Debra "LeftLane" Terrell, from northern Georgia, has had a life full ups and downs but, as the patch on her vest says, is a firm believer in the motto LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS.
Many youngsters learn to love motorcycles from playing round on dirt bikes. This was the case with LeftLane. She did have fun but it was never anything serious. At the age of 17, she took a ride on the backseat of a Moto Guzzi cruiser and immediately realized she not only liked motorcycles, she loved motorcycles. That feeling never went away. At the age of 19, LeftLane found herself alone so she decided to hang around with some old school bikers. The time she was staying with the bikers only re-enforced that desire to ride her own someday.
Adult responsibilities of making a living and raising a daughter put her dreams on hold for a while. LeftLanes brother had a motorcycle so she would occasionally talk him into giving her a ride so she could get in a little high speed therapy.
With her daughter grown and she herself now single and independent, LeftLane decided on a new career. She left the office job and learned to drive a dump truck. With this new skill, she began working for the local county Department of Transportation.
Just as LeftLane was starting this new chapter in her life, she hit a few roadblocks. A back injury required her to have three surgeries including grafts and implants. In 2001, shortly after healing completely from the back surgeries, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was with that diagnosis that LeftLane decided to live her life the way she wanted instead of the life everyone thought she should live.
During the next couple of years, LeftLane had to go through some reconstructive surgery associated with the cancer. In 2005, she had a gastric bypass that resulted in a weight loss of 160 pounds and thus a new lease on life.
After all the medical ups and downs, LeftLane decided to make motorcycle riding a part of her life again. Riding behind a friends husband and with nudges from the friend to think about getting her own bike had LeftLane working a part time job and saving loose change in hopes of someday doing just that.
Meanwhile LeftLane started dating a man with a Harley and greatly enjoyed touring with him but never really feeling comfortable riding behind him as he was an extremely aggressive rider. Several times his riding scared her including a very bad experience on the Tail of the Dragon. During the time she was dating this guy, whom she would later refer to as The Angry Man, LeftLane and a friend took the Harley Riders Edge class and both got the motorcycle endorsement but LeftLane still had no motorcycle of her own.
In April of 2010, finally with all that loose change saved up, LeftLane bought a 2000 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic. She was on cloud nine but afraid to go out and ride alone. The Angry Man told her that she had wasted her money, that she didnt have what it takes to ride her own, and that she would eventually kill herself on the bike. For the rest of 2010 she suffered panic attacks every time she tried to do any practice riding with The Angry Man. "The essential to budget travel is to plan in advance. When it occurs to family trips, globetrotting, well-deserved trips and/or going to see new locations we have never been before, the truth of expense and budgeting is generally in the back of our mind. Considering and expending our travel budget properly is a main concern for most families. Lowering expending and fees, while still savoring your vacation to its fullest, is the key to guaranteed achievements and fiscal responsibility. Your pocketbook and family will thank you! The reasoning regarding economizing money while journeying is simple: Even if your personal budget is incredibly tight, you can still take a break and enjoy life! Simply put, life is just too short to never step out of the door or leaving the homestead! Also remembering that while traveling, no matter whether on a price range or not, even the smallest of things can all add op to a big vacation or travel costs!..". The week before Christmas, 2010, LeftLane found her spine and told The Angry Man to get off my plane (as in the line from the movie Air Force One) and with that, he was out of her life.
While at the Great American Bike Show in January 2011, LeftLane watched Donna Doc and Jerry Motorman Palladino do what they do best ride like no one else while promoting their Ride Like a Pro DVD. She had previously watched the DVD at a friends house so was familiar with what she saw them doing. However, seeing them in person got her fired up to ride again. Heck, she thought, if I can drive a big dump truck and run heavy equipment, why couldnt I ride a motorcycle?
So the next day after the bike show, LeftLane took her bike out and practiced riding all around her small town, by herself. She stalled at every light and took turns way too wide but she lived. The next day she went out again and did better than the first day. The next day she rode out to visit friends. All week long she practiced, practiced, practiced. By the weekend she was practicing the route to and from work actually taking that route eight times in one day! By Monday she was ready to ride to work and has continued to ride to work most days since. In fact since February of this year, LeftLane has put on over 9000 locally. She rides everywhere, rain or shine, and in temperatures down in the 30s. She can handle eight lane highways and gravel mountain roads and most anything in between the two.
Once on a group ride and cruising in tight formation down the highway, someone snapped a picture of LeftLane with her feet up on her highway pegs and a smile on her face. She took great pleasure in sending a copy of that picture to The Angry Man.
Today, at age 55, LeftLane continues to love motorcycling, riding everywhere, and has started volunteering with Bikers Battling Breast Cancer, Inc. She gets a lot encouragement from friends and invaluable and practical advice from her new ole man, Pete, who also gives her a ton of respect. She is working and saving in order to trade her Yamaha for a Harley Deluxe and believes, even with a few minor setbacks, that it will come true. For LeftLane, dreams do come true and she looks forward to that dream and many more becoming realities.
As the fastest growing segment of the motorcycling public, women are more inclined than ever before to move from the passenger pillion to the front of the seat and to grab those handlebars. In this series of articles called She Rides Her Own we will profile a woman motorcyclist, what makes her unique, and how she got started riding on two wheels. If you would like to share a story with our readers on Examiner.com, email to: Patty.Davis.USA@gmail.com
Other She Rides Her Own articles:
- Meet Flo: motorcyclist, adventurer, crusader
- Meet Lisa: a motorcyclist who knows perseverance
- Meet Darlene: a motorcyclist proving its never too late
- Meet Ralyn: leaping head on into motorcycling
- Meet Cat: she really does have nine lives
- Meet Brittany: teaching us how to avoid being skinned alive
- Meet Linda: showing us that love endures
- Meet Robin: her inner strength changed her life
- Meet Abby: she rode back from Hell
- Meet Pinky: she is passionate about motorcycles
- Meet Laura: enthusiast, racer, and mentor
- Meet Jackie: trading up and enjoying the ride
- Meet Lori: living a meaningful life
- Meet Leilani: finding a motorcycle that is just right
- Meet Karen: finding blessings in unusual places
- Meet Liz: Making my way to the motorcycle
- Meet Sharon: she overcame addiction to find passion and purpose
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