@thebella.lit + Yamaha YS125 rider
Do you want to know more about riding your motorbike in the Winter? Need some inspiration for facing the bite in the air?
Meet BELLA LITINETSKI.
Bella is the epitome of a woman who has immersed herself in all things motorcycle. She is an accomplished moto-journalist, presenter and blogger, as well as an automotive, product and graphic designer.
An active track day and road rider Bella’s journey through the motorcycle culture is one to watch.
Last year, Bella took on the challenge of encouraging more bikers to ditch the seasonal mentality and ride our motorcycles all year long because we are “literally built for this shit”.
She invites motorcyclists around the world to join her exhilarating #Winterbikerchallenge and share their cold weather riding experience with the community that is growing by the day.
Bella shares the inception and her ideas behind this new challenge with the Motowitch Collective.
We don’t know about you but Bella’s challenge has already given us the kick in the arse to gear up and head out in 3 Celsius (37F) weather after seeing others out in far colder conditions.
Most importantly, it turned out to be one of the more epic rides we’d had in quite a while.
Will you be braving the elements with us this Winter?
Keep reading to get Bella’s 7 Free Tips for Winter Motorcycle Riding.
Winter Biker Challenge:
becoming the best versions of ourselves through riding
Why I ride my motorcycle throughout the Winter
Bikers, more than a hobby, it’s a way of life. People with a spark of passion in their eyes, people that look fear and danger in the eye and choose to overcome it, relying upon themselves and their loyal friends to venture out into the world, conquering it on their two-wheeled steeds. Yet fold up at the first sign of frost on the grass.
And there I was, with my GSXR turned track-only, resting safely in the garage, and having bought back my trusty yellow SV650, I was determined to collect the final piece in the motorcycling puzzle: ride all the way through winter, and enjoy it, as much as possible.
While a noble goal, simply riding through winter wasn’t going to be enough. There had to be a higher purpose, a benefit, a cause. And there was no way in hell I was gonna do this alone.
I have decided that this was going to be about overcoming our fears and conquering our weaknesses. We’re bikers, we’re humans, and humans thrive on this kind thing. Overcoming adversity and emerging better and stronger than before: we’re literally built for this shit on our deep, genetic level.
Now, I’ve had my own run-in with controlled cold exposure in the past, and last year I was set to try out cold showers. I’ve read all about the incredible benefits: supercharged energy, reduced stress, better looking skin and numerous benefits for mental strength and well being. But most importantly: feeling warmer during the day. That was a big one, since I began to really suffer from the cold and would be reluctant to leave the house.
Needless to say, my 2017 experiment didn’t last even one cold shower. I remember going over it in my head and just thinking how inconceivable it was, how crazy the people who are doing it must be.
But things changed in late 2018, and as the internet basically burst with articles and studies about the benefits of cold exposure, the seed that was planted in some dark crevice of my mind began to sprout. There was an urgency to put my money where my mouth was, as I was advocating winter riding while being wrapped up in a fuzzy blanket on my couch. It was time to winter proof myself.
Armed with a new found determination and fueled by the support of a newly born online community, I dove into (no pun intended) the whole cold shower thing. Since mid-October 2018 I’ve been taking cold showers regularly, and riding the bike
All was well, and a date had been set: December 23rd was the first official Winter Biker Challenge Day.
How you can ride your motorbike more this Winter
I’ve chosen to break down the challenge into two parts for a reason: even I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to hit that first date at the end of December, let alone tackle the abstract task of “riding until spring”.
No, December 23rd has been a small, concrete victory to all those who participated, and by then the groundwork for the rest of the challenge has already been done. From here we can choose to hang our helmets, or continue and see how it goes and what surprises are still in store for us.
Guess which one I chose 😉
Find out more about the Winter Biker Challenge here: https://www.thebellalit.com/the-blog/2018/12/2/winter-biker-challenge
And come hang out with us and join the #winterbikerchallenge on Instagram @winterbikerchallenge
All Photos and text courtesy of Bella Litinetski
If you want MORE Winter Riding tips check out Bella’s Youtube Video below and subscribe to her channel while you’re at it folks!
Join the Collective for free by subscribing to our awesome Newsletter.
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Bella Litinetski
Moto-journalist/blogger, Automotive Designer, Track racer and Suzuki rider
As part of her journalistic activity, she has been an active contributor at various blogs and magazines in Italy, Israel and the US. Since 2015 she has been a test rider and columnist for such online publications as MissBiker, helping to pave the way for the growth and spread of women’s motorcycling in Italy. As of 2018 she has had collaborations with Italy’s InMoto, as well as Israel’s Moto-Doogri magazine. Topics covered range from racetrack motorcycle reviews to travel and, of course, design and engineering. Bella currently produces articles in English, Italian and Hebrew, and speaks Russian fluently.
2017 has seen her racing debut at the Italian Hill Climb Championship, where she has earned 3rd rank in the 600cc Stock and Open Crono-Climber divisions. She remains an active trackday and road rider, while always exploring new ways of experiencing motorcycling on the flat track, in the snow, and off road.
As a natural evolution of her journalistic experience, and a growing interest in photography and videography, Bella has been able to establish her voice in the motorcycle community while sharing her life’s journey and passion on social media.
Stay up to date with Bella’s latest adventures:
Instagram: @thebella.lit
YouTube: /The Bella Lit
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