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Ginny Shear, 52, of LeRoy, N.Y., a quality-assurance technician for Eastman Kodak, devotes a lot of her spare time to serving as the executive director of the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about motorcycling. In 1996 the group started the Pony Express Relay, a national run to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Three such relays have been held; the last, in 2000, drew about 700 men and women and raised $450,000. The next event, scheduled for July, will have participants joining the route at various points from Seattle to New York City, Shear says, and will cover about 10,000 miles. "The feeling of camaraderie you get from taking part in one of these rallies is pretty euphoric," says Shear, who has ridden her motorcycle to the Arctic Ocean and back.
So forget the Hell's Angels. When you see a group of leather-clad, middle-aged bikers roaring down a stretch of highway, remember: it may be a group of doctors or stockbrokers, perhaps raising money for a worthy cause. Or it could be grandparents taking a cross-country trek to enjoy the American landscape. And maybe next time it could be you.