need to do is get you a proper bike!!!! Here we go again, I thought - KTM have brought out the new 250 - it’s ideal for you, he said. Despite my protestations, I waved goodbye to the CRF, and Julian at Triple D prepped my new “lowered” 250 EXCF - a monster had joined the family.

Flippin eck’ it was like learning to ride a bike again - what a challenge.... After a couple of trail rides round the Peak District, I had a go at a Steve Ireland WOR Race Experience Day, James took his KX65, and whilst the boys went round together, I wrestled with the beast - I hated it, nothing seemed to work at the right time, and I was knackered just trying to control the power - doubt was setting in..... I had to get to grips with it soon, I had the Tarennig Rally to do the week after. What a disaster that turned out to be - I’d completed it the year before on the CRF - tough course, but I’d struggled through, and finished. This time, I just couldn’t get the bike to do what it needed to do, I had a couple of nasty offs, and my nerve went completely at the top of a quarry drop off, and that was it - my dirtbiking days were over. I rode back to the van compiling my ebay ad - one careful lady owner and all that....... put the kettle on and told Richard to go and do the second lap on his own, whilst I had a breakdown with my cuppa. I looked around me, and I wasn’t alone - a few dejected faces looked back at me with the same defeated expression. For some reason, I didn’t take my kit off, and when Richard returned from his second lap, he persuaded me to ride the last lap - at my own pace - just treat it like a trail ride - had I not done that, I don’t think you would have seen me on a bike at the Ryedale.

With the new bike, I was gifted a free day’s training with Ady Smith - so in May, off I went down to Stafford for the day. Poor Ady - what will he make of me??? To my delight, I found Liz Millett at the gates to Ady’s field - she had bought a 250 2 stroke to do her Romanics Enduro on - one of only 4 women to take part I think - very brave lady!! The day went well, and I did listen, and I did learn, and I actually think it made a huge difference to my understanding and respect for the bike.

After a few more trail rides round the Peak District, with fellow lady riders, Clare and Julie Horne, including the Doing the Rounds with Jenny Morgan, Richard and I went off to France - he took part in the Trefle Lozere Enduro, and the week after, we both went trail riding in the Pyrenees with Sport Adventure - now if that didn’t get me ready for the Ryedale Rally, then nothing would - next stop Cropton Forest!!!

On our way up to Pickering, I managed to get through to Radio 2 and speak to Stuart Maconie, we wanted to thank the organisers in advance for the Rally, and also to wish all the riders good luck, especially the girls. Did you hear it?

Sue and Ben at Cropton Forest Lodge welcomed us with open arms - and looked after us throughout our stay for the rally - Ben even took our fuel cans up to the start for us, so we could ride our bikes to the start !!

Weather was perfect, field was a bit boggy, but spirits seemed high all around us. The first day’s riding was excellent - all new terrain for me, and for the first time, I actually felt like the bike was working with me.

One of the funniest moments has to be when Brian Eland walked over to me after he had completed the first loop of puddles - he looked like the monster from the black lagoon, and warned me that the puddles were deep - really!!

I remember beaming at Sue at the end of the first day with delight - I had thoroughly enjoyed it, and the little treat at the end, which turned out to be a sneak preview of what was to come the following day. Whoever put that last long, slipply, nasty, rutted, crappy horrible lane in wants shooting by the way!!!!

After a real treat at the lodge, we even got to jet wash our bikes, and launder our kit, it was on to Day 2 - what superb riding - Richard said he thought it was the best riding he had ever done, and it was certainly the best for me - a really good mix of tricky stuff and long flowing lanes with some of the most spectacular scenery, although I have to say, my favorite was the long uphill leafy lane, with two very nice Marshall’s at the top of it, one of which offered me a swig of Carling Black Label - or was I hallucinating at that point????

It was all over so quickly - my utmost admiration goes to the guys on the big bikes - how on earth they did that course I’ll never know.

The Ryedale Rally has restored my faith in dirtbiking - long may it continue.......

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