New dates, route announced for Suffragists Centennial Motorcycle Ride
The Suffragists Centennial Motorcycle Ride cross-country riders will kick off its three-week celebration in Portland, Oregon, on July 31, 2021. Riding East to the Women’s Motorcycle Festival and Conference, the event will gain momentum as the women’s motorcycle event crosses the United States. The group will travel along scenic two-lane roads and visit historical sites, offering three places where Women Motorcycle riders can join the event: Portland, Sturgis, or Knoxville, and ride to the Women’s Motorcycle Festival and Conference in Arlington, Virginia. To learn more about the ride, participate and to see the full itinerary, click HERE.
“Last year I was extremely disappointed that COVID-19 interrupted our 2020 plans for the Centennial Ride, but now I see that as a blessing,” said organizer Alisa Clickenger. “I am quite certain that our 2021 celebration will be even more spectacular because I am now able to take the ideas collected from two years of planning and development, plus a scouting ride in August of 2020, and put them all together in an event that will leave an even more indelible mark on the history of women and motorcycling.”
The riders who start at the beginning of the event in Portland will travel along the North Cascades Highway crossing the Bridge of the Gods, then experience must-ride motorcycle roads like Lolo Pass and the Needles Highway. The event offers a two-day visit in the Black Hills area visiting Mt. Rushmore, riding the Black Hills, seeing Devil’s Tower, and attending the Biker Belles Group Ride and Celebration at the 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The riders will also have a chance to ride through the striking Badlands National Park as well as have a full day to ride inside Yellowstone National Park.
Another full day will be spent in Knoxville, TN, where on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was signed and Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment, making women’s suffrage legal in the United States. A full day will be spent in downtown Knoxville. After participating in the Knoxville celebration, the event will continue towards Arlington, Virginia, where riders can participate in the Women’s Motorcycle Festival and Conference.
Concurrent nationwide Centennial celebrations will take place on August 20-21, 2021, coinciding with the Women’s Motorcycle Conference and the live presentations will be broadcast to Celebration Cities around the world. Celebrations are scheduled in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando and New York.
“I led a very successful cross-country event in 2016, and I now understand the power, excitement and impact that a cross-country event can offer. The camaraderie and friendships that form over the course of our Centennial events change lives, establish life-long friendships, and bring riders together in a way that only epic motorcycle journeys can,” said Clickenger.