From my early love of Dirt Biking to my 1st Race season!

Originally Posted on – Unbridled Mama Blog

I know what you’re probably thinking… (or would be if you knew my age. lol) You’re probably thinking that as a mom in my mid thirties, I must be a bit nuts to start racing dirt bikes now. Well. I am. lol.

I always had an interest in bikes and got my motorcycle license when I was in my 20’s but never pursued it since I didn’t really have any friends that rode. I had the chance to ride a few times but it wasn’t until Sean and I started dating that I really got the (somewhat involuntary) exposure to dirt bikers. haha. If you’ve never been exposed before… just sit back and enjoy the sound effects the first time you are. lmao.

Honda CRF 150R
My CRF 150 all pimped out with pink rims. lol.

2015 was when I started riding my first bike ever, a Honda CRF 150R. We had a lot going on between buying/working on our acreage, foaling out mares, Sean working away, etc. so I didn’t see a lot of seat time and honestly, I was having a hard time really enjoying riding. After trying out Baileys bike, we decided I was on the wrong one for my lack of skills so, we traded the Honda in for the same bike as Bailey, a KX-100. It was a bit of a hard pill to swallow though since we JUST decked my Honda out with sweet skull decals and pink rims. haha.

Lady riding a KX 100 in the trees
On my KX 100… such a great confidence builder!!
Then something amazing happened, I started actually having fun riding! We got out as often as time would allow and I started building some confidence. But being 5’9, I was a bit too tall to ride & stand comfortably for long so after one season we decided I needed a bigger bike, I got a YZ-125.

My YZ 125 when we first got it.
I was super excited to get my “big girl” bike and couldn’t wait to ride… which, we managed to do a few times in early Spring of 2016 but once I was about a month or two into my pregnancy, I had to shut er down. Our little Piper was born that Winter.

As you can imagine with a new baby, 2017 was a bit of a write off for riding… I got out a few times but with an infant that refused to take a bottle, it was hard to be away from her for long and not really worth the stress on us.

2018 was a bit better with Sean no longer working overseas, Piper was eating actual food so I was able to get out a few more times than in the past and was starting to really feel like I might be getting the hang of it! lol. Sean talked non-stop about a different bike for me but I (stupidly) thought I knew better and that I just needed to get used to my YZ. Finally on a trip to the Island, he convinced me to try out a friends bike.

Man. The regret I felt for not doing that sooner…. lol. Being so new to the sport, I had ZERO clue just how different a bike could feel. I was climbing hills where I previously would have struggled and actually felt in control. I was convinced.

At the end of the season, we sold my YZ and purchased a KTM XCW-150… my first brand NEW bike. It sucked that we were going into winter but we had plans to head out West to BC so we could still ride a bit.

In March, I had a total of two rides on my new bike before I decided to race the Kirk on Vancouver Island this year. Now, if you’re not familiar with the various races, let me tell you… that was a terrible choice for my first race. LMAO. It was some of the most technical terrain I had EVER ridden. My bike babysat me more than I could have asked for but once Sean did a lap and saw what I was in for, he decided to help me off the struggle bus. He hung back to assist me, along with several other ladies to finish the race. He definitely earned his beer that day. haha.

Returning to Alberta, (after that huge eye opener) I had a strong to desire to improve my skills so I could be competitive in our off-road series. I started out the race season with AMSA pretty strong for a newbie and my competitive nature kept me pushing to stay in the top 3. It was around June that Sean and I decided to really up our game by joining Orange Theory to workout 4 times a week on top of riding 3-4 times.

LOVING my XCW 150. Photo: Edenschellphotos.com
I started learning how to do some of my own maintenance and how to load my bike myself so I could get out on rides while Sean stayed back to parent. Luckily I have some great friends who took me out riding a lot this year!

A year ago, I never would have felt confident enough to go for a ride without Sean there to help me up the hard stuff or just generally take care of me and my bike. lol. But with all our hard work and dedication, I can’t even BELIEVE how much my riding abilities and confidence about biking in general have improved this year! Sean encouraged & supported me in every possible way to reach my goals… and I’m so happy that in my first year racing our off-road series, I managed to get on the podium at every single race and finished the year off in 2nd place overall for the Ladies Beginner class!!

Next year, I’ll be moving up to Ladies Junior… it’ll be a big step up from Beginner but I’m excited for the challenge!!!

It’s never too late to try something new! If you’re like I was… have an interest in riding but don’t know where to start, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help out by connecting you with some of the people in our amazing riding community!

Coming Soon! My full recap and thoughts on the Corduroy Enduro Race from a beginners perspective.. haha. But in the meantime, check out our video recap of the race HERE on YouTube!