In our new series we’re throwing the spot light on some awesome riders in our community to tell their story of how they got into motorbikes and found their way to Camp VC! First up it’s the rad Harley riding Laura Henry who has been coming to Camp VC since our very first event!
AMANDA FORDYCE
Laura Henry -
@laurahenrystudios
When did you first start riding motorcycles?
I came to motorbikes in my mid 30s. Despite my dad and older cousins having motorcycles over the years, I’d never quite found my entry point into that world. In 2016, I stumbled across an article about VC and what this incredible group of women were doing in making motorcycles feel accessible. There was to be a camp/rideout that sounded like an absolute dream and I knew I had to get myself there, so I took my CBT, hired a Suzuki GN125… and then my mate and I drove a van to camp so as to ease ourselves in.
What do you currently ride?
A Harley- Davidson Sportster 883 that I bought the day before coming to Camp VC in 2019!
The days just before CAMP VC 19 I sold my Suzuki 125 and painted my jacket with Vicious to wear the day of my practical. I knew there was no time for another shot at it or I’d be hiring another 125 to get me there. I passed, picked up the Harley and some kindly folk had suggested that was quite the jump. But that feeling of riding from London to camp was pure magic.
Tell us about your first experience of Camp VC:
The first time I experienced a ride-out within a group of likeminded women was such an incredible feeling. An easy camaraderie, I realised I’d been looking for this in adulthood.
I was only days past passing my CBT so there might have been one or two hill-start and roundabout mishaps... but everyone was so encouraging and patient. Over s’mores, beers and laughs later, I knew I’d found good people.
Something really unlocks in a space for womxn, built by womxn. Being permitted to jump and shout and take up space! It’s messy, unselfconscious and completely freeing. There are moments of this under that Welsh sky that, without exaggeration, are some of the most joyous of my life.
What is your fave thing to do at Camp VC?
Riding around those windy roads with some new and old friends is pretty close to perfection. So the ride-outs, the party and watching that sunset in-between.
What are you most looking forward to at Camp VC this year?
Catching up with all my VC friends and making new ones! As always there are also so many amazing classes, workshops and tents that I will be trying to see and do everything possible in between. One of my dearest friends in the world, Carmen and I normally make a two-day road trip to get there with a playlist to end all playlists, so there’s that too.
