The 1998 international rally was attended by 337 women from 15 nations. There were visits to local places of interest, a rally on Tuesday and gymkhana on Wednesday.
Monika Greiderer wrote about the rally for Toff Schweiz.
Bikerinnentreffen – Bikers’ meeting
It is 6 am in Les Tuileries-de-Grandson near Yverdon. Two crows march majestically over the empty football pitch of the local sports club, obviously enjoying having the pitch to themselves, whilst a few metres away a colourful mix of tents are squeezed together like tinned sardines.
The rising sun reflects off the shiny metal of a Harley, parked between a Moto Guzzi 900 and a Honda 200. The soft sound of guitars drifts from the festival tent and mixes with the morning mist and dew creating a slightly melancholic atmosphere.
Like every year, jobs and day-to-day chores are put aside for a week and bikers from different cultures become more and more like one big family. What counts is a shared hobby, the joy of games and fun and laughter as well as an acceptance of each other.
The biggest gift of the Rally is that everybody can take a piece of it home, therefore, even the longest trip seems not too far. Take Akiyo from Japan who flew in with 10 of her friends and created a ‘Nepal-village’ on the campsite, complete with shop and massage area and traditional clothing. There is Cecilia who travelled 2100 km from Sweden, whose journey took three days instead of two, because she didn’t grab a well- earned nap on her Suzuki 1100. Manuela from Berlin, owner of a Harley 1400 is fascinated by the game ‘Nabucco’ – a team challenge for five women to master a course with their ankles tied together. ‘The best rally ever’ says Olga from Moscow, who is enthusiastic about the Swiss team who organised a Suzuki 500 so she could enjoy the twisty and outstandingly beautiful road above Lake Neuenburger. Thanks to Lydia from Bremen, there is now also a new WIMA member in Iceland. Maria, on a five-week tour of Europe on her Suzuki Intruder, stopped to ask Lydia for directions – they continued their journey together.
The Swiss team proved their special talent and engagement, decorating the tables with fresh flowers every day, and laying on games. Each game had a name like ‘Alli mini Äntli’ (a Swiss German children’s song) where the contestants had to walk through water against the clock or ‘Lila Pause’ milking an improvised cow.
On Wednesday evening, a raclette dinner was provided to celebrate WIMA Switzerland’s 20th anniversary, with a disco, fireworks and a band adding to the vibrant atmosphere. Honours were presented to Juliette Steiner, the first Swiss WIMA member, German Ellen Pfeiffer for 40 years membership and six others for 20 years.
After Friday’s cocktails, farewell dinner and award giving, International President Sheonagh Ravensdale, thanked all the organisers, complimenting the perfect organisation which was heartfelt by everybody. Top WIMA women were Andrea Blind and Trui Hanoulle. To announce next year’s hosts, the German WIMAs delighted everybody with their presentation of a Bavarian Schuhplattler dance, dressed in Lederhosen.
The original article in Toff Schweiz
