Delhi witnessed a historical feat on Independence Day, as a hundred women riders steered through the streets of Delhi NCR on their bikes to commemorate the uninhibited passion of women of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life. The ride started at North Campus, ran through Shalimar Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Naraina, Dhaula Kuan, Cybercity, and Golf Course Road, ending at Throttle Shrottle, on Gurgaon-Faridabad road.
This 100 km journey was an ode to women who were unapologetically themselves- “Being put in boxes and expecting a woman bike rider to look, act, and model a certain way is simply disheartening,” said Gauri Bhatia, the founder of TUS, an impact advertising agency that is organizing Women Biker League this year, “We need to help women accept that their journey, on whichever stage it is in, is theirs to witness- and perfection is only a social construct. We had women driving bikes of all sizes, from the XPulse 200, to 850cc+, and nothing about the size or CC’s of them or their bikes made them less of a rider than anyone else.”
The bikers collected at GTB Nagar and moved to North campus as an ode to female students who are possibly, away from home, figuring themselves out, and still, loud and proud. Women are a mark of inclusivity, which is why, the event is pushing other genders too, to become a part of the Women Biker League.
“30% of our students belong to the LGBTQIA community,” states Amit Saini, the co-founder of LetsRyde, “WBL doesn’t strive for exclusivity, but space- simply to let women be sweat, dirt, blood, and fuel. In fact, we anticipated being stopped, but I witnessed a cultural change when people on the roads, the locals, and security cheered the women, clicked pictures with and of the riders, and made sure they could pass safely. It shows that Delhi is moving forward, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Women Biker League 2.0 is all geared up to take place in SurajKund, on the 28th and 29th of October to commemorate these women.