Conga hits news in Murphy North Carolina

Online community unites to raise funds for research
Text Size By LIZZ HAROLDlharold@cherokeescout.com Tuesday, May 26, 2009 8:02 PM CDT
LIZZ HAROLD/Cherokee ScoutChantelle Collado, Melissa “Lil’ Moe” Talent, Flo Fhur and Donna “Doc” Palladino (from left) show off their pink, studded helmets similar to those auctioned off to raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer. In a coordinated formation, an all-female motorcycle conga line wound its way into town on May 13. The synchronized dance of wheels and motors brought with it a group of ladies fired up to find a cure for breast cancer.
“A lot of the men who see us on the road are tickled pink to see us ride professionally. We get our respect,” said Donna “Doc” Palladino, creator of The Women Who Ride online forum. Since 2001, Palladino has moderated an online community made up of about 25,000 women motorcycle enthusiasts.
The forum provides a place of support and education as well as a hub for meeting other female riders across the globe.
Flo Fuhr, a rider from Vancouver, British Columbia, rode into town with a band of women from the forum who were raising thousands of dollars for breast cancer research. Fuhr was making the trek from Florida to Canada, joining other members along the way.
They have raised $7,000 of the $10,000 goal through auctioning off pink rhinestone helmets, saddlebags and other sassy road gear. “Many women on the forum are in chemo right now. We call them our spirit riders because they are too sick to ride but they are with us in spirit. We’ve lost sisters and moms,” Palladino said. By the time the conga entered Murphy, the women had conquered nearly 1,000 miles of pavement. The group took a break and stayed overnight with the Murphy chapter of the Chrome Divas, another female-friendly motorcycle club. Local businesses including George’s Butcher Shop, Brother’s Restaurant, Downtown Pizza, Skillets, Shoebooties, KFC and more supplied the hungry crew with menu items for the rider’s barbecue. Sherry Pegnetter of Chrome Divas hosted the dinner and said the ladies were enjoying their first visit to western North Carolina. “We all had a great time while they were here.
They loved our small town and of course our beautiful mountains,” Pegnetter said. The Women Who Ride crew celebrated its second reunion ride with about 20 members meeting up for the conga fund-raiser. Many of the women were meeting in person for the first time. “We are all such different women, but on the road we naturally get in standard formation like we’ve been riding forever,” said Chantelle Collado, who joined the conga from Louisiana. Melissa “Lil’ Moe” Talent said the benefit of joining the club was the sage advice of older riders. “We share tips with other women, and I’ve gotten tips from these pros,” Talent said.
Palladino runs training sessions for women to learn the technical functions of driving motorcycles. She wants women of every age to be able to feel confident and safe on the road. “What we are all about is independence and mastering your bike,” Palladino said. “We pride ourselves on doing it correctly. I’ve met hundreds of women in our free classes we provide to give them professional training.” To follow the women while they ride, check out their daily updated blogs at www.firstgiving.com/wwrconga.