Starting this August, riders worldwide are invited to "Ride 4 Mary", a tribute to honor the late Mary McGee - motorcycling trailblazer and icon.
At the heart of this global tribute is a solo cross-country ride being led by Mary's longtime friend and fellow motorcyclist Ruth Belcher. Starting from Marysville, Washington on August 30, the ride will head for Portland, Maine, to attend the Women's International Motorcycle Association (WIMA) Rally and 75th anniversary, where riders from nearly 20 countries will gather in celebration.
She will be making two key stops along the way: on September 4, Wailin' Wayne Weekend, at Nelsonville, Ohio, to connect with ADV riders, and on September 5, a visit to the AMA Hall of Fame, Pickerington, Ohio to visit the Mary McGee exhibit with fellow riders.
Mary McGee was the first woman in the U.S. to race motorcycles professionally. She earned her competition license in 1960, competed in the legendary Baja 1000, and became the first woman to race in an AMA-sanctioned motorcycle event. But Mary's influence goes far beyond milestones and medals.
Sarah Schilke writes that "her humor, grit, and generosity made her a mentor and role model to generations of riders. She told stories of riding in borrowed gear and falling in the dirt more times than she could count, always getting up and going again. Mary showed us courage isn't the absence of fear, but the choice to ride through it."
Mary passed away in November 2024 at the age of 87. The ride aims to arrive at Portland, Maine by September 7, 2025.
