Yesterday was International Female Ride Day, so we thought it would be fitting to start by showcasing some inspirational females who have all made an impact on the motorcycle industry in their own way. First up we have the legendary Jolene Van Vugt, who is the first woman to backflip a full-sized dirt bike. She is also the holder of many Guinness World Records, and was a regular on the hugely successful Nitro Circus. She is now a stunt woman and Indian Motorcycles sponsored rider, who has definitely helped pave the way for the next generation of female riders.

Next we have a short video BMW created on Elspeth Beard, who was the first English women to ride a motorcycle around the world. A massive achievement, especially back in the 80s on a BMW R60/6 before satellite navigation, internet and smart phones. It was also a time when independent women weren’t treated with the same respect as men in certain countries. In her book, she told one story about riding for hours in the hot Australian outback when she came across a pub in the middle of nowhere. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She walks in to the water hole and everyone stops and watches her. She approaches the bar and asked for a beer, but unbelievably was refused service. Elspeth walked out the pub and ended up just drinking water from a tap outside, then hit the road.

Lastly, he is not a female, but is another inspiring English adventurer. At 23 years old, Henry Crew has just become the youngest person to circle the world on a motorcycle. He finished his journey at the Bike Shed in London and they sat him down to ask him a few questions. This video is quite long, but he did just spend the last 13 months riding around the world – so he has a few good stories. Definitely worth grabbing a cuppa and watching the whole vid. It’s also worth subscribing to the Bikeshed channel, they are consistently posting great moto content. Henry pretty much funded the whole trip by himself (except for a generous donation by Mark Hawwa), but is still raising funds for the Movember Foundation, you can support this legend here.