The appeal of small motorcycle rallies

Crowds are my personal ninth circle of hell. Smashing beers and doing burnouts with thousands of strangers is a vacation to some, but plenty of us love both loud exhausts and a good nap.

While the classic bike nights and rallies don’t appeal to me, I came across two events this year that sounded perfect to an introverted rider like myself. Each advertises itself as a grassroots campout with minimalist goals — ride motorcycles and hang with other people who ride motorcycles. No promises of vendors or stunt shows and, best of all, no schedules.

To see for myself what these smaller, less structured moto events are like, I signed up for Babes Ride 'n Rage up north in Ontario and the Blue Ridge Stake Out in the mountains to the south.

Babes in the woods — with fireworks

Babes Ride ‘n Rage is a women-only event (except for Griffin, a fluffy mutt rocking a bandanna all weekend) now in its sixth year. It takes place at a private campground called Fisher’s Paradise in September, which is when the weather in Canada starts getting dicey. That’s one reason this campout has remained small and intimate. The other is that they sell no more than 80 tickets.

Even if you live “close” to the campground, say Toronto, the trek through corridors of towering rock formations and gorgeous deciduous trees while lashed by wind and rain certainly isn't the same as cruising down to Myrtle Beach Bike Week. My friend Hannah joined me on a whim for this arduous but breathtaking journey and once we got to the campsite, all we could do was collapse next to the fire with a beer and get to know the other ladies who had ridden up for the weekend.

Relaxing by the fire, I had a chance to ask Betsy Wimbush, co-founder of the event along with Cas Houde, about the origins of BRNR.

“The first year there were only five people, including Cas and myself,” Betsy said. ”We had about a month to plan it after meeting each other at the Georgian Run in June. We met so many women who ride but were intimidated to go out in the woods on bikes with a bunch of men. So we thought, why don’t we have a weird lady party with no one trying to impress anyone and no dudes doing burnouts in the woods?”

Like myself, several women I talked to were also looking for a weekend retreat and any excuse to ride. Rebecca embodied the “run what you brung” mentality by making the journey on her 1980 Yamaha SR250.

“I live in the city and only have a bike,” she told me. “I had just gotten it running before the five-hour trip from Toronto. Riding up here I had the throttle wide open. I kept trying to shift up, hoping I could get a little more out of it, but there was nowhere to go.”

She tells me this while standing proudly by the Little Yam That Could, proof that she made it to camp in one piece through the storms, unlike her rain gear. Like Rebecca, several of us pushed through the freezing rain on Highway 11, while others trailered their dirt bikes to take advantage of the trails available at camp. Can’t say I wasn’t super jealous of their forethought and two-strokes.

Even women who don’t ride are welcome at this event and the smaller size of the gathering makes it less intimidating. Reba isn’t a rider (yet) but works with Betsy and got interested as she saw Betsy planning it. Of course she was welcomed into the fold, and not just because any rider who’s honest will admit to appreciating a chase vehicle. Though she didn’t even know what a chase vehicle was before this weekend, Reba was a champ at lugging all of our groceries and gear past the mud holes to camp.

The staples at camp year after year have been kayaks, camp dogs, the sauna trailer, fireworks, and a unique piñata punching ritual (that’s where “Rage” comes into the name), and the absence of a true schedule.

“We had a schedule at first, but because of Mother Nature and the amount of people, it didn’t always happen,” Betsy said. “So we do things loosely. Everyone who’s here dictates the flow of the weekend and it’s interesting to see how it differs every year."

I’ve never been so happy to do nothing. Time doesn’t exist when you can fall asleep in a sauna trailer listening to the rain tapping on the roof. Or sit beside a peaceful river and listen to the dirt bikes weave through the forest behind you. Babes Ride ‘n Rage is like a girls’ night out with smoky clothes and conversations about everything from dream bikes to stolen bikes to the trick to peeling a hard-boiled egg in one shot.

Attending Babes Ride 'n Rage costs $50 and that includes a site at the campground, its amenities, free beer and a few surprises. The event is not intended to make money, but a few sponsors do support the event by providing prizes for a raffle.

“Perth County Moto, Moto Revere, and Steeltown Garage are our main local sponsors and Biltwell has sponsored us from the beginning,” Cas said. “We don’t ask for much and Biltwell just so happens to give us a lot every year cause they’re mega-generous humans.”

Raffle tickets are sold by the arm’s length (pro-tip: scope out the woman with the longest arm and have her measure out your tickets) and the money raised pays for the fireworks. Personally, I love that the success of an event like BRNR isn’t measured by how many tickets are sold or how well they advertise, but rather how many fireworks they can set off on Saturday night.

Blue Ridge Stake Out

The other small-scale event I checked out was the Blue Ridge Stake Out at the Chantilly Farm Campground in Floyd County, Virginia. From the beginning, the founders of the Stake Out wanted to focus the event around riding and little else. Founders Mike and Ashmore Ellis sold out of all 250 tickets to the BRSO and the event will likely grow in the future. Stake Out Events has put on larger motorcycle camping events elsewhere since it was founded in 2017.

“We’ve found with events like Sierra Stake Out, Gypsy Run, and the Kernville Kampout, that even with 1,000-plus campers, things can still be as fun as they are with 100,” Mike said. “You just get the opportunity to make more friends!”

For those (such as myself) who might be worried about the BRSO growing too big next year and losing some of its charm, the organizers are aware of the pitfalls of big events. Going out into nature is meant to be an escape from the real world, not a shopping mall. The Stake Out events don’t have sponsors who are allowed to set up vending areas, so “the companies we work with must come up with creative activation in order to make an impact on site,” Mike explained. “For BRSO, Biltwell provides route maps so riders know what cool stuff is close by and how to get there.”

Another company involved in the BRSO this year, Prism Supply, “builds awesome awards for the bike show and helps pick the winners." In lieu of tents full of apparel and tattoo booths, I think having companies involved in the details is a fantastic alternative. Although, the beer sponsors don’t really need a schtick. It’s free beer, no other slogan needed.

Attending the Blue Ridge Stake Out costs $65 and that includes a camp site, free beer and rum and the entertainment.

Like Babes Ride 'n Rage, the only plans for the weekend were that there were no plans and non-riders are welcome, too. The website specifically said, “You might get bored during the day while everyone is out riding the local roads but we'd be happy to have you. We hope this event acts as a catalyst to get you on a motorcycle if you decide to come in your car the first time around.”

“Did I mention the Blue Ridge Parkway?” Mike asked. The Parkway is the real star of the weekend, even with the prize-winning custom bikes on display. On the ride south from Philly, we met one newly acquired riding buddy, James, who had the same idea we had.

“I had no plan but to ride the Parkway, come out to the campout, and then keep riding the Parkway,” James said.

You might think riding the same road for hours would get boring. But every few dozen miles we’d be in a different time of year: a stretch of trees with autumnal leaves, wintry fog so thick you’d swear you were in Portland, or lush greenery with a crystal-clear view of the valleys below.

Now, I’ve heard my fair share of group-ride horror stories and have a few of my own, but sometimes there’s gold in them there hills and I don’t just mean the views. New friends James and Amber joined our party of six on Saturday and later all of us were joined by another six riders on our way south. Normally, a group that size would be a nightmare to manage, but there are no turns on the Parkway and it’s all curves, so our group stretched out between overlook points and just cruised all day long.

Back at the campground, the most popular entertainment was the Friday night karaoke. I don’t care if you aren’t a singer, it’s hard not to enjoy watching people perform their best Garth Brooks, Violent Femmes, and Harry Belafonte. Friday evening for some, like myself, was the perfect time to let loose after a long day of riding, while others rested up and had more energy to rip on Saturday night.

After the Saturday ride, though, I was too tired to party. As I climbed the hill to our tent, I could hear the unofficial burnout competition starting. Across the campground you could hear one bike fire up and moments later see another bike’s lights flash across the field in response before revving their own motor.

The appeal of smaller events

Maybe you love big crowds and getting lost in the sauce with a ton of strangers before you stumble back to bed. Or you love a relaxing night sharing stories around the fire after a day of riding. Either way, there’s a motorcycle event out there for everyone. You just have to find one that fits you.

I honestly can’t say which of these two events I liked more, because while I enjoy naps on the beach by a fire, I also loved watching the most popular karaoke guy burn an uneven rut through his tire because he did a burnout against a tree with rocks underneath him. I was surprised at how I enjoyed the energy of the rowdy crowd of the Stake Out and loved meeting some of the nicest people, and not all of them were on Hondas.

“Stake Out Events was created because there is a big hole in the community when it comes to grassroots motorcycle events,” Mike said. “There’s probably less than 50 motorcycle camping-style events in the U.S. that range from 100 to 1,000 attendees.”

There are no bad excuses to ride your motorcycle, so smaller events like these two create options for those of us who don’t want to be part of the huge crowds. I’m happy being one of those cats who can kick back and relax thanks to the hard-working, creative men and women in charge of these campouts.