Perth County's Wicked Ride

When I heard about the Wicked Ride, I was just about ready for some girl-time. You know when you are fed up with work and everything else and say to yourself, “I need a girls night!” or “I need to get away for a guy’s weekend”?. Yep – I was there. So this event was perfect timing—it looked like just the right amount of fun to bring some excitement back into my life. 

And fun is exactly what I found when I joined close to 150 women for the Perth County Ladies Wicked Ride on the second last Saturday of August. I had heard about it at a previous motorcycle event and thought I would give it a try. I’m a big supporter of women involved in the automotive and motorsports sectors so this event was right up my alley! That weekend, I borrowed a 2005 Harley Davidson Sportster 883 from Clare’s Harley Davidson of Niagara. This bike was perfect for my cruising adventure. It handled well and was comfortable for the longer ride.  

Joe Rocket Canada Riviera Jacket sitting on my chariot, a Harley Davidson Sportster from Clare's Harley Davidson of Niagara

Random seems to be how I roll these days, so I hooked up with a new group of ladies that I had never met before to cruise from Niagara Region to Perth County. I was welcomed with smiles and open arms right away, which added to my comfort level travelling with a new group of riders. 

We left the day before the event and enjoyed a leisurely ride down back roads from Hamilton to Cambridge before an issue with one of the bikes slowed us down. Unfortunately we spent some time on the side of the road diagnosing the problem, calling shops and then finally CAA. When a pink tow truck showed up, all six of us erupted in cheers, partially because of the truck colour, and also because we were more than ready to leave our spot on the side of the road. In hindsight, I think the pink truck was a sign that we were all destined to make it to the Wicked Ride that weekend. 

Fortunately, the shop was able to fix the broken bike and we continued on our way to Perth County. I would like to extend a big thanks to those folks who stopped to check and see if we needed help on the side of the road – that refreshed my perspective that humanity is not yet dead! 

A sea of pink greeted us the next morning at the Perth County Welcome Centre located in Shakespeare, Ontario. Women were dressed in pink tutus, blinged out helmets, pink clothing and more. We had been encouraged to wear pink, black and sparkles in order to stand out and support the ride during our travels. The majority of women rode on motorcycles during the event, while a few rode on a bus. It was the best of both worlds to ensure everyone who wanted to participate was able to! 

My group of six ladies quickly looked through our welcome package, formulated a game plan and set off on a series of adventures across Perth County. Each participant was given a booklet to collect stamps at stops throughout the communities. We started in Shakespeare and then made our way to beautiful Stratford where we spent a little more time than we should have (the window shopping here is amazing!)

With promises to return soon, we all gathered up the little trinkets that were given to us at each stop, packed them into our saddle bags and then continued on to the quaint Town of St. Marys. The main street was closed down for a car show so we parked our bikes at a Tim Horton’s and chatted with some of the locals before checking out the action.  

After St. Mary’s, we cruised to Millbank, Listowel and then Mitchell to collect the remainder of our stamps. The shops and restaurants we stopped at were all so welcoming and the staff were incredibly friendly. It was a great experience, and a good way to discover some new places that I might never have come across otherwise. 

The Mitchell Golf and Country Club was our final stop for the evening’s festivities. Stamps were traded in for raffle tickets, and we enjoyed an evening of laughs, comradery, and food. Raffle tickets were drawn, and ladies were chosen for best costume, best decorated bike, and the most wicked woman in the group.

I chatted with women who lived in the area, and others who rode over five hours from Sudbury to attend the event. Everyone had their own personal reason for wanting to attend the event. Some were looking to try something new, others wanted to support the charitable cause (a portion of the proceeds were donated to a local women’s shelter), and others wanted to connect with other female riders.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day of weather and riding, and it was great to explore a new area by two wheels in my own Province of Ontario. Overall, this was a great event that I look forward to returning again next year on August 20, 2016. 

** I would like to extend a special thank you to the Niagara ladies who took me under their wings for the weekend. You are all very strong and inspirational women that each taught me something new even though we were only together a short time. I look forward to riding with you all again soon :) 

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