MOTO COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Leslie Atkinson refuses to take a back seat.

By Dustin A. Woods

Women may not always get the spotlight when it comes to motorcycling, but many of them are working hard behind the scenes to change the face of the hobby for the better. Bitten by the riding bug at the age of five as she rode on the back of her dad’s bike, Leslie Atkinson had to wait until she was 21 to buy her first motorcycle. “I was not allowed to have a dirt bike as a kid, because I was a terror on my bicycle,” she laughs.

Living in Merritt, B.C., Atkinson emphasizes that she resides in the Country Music Capital of Canada and raves about the incredible riding right outside her front door. After taking a break from riding to raise her son, she returned to the hobby in 2009.

Soon she co-founded The Rolling Barrage with her husband, Scott. The philanthropic organization raises awareness and funds for military veterans and first responders living with PTSD through a variety of initiatives, including their annual cross-Canada ride. Participants join up and drop off as their schedules allow, while a seasoned group of the most dedicated participate in the entire distance, referred to as “The Full Pull.”

When Scott, a veteran himself, proposed the idea for The Rolling Barrage, Atkinson was immediately on board. Not only did it support a worthy cause near and dear to their hearts, but it also fulfilled her dream of riding across this large, beautiful country. But the bike she owned at the time wasn’t up to the task. “During the initial planning process, Scott had some concerns about the fuel range of my bike and suggested that I would have to ride on the back of his,” explains Atkinson. “Since there was absolutely no way I was going to agree to that, I went to my local Harley-Davidson^® dealership and bought a brand-new Street Glide^® Special.”

Her diminutive stature didn’t stop her from buying the big bike. She simply had the seat and bars adjusted to suit her size and she was off to the races. Multiple bikes later, she has crossed Canada several times and logs thousands of kilometres a year.

She admits to experiencing love at first sight when she laid eyes on a Candy Cobalt and Indigo Ink Street Glide CVO™ in the Kelowna Harley-Davidson showroom. Accompanying her son to look at a Road King^® he was interested in, she had no intentions of buying at the time but was undeniably smitten. Having racked up more than 80,000 km on the odometer of her Street Glide Special, she later returned to realize her dream of owning the CVO.

“I just have to go take a look at her and I know I made the right decision,” gushes Atkinson. “She is the most beautiful bike I have ever seen and I am so happy she’s mine.”

Named Eleanor, the CVO is now Atkinson’s preferred mode of transportation wherever she goes, near or far. She has completed the American Ride for Veterans and the Run for the Wall, which begins in Ontario, California, and ends at the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.

Supporting worthwhile initiatives on two wheels has led to seeing the wide variety of landscapes that North America has to offer, and meeting new riders who share the same sense of family and camaraderie that the riding community seems to embrace and nurture. She says they have had the pleasure of meeting people from around the world who have become cherished friends.

“Not enough women get the recognition they deserve for the support they provide their partners, families, and communities, but also their own significant accomplishments,” says Scott.

Even on the hard days, Atkinson admits that the endurance of adversity brings about a sense of camaraderie that can’t be bought. “Sometimes the toughest days make for the best nights,” she says. How very true indeed.

---

Tags: