Considered to be an activity dominated by men, more and more women are choosing to take the open road on a motorcycle, regardless of its type. But have you wondered who were the women who paved the way for modern-day female riders?
Refusing to be held down by the limitations society placed on women of that era, the persons you are about to read in the article below were and are thought to be some of the most important pioneers in women’s riding.
Van Buren sisters were the first women to ride 5,500 miles in 60 days over hazardous roads to cross the continental United States each by their own motorcycle.
In 1916, America was about to enter into World War I. At the time, both 24 year old Augusta and 22 year old Adeline Van Buren, or Gussie and Addie as they were known, were in their 20s, active in the national Preparedness Movement and wanted to prove that women could ride as well as men and were able to serve as military dispatch riders freeing up men for other tasks. They also hoped to remove one of the primary arguments for denying women the right to vote. For their ride, they dressed in military-style leggings and leather riding breeches,a taboo at that time.
They set out from Sheepshead Bay racetrack in Brooklyn,New York on July 4, riding 1,000 cc Indian Power Plusmotorcycles equipped with gas headlights and arrived in Los Angeles on September 8 after having to contend with poor roads, heavy rains and mud, natural barriers like the Rocky Mountains and social barriers such as the local police who took offence at their choice of men's clothing. They became the first women to reach the 14,109 feet summit of Pikes Peak by any motor vehicle. The Indians were the top of the range motorcycle at the time, selling for $275, and ran Firestone "non-skid" tires.
Despite succeeding, the sister's application to the military as a dispatch rider was rejected. Reports in the leading motorcycling magazine of the day praised the bike, but not the sisters and described the journey as a "vacation". Other newspapers published degrading articles accusing the sisters of using the national preparedness issue as an excellent excuse to escape their roles as housewives and "display their feminine counters in nifty khaki and leather uniforms". During the ride, they were arrested numerous times, not for speeding but for wearing men's clothes. At one point, they became lost in the desert 100 miles west of Salt Lake City and were saved by a prospector after their water ran out.They completed their ride by traveling across the border to Tijuana in Mexico.
Both women eventually married. Adeline continued her career as an educator, and earned her law degree from New York University. Augusta became a pilot, flying in Amelia Earhart's Ninety-Nines international women's flying organization having played significant roles in the women’s rights movement.
"Beyond question the Van Burens have made one of the most noteworth trips ever accomplished, chiefly because they have proven that the motorcycle is a universal vehicle." - Paul Derkum, Indian Motorcycle Company
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