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When Joanna Barthorpe dropped the bombshell to her family at the age of 60 that she was embarking on learning how to ride a motorcycle, it was her adult sons who were the most astonished. “But Mum, you never let us ride motorbikes!” Even her husband was skeptical. “He despises bikes,” she recounts. “He believes they’re too powerful, noisy, and dangerous.”
Barthorpe openly admits that the allure of danger played a role, but above all, it was about doing something for herself after devoting her life to raising three children. “You put your life on hold,” she says. “Being a good role model, doing things for your kids. Now it’s my time.”
There were no motorcyclists in her family, and she had no previous connection to the world of motorcycles, but it symbolized the freedom she sought in life. Ever the optimist, she purchased a Yamaha TDM850 while still undergoing lessons. It took a few tries to pass her test, but she was soon embarking on her first solo ride. Departing from her home in central France, she headed to Royan on the Atlantic coast and then south to Biarritz. She vividly recalls the exhilaration of being on the open road alone for the first time.
“I loved it. I was content just sitting in the saddle for hours, much longer than if I were driving a car. Everyone thought I was crazy! They’d ask, ‘Aren’t you scared on your own?’ or ‘What if you drop the bike or break down?’ But what people fail to realize is that as a woman riding solo, people want to assist you. They look out for you.”
However, she has encountered a few condescending men along the way. “They’re often stunned when I remove my helmet and they see a woman—and not a young one! When I went to purchase my second bike, one motorcycle dealership wouldn’t even allow me to take a test ride.” Fortunately, the opposite was true when she visited a Royal Enfield dealership, where she was welcomed with genuine enthusiasm and support. Consequently, she promptly acquired her next bike, a 410cc Himalayan.
While Barthorpe, now 67, prefers riding alone, she became intrigued when she discovered the Women’s International Motorcycle Association (WIMA), a club established in 1950 with members in 39 countries. She initially reached out to the UK group to inquire if there was a branch in France. “It was a Thursday in August,” she recollects. “They said to me, ‘What are you doing this weekend? Why don’t you come to London and join us for ladies day at the Ace Cafe [the legendary biker’s hangout]?’ So the next day, I hopped on my bike and took the ferry to England. My husband was very surprised!”
Through her connection with WIMA, Barthorpe embraced her next adventure—the Women Riders World Relay—a movement involving thousands of female motorcyclists from 84 countries, creating a “global sisterhood of inspirational women” and demonstrating to the male-dominated motorcycle industry that female riders are a significant market deserving attention. The plan involved passing a relay baton, rider to rider, around the world. Consequently, Barthorpe volunteered to be the French coordinator. However, things didn’t go as planned.
In October 2018, shortly after assuming her new role, Barthorpe skidded at a roundabout and had a crash that resulted in a broken pelvis. She spent the subsequent five months in the hospital. “I’m fine now,” she nonchalantly states. “But I had to relearn how to walk—and ride, of course!”
Most disappointing was the fact that she couldn’t ride during the French portions of the relay. Instead, she traveled by car and train, meeting up with the other riders as they traversed the country.
Getting on a motorcycle again was nerve-racking, particularly maneuvering roundabouts, but she sought additional training and gradually eased back into the saddle. With the relay in progress, she decided to participate wherever she could. “The baton was in Pakistan at the time, but that was a bit tricky to organize, so I studied the route and settled on the Australia leg.”
In September 2019, less than a year following her crash, she embarked on a 5,200-mile journey across Australia from Perth, completing it in 12 days, including a grueling 590-mile ride in a single day through the inhospitable Nullarbor Plain. Women riders from various parts of Australia joined along different stages, culminating in a 100-strong group’s arrival in Sydney.
“There was an incredible sense of solidarity,” Barthorpe recalls. “It’s one of the greatest aspects of motorcycling—knowing there’s a global network of people you can connect with who will assist you if you have a breakdown or simply show you around their town on a bike.”
However, the primary allure remains what originally drew her to motorcycles—freedom.
“I can go wherever I want, whenever I want,” she declares. “My kids tell me, ‘Mum, you’ve turned into a teenager!’ and I tell them, ‘No, I’ve simply rediscovered the person I used to be.'”
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