Rider Profile - Neda Skific-Lee
Growing up in Europe, motorcycles were almost a rite of passage for young people. Neda spent a lot of time around motorcycles, with friends and groups of friends, often riding as a passenger although she dreamt of having her own bike. In 2004, she and her husband (to-be) took the course together in Toronto. “I loved the feeling of being on two wheels, being able to control the motorcycle, the gears and to be able to lean into the turns.”
Riding a motorcycle is a challenge and overcoming a challenge boosts self-esteem. “What’s most empowering about riding a motorcycle is being able to look back at what I've experienced and say I've done it on my own; I wasn't at the back of the bike.”
“Stelvio Pass in Italy was one of the hardest experiences that I've been through.” It was really challenging and really scary to be maneuvering a motorcycle on these narrow mountain roads with lots of traffic, especially knowing that something could happen while she was on another continent. But looking back, that became one of her most memorable moments because it was such a personal accomplishment.
At one point, weather and exhaustion caused her to lose focus and she didn’t complete a tight turn. It was important to get right back on the motorcycle; otherwise she knew this experience would grow into fear and become a mental block. That and putting on more mileage despite the initial nervousness really helped her regain confidence. “I got back on and was patient with myself so that even though I didn't necessarily do things perfectly at first, my skills improved the more I rode.”
She read up on how to do proper cornering techniques and how to adjust her speed. She took courses that helped improve her riding skills. The track proved to be a great confidence booster because she could just focus on riding and forget about traffic, pedestrians and potholes. What was most enjoyable was being able to get on the track and think only about the next turn and the line she was going to take to complete it.
This summer, Neda will be the only Canadian to join the elite “Dirty Dozen” team. These twelve women are so described due to their willingness to literally get dirty for the cures of breast and ovarian cancers through their fund raising and riding efforts on the Adventure for the Cures ride.
To be successful, she will have to successfully travel over 1500 miles, 80% of which will be on dirt roads and trails. Neda will also be required to raise a minimum of $2000 which will directly benefit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation www.cbcf.org/ontario and its efforts towards creating a future without breast cancer. “
The trek, complete with sherpas, is organized by New York based Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation, a charitable, educational organization whose efforts to date have contributed over $2.2 million dollars towards the eradication of breast cancer by funding research. It will culminate in time for the fifth International Women and Motorcycling Conference hosted by the American Motorcyclist Association.
If it were up to Neda, she’d live that nomadic motorcycling lifestyle full-time. “Being on the road a lot and not having to worry about being a consumer the way we are in day to day living in Toronto, Canada, makes life much simpler yet enriching at the same time. I think that's probably the most rewarding thing that I get out of motorcycling. I can leave the society behind when I have to and yet still have points of contact through interactions with people during my travels. Motorcycling is for me, the best way to see the world. I wouldn't do it any other way.”