Sisters Centennial Motorcycle Ride Opening Ceremonies

Augusta and Adeline Van Buren were two badass women. Not only did these sisters ride their Indian motorcycles over 5,000 miles across the country, they did so in 1916 on what we now consider primitive motorized contraptions on roads that were little more than badly rutted dirt paths that turned to a quagmire of mud when it rained. Badass.

The women embarked on this journey when they were 27 and 32 years old to prove that women were capable of enduring the rigors of motorized military dispatch duty just before America’s involvement in World War I. Their efforts also helped drive progress toward the right for women to vote.

The sisters embarked on their epic journey on July 4th, 1916 from Brooklyn, New York. But, because Gussie and Addie would be traveling on their own on roadways likely to test the engineering of every nut and bolt on their 1916 Indian Power Plus motorcycles, they went north to the Indian “Motocycle” factory in Springfield, Massachusetts to get the complete lowdown on how to keep their motorcycles operational. From there they headed west toward California by way of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway. They ended their journey in California in early September, but not before becoming the first motorcyclists to reach the summit of 14,000 foot Pikes Peak. Badass, indeed.

The Sisters’ Centennial Motorcycle Ride is the brainchild of organizer and tour leader, Alisa Clickenger who wanted to celebrate the accomplishment of the Van Burens by offering a guided cross-country tour. “This is a wonderful way to see the country and show that women can do anything they put their minds to.” says Clickenger.

The Sisters' Centennial Motorcycle Ride is also a way to support two worthy causes; Final Salute (finalsaluteinc.org), an organization that provides housing for homeless female veterans in the U.S, and Women's Coalition of Motorcyclists (wcm2020.org), an organization that funds motorcycle train-the-trainer scholarships to help grow the number of female motorcycling instructors and coaches. Clickenger and her staff managed to persuade 65 riders to join her in taking the whole cross-country route approximating the one taken by the sisters a century ago. Nearly 200 more riders have committed to joining legs of the trip along the way.

Major stops include:
• Brooklyn, NY July 3 (preliminary meet) • Springfield, Massachusetts July 4 (starting point, leaving July 6) • The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio July 8-9 • The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa July 11 • Zion National Park and Bryce National Park July 13 • Pikes Peak, Colorado July 14-16 • Carson City, Colorado- July 22 • San Francisco, California July 23

We attended the Opening Ceremonies at the Museum of Springfield History (which houses a huge Indian Motorcycle exhibit) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Celebrity rider and Bonneville landspeed record holder Erin Sills was in attendance as was Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno who presented a proclamation to make July 5th as Sisters Centennial Motorcycle Ride Day. Descendants of the Van Burens addressed the crowd (including Sarah Van Buren, the spitting image of Augusta), many of whom are participating in the complete cross-country ride. With the help of Indian Motorcycles and BMW Motorrad, the Sisters’ Centennial Ride is bringing women and men together to celebrate this truly historic undertaking in the best way possible; by getting together and going for a very, very long ride. Badass.