It is mid-February 2022…we are entering the third year of the pandemic. The cold and damp weather turns me into a groundhog. With woollen socks, tea and a kitty cat, I make myself comfortable on the sofa and do a round of “indoor biking”, i.e. I browse through travel and tour reports from previous years and skim the Whatsapp chat of the last few days. I realise that there is a lot going on that makes me look forward to the upcoming motorbike season!
Not only WIMA International is constantly gaining new divisions. WIMA Austria has also grown continuously. With 32 members and two more candidates, we are stronger than ever. And we have a lot of plans:
Our winter sports girls are swapping bikes for boards and are already packing for the ski weekend with their Swiss friends at the end of February.
For the middle/end of May – the exact date is currently being determined via doodle – we have planned to conquer the dwarf state of San Marino. If all those interested really come along, it will be an invasion! This idea, which was actually born out of a joke, may tempt one or two to extend the 5-day event into a larger holiday trip.
WIMA Austria goes Ladiescamp! On 11 June, the women’s driving safety training will take place again at the Wachau Ring near Melk, organised by “Motorradmagazin”. We have been regular guests here for several years, not only testing our driving skills, but also looking forward to trying out the latest vehicle models. We have also made one or two lasting contacts with like-minded female bikers.
The preparations for the 3rd DACH meeting (for all WIMA Austria members from D, A and CH), at the end of June, have also already started. Hanna has arranged accommodation for us in Sillian/East Tyrol, where we will hold this year’s General Assembly. Apart from the temptation to take a few turns in the surrounding countryside there, Sillian is almost halfway to the International WIMA RALLY 2022 in Melchtal, Switzerland, in early July. We are already looking forward to this one-week highlight of the year, not only because the last planned rallies (Germany 2020 and the Netherlands 2021) had to be cancelled due to corona, despite intensive preparation work by the host countries. Now it’s the Swiss girls who want to create an unforgettable week for us. Girls, here we come!!!
What else happened during the winter months?
Chris has expanded her own workshop in the Weinviertel, Lower Austria, and is busily making small motorbike parts on the 3-D printer she built herself. If there is time, she motivates herself and others to go for rides in the botanics.
Our winter riders call for Sunday rides as soon as the temperatures are in the plus range. Painting, tyres and chains are being stretched. Discussions about windshields, city scooters and sidecars for dogs are going on in the chat room. Where the bike is still resting for the winter, artistic cake creations are invented, cat photos are exchanged, hiking trails are explored, and driving technique training with the car is also allowed. For all those who want to take up the screwdriver themselves, the Whatsapp group “Wima Mechanics- die Schrauberin” is now open.
All in all, the winter rest doesn’t seem to be that quiet. And sooner than expected, indoor becomes outdoor again. And the woollen socks are swapped for biker boots.