For millions of people, a motorcycle represents freedom. For Hayley Bell, it also represents connection, resilience and opportunity.
As Founder and CEO of Women Riders World Relay (WRWR), Hayley has spent the last several years proving that motorcycles can do far more than carry us from one place to another, they can bring people together across continents, cultures and communities.
What began as a bold vision in 2019 has grown into one of the most inspiring community-led movements in modern motorcycling, connecting thousands of women riders across more than 100 countries. It is a story not simply about motorcycles, but about people, about courage, inclusion and the belief that everyone deserves to feel part of the riding community.
At BMIC, we celebrate individuals and organisations that strengthen motorcycling through community, and few people embody that spirit more than Hayley Bell.
A Vision That Became a Movement
Motorcycling has traditionally been viewed as a male-dominated world, yet the number of women taking to two wheels continues to grow every year. Hayley recognised that while female riders were becoming increasingly visible, they often lacked the global connections, representation and recognition they deserved.
Rather than waiting for change, she decided to create it.
Her idea was beautifully simple but hugely ambitious: unite women riders from around the world through a single relay, passing a symbolic baton from rider to rider, country to country and continent to continent. It wasn’t about breaking records or seeking headlines. It was about demonstrating that women riders are an essential part of the global motorcycling family.
That vision became Women Riders World Relay. The response exceeded every expectation.
Thousands of women joined the movement, with local coordinators, volunteers and ambassadors organising relay stages across the globe. Riders who had never met became lifelong friends. Communities that had once felt isolated suddenly found themselves connected to something far bigger than themselves.
Today, WRWR has evolved beyond the original relay into a thriving international community that continues to inspire women to ride, explore, connect and support one another.
Resilience That Inspires Others
One of the qualities that makes Hayley such an inspiring leader is her resilience.
Following a serious motocross accident, she found herself confronting a challenge that many female riders had quietly accepted for years. Protective equipment designed specifically for women was limited, and finding properly fitting safety gear was often difficult. Rather than allowing that experience to diminish her passion for riding, it became the catalyst for something much greater.
Many people would have stepped away from motorcycling after such a traumatic experience. Hayley chose another path. She transformed adversity into purpose. That determination helped shape WRWR into far more than an event. It became a platform that gave women riders a collective voice while encouraging manufacturers, organisations and the wider motorcycle industry to recognise the importance of designing products, experiences and opportunities that genuinely reflect today’s diverse riding community.
Her journey reminds us that resilience isn’t about avoiding setbacks. It’s about deciding what comes next.
More Than Motorcycles
Speaking with Hayley, one message became abundantly clear. WRWR is about far more than motorcycles.
While many riders in the United Kingdom enjoy freedoms that are easily taken for granted, that isn’t the reality everywhere. Across parts of the world, women continue to face cultural expectations, social barriers and practical challenges that make simply learning to ride a motorcycle an extraordinary achievement.
For many, riding represents much more than travelling from A to B. It becomes an expression of independence, confidence and personal freedom.
WRWR provides something incredibly powerful, a visible, supportive global community that reminds women they are never riding alone.
Whether someone is taking their very first riding lesson, joining a local ride-out or embarking on an international adventure, they become part of a worldwide network that celebrates every milestone and encourages every success.
The movement demonstrates something wonderfully simple. Confidence is contagious. When one woman rides, another begins to believe that she can too.
A Legacy of Connection
Hayley’s work has rightly earned international recognition, including being named the American Motorcyclist Association’s Motorcyclist of the Year in 2019. Yet awards have never appeared to be the destination.
Listening to Hayley speak, it becomes obvious that the greatest achievement isn’t measured in trophies or headlines. It’s measured in friendships formed, confidence gained, communities strengthened and lives changed through the simple act of bringing people together.
The Journey Continues
Women Riders World Relay continues to evolve.
Through its growing digital platform and mobile application, riders can connect with one another wherever they are in the world, share experiences, take part in community challenges and continue building the international network that began with a single relay baton.
At BMIC, we have always believed that stronger communities create stronger riders.
That belief is why we are proud to become a supporter within the WRWR application and to stand alongside Hayley and her team as the movement enters its next chapter.
Although BMIC’s focus remains firmly on supporting riders across the United Kingdom, community has no borders. Every rider who feels welcomed, encouraged and included strengthens motorcycling everywhere.
Over the coming months, we are excited to work alongside Hayley and Women Riders World Relay on a range of collaborative initiatives that celebrate riders, encourage participation and inspire more women to discover the freedom that motorcycling offers. Through the WRWR app and future campaigns, we look forward to supporting community challenges, sharing inspiring stories and championing the values that unite riders across the world.
Hayley Bell set out to connect women riders. In reality, she has built something much bigger.
She has created a movement that reminds us that courage often begins with a single decision, to try something new, to support someone else and to believe that everyone deserves a place within the motorcycling community.
Whether that rider is in Birmingham or Bogotá, Edinburgh or Ethiopia, Sydney or São Paulo, every woman who throws a leg over a motorcycle helps shape a future where riding is defined not by gender, nationality or background, but by passion, respect and shared experience.
At BMIC, we’re proud to support that vision.
Together with Hayley and WRWR, we look forward to championing women riders, celebrating remarkable stories and creating new opportunities for riders to connect through meaningful community challenges and campaigns.
Because when we lift one another up, we all ride further. And perhaps that is the greatest journey of all.
For more information visit the WRWR website here and to download the WRWR application visit IOS here and Android here also be sure to follow their socials on Instagram and Facebook.
The short WRWR application tutorial is also worth checking out here: