Women ride motorcycles from all over U.S. to Lake George for rally

LAKE GEORGE | By Friday, area residents will have seen hundreds of decked-out touring motorcycles cruising through Lake George this week, as the Women on Wheels organization holds their 35th annual "Ride-In" rally in the village. As of July 12, 300 or more female motorcyclists hailing from all over the nation were expected to attend the three-day rally which offers female two-wheeled touring enthusiasts recreation, education, mutual support, and recognition, Women on Wheels President Carol Skala said. On July 10, a group of four long-haul motorcyclists was among the first to arrive in Lake George for the rally, scheduled for July 13 through July 15, although many motorcyclists were coming days earlier and staying far longer. Women on Wheels event co-chair Cindy Whitlow of Cibolo, Texas rode from her hometown to Atlanta, Georgia last week where she was joined by Laura Mitchell and Janet Kehr, and the trio continued the trip to Tennessee where they were joined by Pam Rusk of Crossville, Tenn. The foursome then continued the two-wheel trek to Lake George. Whitlow estimated her round trip, to be completed within 10 days or so, would total 6,000 to 8,000 miles. She deferred the high-mileage honors, however, to other members of the group, noting that one woman from Alaska flew to Phoenix and was riding from Arizona to Lake George to attend the rally. Other members of Women on Wheels were riding from Idaho, Nebraska, and California to attend, she said. Skala said that three women riding from Los Angeles had endured 120-degree heat soon after they began their cross-country motorcycle trip to Lake George. Whitlow noted that members of Women on Wheels generally range in age from their 40s into their 80s, and some have surpassed 90 years old. Many of these riders are piloting motorcycles that weigh up to 900 pounds. Kehr, in her late 70s, rode a 2018 Indian Scout "bobber" motorcycle from Bishop, Georgia that can out-accelerate a Camaro ZL-1. Her last bike, which she recently replaced with the Indian Scout, was a 1,584cc 2011 Harley-Davidson Street Glide. She estimated that she's ridden about 90,000 miles over her 40 years of riding. Whitlow, 63, also once owned a Harley Davidson — it was her first motorcycle — she obtained the Harley Sportster when she was 50 years young. She rode that motorcycle 15,000 miles in the first year she owned it. Since then she's traveled more than 100,000 miles on motorcycles, visiting all the 48 states of the continental U.S. Laura Mitchell and Pam Rusk have logged even more cumulative miles in their two-wheeled riding — Rusk rides an average of 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year, and since she was a teenager, she's ridden more than 250,0000 miles on motorcycles, she said. "I started at age 15 when my dad let me ride his Honda 50cc bike through the cornfield behind our house," Rusk said. She now rides a 1,832cc 2009 Honda Gold Wing touring motorcycle. Laura Mitchell leads the foursome in her cumulative mileage — she's ridden 350,000 miles or so since she was a teenager, she said, noting that she's two-wheel toured not only all over the U.S., but also in Canada and Mexico. "I was riding when I was 15 when my family was horrified that i was even looking at two-wheelers — no one in my family rode motorcycles," she said. "But I'm still alive, despite what my father and mother told me 50 years ago." Mitchell now rides a 1,300cc 2016 Yamaha touring motorcycle that weighs well over 700 pounds. Hosting the Women on Wheels rally are the Roaring Brook Ranch off Route 9N and the Comfort Inn & Suites —both are in Lake George. Skala said that Lake George was chosen for the Women on Wheels' 2021 rally because event co-chair Karen Baetson had attended Lake George's Americade rally in years past, enjoyed the experience, and recommended the village to other WOW officials. "Karen said that there were great riding experiences in the Lake George area and that it was a very welcoming community which is very comfortable with motorcycling," she said. "We knew that Lake George would be a great match for our Ride-In."

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Women ride motorcycles from all over U.S. to Lake George for rally

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