Most of us search for that one thing that makes us feel free. Even if it’s just for a few moments, we try to find that one activity that takes us out of our normal, everyday lives and we find inner peace while we’re doing that one activity.
For some, it’s rock climbing, for others it’s painting, for me, it was roller derby. For the women in Michelle Bauer Carpenter’s new film, “Driven to Ride,” it’s while riding a motorcycle.
Carpenter set out during the film, to try and uncover what it is that draws women to motorcycles and to find out why they ride. She didn’t have to go far to find the women that would inspire the film. She stayed right in Boulder and filmed three women that live in Boulder and two others that live in Boulder County. Her goal in the film was to show the diversity among women who ride.
“Lots of people have preconceived notions about what people are by looking at them, and I wanted them to break down the stereotypes of women riders,” Carpenter says. “They are entrepreneurs, amazing business women, some of the strongest women I’ve ever met.”
As gender roles shift and women are as empowered as men are to follow their dreams and chase what matters to them, it seems that many women buck the trend of “stereotypical woman,” even if it’s not at first glance.
You never know where the rebel soul is hiding, just waiting for a taste of the open road. Many women who ride are successful business women in their own world. One of the women featured in the film, Erin Doherty-Ratay, is a successful real estate agent, who also happens to hold the Guinness World Record for Longest Team Motorcycle Ride (It’s 101,322 miles, in case you’re wondering).
While the film explores why a small set of women chose motorcycles as their preferred method of transportation, it’s my hope that the film will inspire the women who see it to seek out what brings them the happiness that these women found in motorcycles, whether their bliss is on wheels or something entirely different.
Look for “Driven to Ride” to premiere at several indie film fests around the country this year.
