Local group of women bikers cruising Chattanooga

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Want to join a local group of women bikers?

Hannah Brackett, online retail manager at Thunder Creek Harley-Davidson, suggests the Vagabroads.

"It's not a [formal] club. It's not an organization. It's just a group of girls who will pick up and ride and go wherever we want to go," she says.

Rides and meet-ups are communicated via Facebook posts, she says. And there's an annual weekend camping trip at a different destination each year.

"We've been to North Carolina. This year, it was the Ellijay [Georgia] area. Next year is Richmond, Va.," Brackett says.

Some local women also hit the road for some of the big women's only events, such as Babes Ride Out, in places as far-flung as Joshua Tree, Calif., and the Catskills Mountains in New York.

"There are thousands of women at these events every year," Brackett says.

Brackett says the age range for women riding Harleys is typically 35 to 55, but the brand is starting to see an increase in younger riders, as well as more female riders in general.

"I've been here five years, and there's definitely been a steady increase in women front-seat riders and women purchasing their own bikes," she says. "It's become a lot more common for women to buy and ride their own bikes as opposed to riding on the back [behind a male driver]."

Brackett says one concern for women is the fear that they won't be able to physically handle a motorcycle, but women can start with a smaller model, say 300 to 400 pounds, and take hands-on workshops to get familiar with picking up a downed bike and changing gears.

For many, the bigger concern is often "being alone on a bike," she says. "Not necessarily a fear of riding solo, but being solo if something were to happen if they're out by themselves, the feeling of vulnerability. I think that's why we've seen such an increase in groups of women riders.

"It's like once you get them linked with a group of other women, they just take off."

Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.

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