Women’s Transcontinental Motorcycle Ride Coming Through Anamosa, Iowa, as Riders Relive Century Old Ride.
National Motorcycle Museum set as stop off point July 11 for nearly 100 riders.
Then: Two Women on a Cross-Country Motorcycle Mission
Now: Nearly One Hundred Women Riding Cross-Country in their Honor
ONE HUNDRED YEARS, ONE HUNDRED WOMEN
The Sisters Centennial Motorcycle Ride 2016 will retrace the route of the Van Buren sisters in honor of these brave motorcycling pioneers.
Alisa Clickenger of Womens Motorcycle Tours announces the Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride will stop over at the National Motorcycle Museum, Anamosa, Iowa, July 11, 2016, then head west to San Francisco. We are inviting anyone interested in this historic ride to stop by the Museum and meet the riders. The cross-country motorcycle ride for women commemorates the centennial of Adeline and Augusta Van Buren’s historic ride across the United States from New York to San Francisco.
“When I first started organizing this ride, the history of early motorcycling became increasingly fascinating to me. It was one of the real gems for me of the planning, so it makes perfect sense to partner our ride with organizations such as the National Motorcycle Museum who bring history to life for us, especially with their Women & Motorcycling exhibition area,” said event organizer Alisa Clickenger. “I have not been to every motorcycle museum in the USA, but among the ones that I have visited the National Motorcycle Museum has the best collection and tribute to women in motorcycling of any I have seen.” Day riders who sign up to ride with the Sisters’ Ride this day will be invited to a free lunch at the Museum.
The ride has commenced. On Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 the riders had dinner with living relatives of the Van Buren Sisters in Brooklyn, New York and got on the road July 4. After a stop in Latrobe, Pennsylvania the riders will be on their way to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, July 8 and 9 in Lexington, Ohio.
Background: With World War I looming, the Van Buren sisters set out in 1916 to prove that women could ride as well as anyone and were capable of serving as Army dispatch riders. “Their transcontinental journey on motorcycles was a phenomenal accomplishment by two courageous women at a time when few roads were paved, Victorian attitudes were in full flare and women did not have the right to vote,” says Clickenger. “This ride honors their achievement and promotes the growth of modern-day women motorcyclists and the motorcycling community. I want folks from all walks of life to come out and hear our stories, hear about the history of women and motorcycling, and be enchanted by the possibilities in their own lives.”
The family of the Van Buren sisters has joined forces with Clickenger to promote the event, which launched July 3 with nearly 100 women riders, following the Van Buren sisters’ 1916 route as closely as possible. BMW Motorrad is the title sponsor and Clickenger will be riding an F800 GS Adventure cross-country. Combining scenic routes and important stops along the sisters’ journey, the ride will allow for great motorcycle riding and promote women as motorcycling role models.
Participants of the 2016 Sisters Centennial Ride pose for a shot with ancestors of the Van Buren sisters. (Christina Shook Photo courtesy of Sisters Centennial Ride)