Meet the the incredible SCARLET HEADERS from Denver, Colorado....
IMAGE FROM: www.thescarletheaders.com/blog
This incredible gang of moto ladies, founded by the amazing Shelby Rossi (aka @therippinkittin) are a real example, for me, of how inspiring the international womens moto community can be. They not only arrange meet ups, ride outs, race track & ride dirt together (looking absolutely bad ass doing both by the way) but also get together to regularly volunteer in their local community to help out a other people along the way. If they don't inspire more women to get on bikes I don't know what will!
We spoke to the gorgeous Shelby recently as part of our "support your locals girls gangs series" about her experiences in motorcycling with her family & how she first started out.
Enjoy!
Gx
Photo by @eparrillaphotos for http://caferacersofinstagram.tumblr.com
Hi Shelby! How long have you been riding?:
S: My dad built me my first dirt bike when I was 5 years old. It was an old 50cc Italjet with a red and white zebra seat. He bought it as a box of parts and turned into a chapter of my life I'll never forget. I remember riding it as a kid and bringing it to my first show-and-tell in second grade. It's still sitting in my dad's garage! Since then I have been riding dirt (mostly trail riding), and once I turned 18 I got my M license and started riding on the street.
What inspired you to start riding?:
S: I don’t want to say my parents forced me into riding motorcycles, but as a young kid I had no choice but to spend most of my weekends at a track. Both of my parents used to race motorcycles when I was growing up. My dad and mom road raced in a local circuit in Colorado called the MRA, and also enjoyed other styles of riding such as ice racing, enduros, flat track and the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado Springs.
As I got older, my dad combined his passion of motorcycles and medicine and became a doctor for the AMA, World SBK, MotoGP and now Moto America. During grade school I traveled with him to numerous tracks around the U.S. and started my own passion for the sport. It's something we did together all the time and continue to bond over today. To this day, both parents are my biggest supporters and constantly inspire me to progress as a rider.
What was your first bike?:
S: My first street bike was a Monster 900. It's still my daily rider.
What do you ride now? Any mods? :
S: My boyfriend and I have a full garage of projects, but the two bikes I ride currently:
- 2004 KTM 200 - no mods, but a great FMF pipe, spare tank, extra body work, & Slavens suspension. It's the SX, but set up for good trail riding. I'd like to add a headlight at some point.
- 1995 Ducati Monster 900 - no mods yet, but it's equipped with awesome retro Rizoma parts. I have big ideas for this bike, I just need to get my ideas on a piece a paper and go for it.
PHOTO: @therippinkittin Instagram
What is your dream bike?:
S: I'm always gawking, but I think my ultimate dream bike would be any of Valentino Rossi's old race bikes. My first pick would be the Honda he won his first 500cc race on in 2000 at the British GP. He is my favorite racer of all time (even after the Sepang Clash), so anything of his would make me pass out.
Road or dirt?:
S: This is a tough question for me. Nothing really beats a weekend of riding single track in Moab, UT. But at the same time I've really enjoyed getting into road racing this past season. I raced my first road race this year and loved every second of it. I'd say tie!
Built or bought?:
S: Everyone buys a bike at some point. Everyone builds it their own way.
Tell us some more about the Scarlet Headers:
S: I started the Scarlet Headers in August of 2014 in hope of getting local women riders to come together. I had been watching the women's motorcycle scene continuously grow and finally decided to do something about in Denver! It has been a wonderful experience to share the same passion with so many likeminded women. The thing I like best about TSH is there's no expectation to be anything else other than what you are. No matter the age, no matter the skill level, comfort level, the bike, the background, we're ALL enjoying the same sport and growing individually as riders. Why not surround yourself with supportive women who are learning alongside you? Not to mention the women's motorcycling community is contagious, loving and inspiring to say the least! The amount of connections and friends that have been established through TSH is truly something special.
We heart you VCMC!!!
IMAGES FROM @thescarletheaders instagram by @golden_warrior, @kate_rosse, @jillybeancolorado, @jordan_holloway, @adriennenevy,
We absolutely adore these ladies & desperately hope we get to go ride with them one day! If you're ever in Denver look them up! Also follow their instagram HERE & go check out their website at www.thescarletheaders.com/blog & support your international girl gangs!