Well. HELLO!!
I guess it’s been over a year since I posted. I tend to move through creative phases. 🙂 I no longer have the passion for writing about my rides. Which is sort of a shame, since I have enjoyed so many incredible, wondrous, fun rides here in Costa Rica and in other countries this last year (Spain, Colombia, and Nicaragua) .
However, yesterday I decided to pay for one more year in order to add this post about the creation of the wonderful all-female group of motorcyclists here in Costa Rica:
The Marvelous Chicas Honda Red Riders!
A dream come true!
My friend and Sensei Felix Franco, my new friend Helena Garfia, and I had wanted to form a group of Chicas Honda for many years. Finally, on May 26, 2024, it happened!
Chicas Honda Red Riders became a reality and we had our first ride to Puntarenas. Yay!!
It was a joyful experience for all of us. The sense of camaraderie and developing friendship was instantaneous. This bond continues to be a most important aspect of our togetherness. Below is a short slideshow.
Thanks to Helena Garfia´s natural skill of connecting people and groups, Chicas Honda Red Riders has enjoyed the presence of other female motorcyclist groups, like The Litas, Venus, and Las Viudas Negras. Fabulous!!
(Gracias por acompañarnos Chicas Viudas, Litas, y Venus. Gran gusto conocerlas y disfrutar con ustedes.)
Being inclusive of other motorcycle brands (and Motorcycle Clubs) is part of the Honda Red Riders philosophy.
Helena and I are quite different in our personality and leadership styles. I like to joke that we are the Yin and the yang of the Chicas (I am the Yin, she is the Yang. LOL). Yet, somehow, we complement each other so that everything is carried forward by our individual contributions to the group. 🙂 We both continue to learn and grow as leaders of the Chicas Honda Red Riders, especially thanks to the guidance and teachings of Felix Franco, who is the leader of greater community of Honda Red Riders. She and I are also becoming good friends.
Below is a quick slide show of the Chicas for your viewing enjoyment! I hope your smile is as big as mine as you see how COOL and amazing they are.
On May 25, 2025, we celebrated our one year anniversary! Wohooo!
Look at that beautiful and powerful group of women motorcyclists!! Amazing. Here we are riding down to Puntarenas via the ¨Aguacate:¨ LINK.
Honda Costa Rica’s post about our anniversary: LINK.
For this Anniversary ride, Helena created a group of guides to help ¨shepherd¨ the team while riding.
This team has coordinated beautifully (and laughed whole-heartedly!) .
At our one year anniversary and celebration in Puntarenas, Helena and I both received an acknowledgment of our commitment to the group. Such a sweet memento of our journey together with the Marvelous Chicas.
And the adventure continues!
Being part of this Chicas Honda Red Riders community has helped me grow not only as a motorcyclist, but also as a person and leader. Facing challenges is part of one’s learning curve. The beauty of a group is that we all learn together.
I don’t really like riding in large groups (Hahahaha!), and I am hesitant to have so much responsibility for the wellbeing of other riders, but nevertheless this journey has been enriching, humbling, and oh so satisfying! What a joy and honor it has been to be part of this amazing team of women.
Felix and Helena, WE DID IT! The Chicas did it! The Marvelous Chicas Red Riders are alive and thriving!
Special thanks to Honda Motos Costa Rica for hosting us, for the gifts they donate to us, and for supplying a mechanic and truck to keep us company and help us out in times of need.
Also thanks to Dani Lizano, Jann Perez, Yoha Sancho, Dani Quesada, Dani Aguilar, and Andrea Rodriguez for helping us keep the pack safe.
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RIDING IN COSTA RICA: KNOW THE LOVE
¨Hey, kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight’s hitting something
That’s been known to change the weather
We’ll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You’re gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound
Say, Candy and Ronnie. Have you seen them yet?
Ooh, but they’re so spaced out
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets
Oh, but they’re weird and they’re wonderful….¨
Riding in Costa Rica 
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