Where do I start my motorbike story?
Is it with the first time I ended up in the hedge, driving my fathers Honda CX 500 when I was 14? Or that time on the Kawasaki 1000 cc from my boyfriend when I burn my leg on the exhaust at 16? Fact is that I knew already very early that I would ride a bike. I saved my first six months of salary when I was 21 and bought myself a brand new Suzuki DR 200 cc.
Not long after that I went on my first trip on my own to the North of France. Since than I never lived without a motorcycle. Until I was 25 I even had no car, just a motorcycle and later on I often couldn’t afford both. So most of the time I drove my bike winter and summertime. During my first 25 years of riding, I made smaller and bigger trips trough Europe. On my own or with my best friend Inge. Until I met the love of my live Johan and we decided go BIG.
On Christmas evening 2011 we left the port of Antwerp on a cargo-vessel together with Joly Jumper (BMW GS 1150) and Proud Mary ( BMW GS 650). We went on a journey to ride from Ushuaia, Argentina to Dead Horse Alaska! And yes, we did it. You can read everything on our blog www.kisstheride.blogpot.com
Today, riding Mustang Sally a BMW R 1200 R, I try to inspire other female (and male) motorbikers and raise money for the good cause www.AltijdVrouw . Our community is called “Moedige Motorrijdster & supporters” (Brave woman on motorbikes & there supporters) and for the second year my friend Iris Rens and I try to make a campaign to raise as much as possible to help woman who have cancer. We call ourself “brave” because our finale ride is at the end of December which is the middle of wintertime in Europe, and also it refers to all the brave woman who struggle with the disease.
I’m still dreaming from a few projects, like going on a motorbike-camping-paragliding trip in Europe
or leaving one morning out of my garage in Antwerp an heading for Vladivostok.