Women bikers rule the roads

BHUBANESWAR: Vroom, throttle and screech are no more confined to male domain on streets of Odisha. The first all-woman bikers' team of the state and Odisha chapter of Bikerni has broken the glass ceiling.

The seven-member team, comprising women professionals from

various fields

, was launched recently and it completed its maiden trip from Bhubaneswar to Anshupa on Sunday. There are students, a scuba diver, photographers, a content writer and a graphic designer.
"We all love biking and this love to ride has brought us together. It feels damn good when a man suddenly realise that a woman rider overtook him. We simply want to change the mindset that why not

women bikers

," said Barsha Priyadarshini, a professional photographer.

The first trip to Anshupa, about 50 km from Bhubaneswar, was a fun trip. The group has been planning many more such trips in the coming days. If you ask whether the trips are for a cause? So far not. "We just want to explore ourselves, the state and the country. We want to enjoy travelling laced with adventure and break the stereotypes. When men ride bikes no one asks is it for a cause, then why for women," said

Arshia Musarat

, an MBA and a member of the team.

The members of the team are riding all kinds of bikes, including superbikes and with pillions too. Bikerni is a national team of bikers started long back, another member said.

Though some women are

riding bikes

in Odisha but biking has never been a part of lifestyle. And women bikers here were quite reluctant to form a team. "But now when we have launched it we are expecting more biking enthusiasts in our team, including homemakers," said Musarat, who rides a KTM Duke 256cc bike.