International Women’s Day is March 8 of every year, which means it’s on a Tuesday in 2022. French women riders’ group Toutes en Moto has hosted rides to celebrate, every year since its formation in 2010. It’s a celebration of women’s rights, as well as women on motorcycles. Over time, it’s grown into a massive, France-wide event, raising both awareness and funds for local organizations that support women’s rights in various ways. Men are, of course, welcome—but it’s a single day out of 365 each year that celebrates women.
For 2022, Toutes en Moto’s annual ride will take place on March 13, since it’s a Sunday and it’s easier to coordinate the rides among the multiple cities across France that are participating. This year’s event promises to be the biggest parade yet, with a total of 14 cities that plan to host female rider groups. Three French-held islands will also participate in 2022.
Here’s where groups will form and ride on March 13, 2022, celebrating women who ride, and women in general:
- Auxerre
- Bordeaux
- Carcassonne
- Chambéry
- Clermont-Ferrand
- Corte
- Guadeloupe
- Laval
- Limoges
- Lyon
- Nimes
- Paris
- La Réunion
- Strasbourg
Organizers of all 14 participating parades reached out to local organizations that support women facing difficulties in their regions. In addition to celebrating the awesomeness that is riding motorcycles—because riding is, if you’ll recall, for everyone—these parades will collect hygiene products and money to support homeless and battered women’s shelters around the nation.
It’s a day for everyone, from all walks of life, to support the women in their lives. We all have important women in our lives, who far too often don’t get the support they need in all kinds of things. Lifting each other up—especially if it’s on two wheels—is an admirable goal.
International Women’s Day takes place just about two months before International Female Ride Day in May, but I and probably all the other women you know definitely hope we’re all celebrating more than two days a year. Get out, ride, and celebrate all the awesome women in your life at every opportunity. If there’s anything the past couple of years should probably have taught all of us, it’s that we shouldn’t take anything for granted, and we should all support our communities as much as we possibly can.
Let's Ride:
Source: Toutes en Moto