Ever wondered what 50 women fully supporting each other looks like? That’s what journalist Serena Doyle wondered when heading down to East Sussex on the last weekend in August. I mean, it’s pretty unlikely that a field full of muddy, helmet wearing, motivation screaming, zigzag racing, motorbike pushing women is the first image that comes to mind. But that’s exactly what it looked like by the end of the Ladies Day that Desert Rose Riding Academy hosted in partnership with Be Right Back and MotoGirlsUk. From my view, watching from the back of the Polaris 4×4, comfy amongst logs and cones and bits of kit, what made this final competition (and the whole day actually) so collaborative was the variety of women who had signed up to the event – there were a huge range of abilities and backgrounds! •Some had never ridden a motorcycle when they arrived on the 65 acre wooded estate that morning •Some hadn’t ridden one for the last 30 years! •Some had circumnavigated the world on a motorbike •Some had literally been to Outer Mongolia •Some had ridden Motocross since age 3, were fearless (mad??) hill climb racers, and were slinging wheelies left right and centre This mix is what made the teams pull together so well in my opinion, and made the camaraderie so darn strong. When women lift each other up, everyone wins in one way or another. I’d seen a handful of these women turn up super shy. And now here they were, confidently racing the bikes, carrying a pillion (or two!), revving the engines so they chucked out 2 stroke fumes, and spinning tyres as they turned in the wet grass, each team pushing themselves to use every skill they’d learned that day. I know they’d fought every ounce of insecurity to sign up to something new. Silenced every doubt that told them they couldn’t or shouldn’t. And yet here they were – doing the thing!

Wow, ABR 2025 you didn’t disappoint. The whole Desert Rose Team love our time at Ragley Hall. This event has become the go to event for ADV riders across the UK and beyond. We get the chance to meet with and talk with amazing people who want to get out and ride. We are always super busy, with each day starting with the Trail Briefing, hosted by our good friend Billy “BikeTruck” Ward, followed by multiple taster sessions of our training courses. With the Desert Rose Racing Team on hand to talk about all things rallye as well, it seems we must have spoken to all 20,000 people at least once.

Wow! What an event, we took 50 riders from Marrakesh, down to the majestic dunes of Erg Chebbi in Merzouga, then back up through the national park of Ifrane to Fes. With over 30 riders tackling the Trail Edition, riding through the desert, through river beds, up long steep mountain passes and across the dunes this was an epic adventure. The Tarmac Edition saw riders hit the heights of the High Atlas mountain range, ride some incredible mountain switchbacks, cross the desert to get to the “Bond Volcano” film location and have adventures of their own getting across, round and through some of the many washed out roads.