Meet Kelly McCaughey
It's weird as hell publishing an interview of yourself, but I had the pleasure of being interviewed by fellow rider Amelia Kamrad about Over And Out so you could learn a little more about me and the Over And Out event!
Yes, I'm the girl behind the keyboard most of the time, but Over And Out isn't just me, and it isn't about me. There are many people, men and women, working behind the scenes to make this event a reality. And it's really about you, the girl rider, and giving you another opportunity to get out there and ride! -K
Kelly McCaughey @kellymccaughey
WHAT IS YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH OVER AND OUT?
Well, I created Over And Out! :) I wanted to create a way for more girls to experience riding off-road but also get to see and learn the difference between a variety of terrain and riding styles.
Here in the Northeast, public recreational riding area is nearly non-existent. At the same time woods riding and enduro races are huge in this part of the country. There’s a gap between people who would like to learn or experience more off-road riding and those who have access to land or feel skilled enough to join in a race.
Community is key to bridging this gap. While I’m the main driving force behind Over And Out, there are many others involved, all working together to make this a unique and fun opportunity for female riders in the Northeast.
WHY MAKE THE EVENT JUST FOR WOMEN?
That part happened kind of organically. I’ve always ridden with men, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But over the past few years more girls have become interested in riding dirt, and some girls I knew started asking me where they could try riding. So, I had a small group of girls who’d never ridden dirt bikes come over to my house to give it a try.
Well, as much as I love riding, I found just as much joy in watching them ride dirt for the first time: Teaching them a few basics, watching them bobble off to a start, watching some of them take to it like complete naturals! One girl said “I can’t stop smiling inside my helmet!” and I’ll never forget that!
Shortly after that, I rode an event upstate and another girl found me on Instagram through the hashtag! She had some trails and wanted to ride with other girls too. So I started putting the feelers out through Instagram to coordinate a women’s riding weekend - which Is how I met you! (talking to interviewer Millie Kamrad ;)
SO THAT WAS PART OF PLANNING FOR THIS EVENT?
Pretty much! I already had some plans in the works for a public event, but this was a great way to further connect with other female riders, and meeting these women was an awesome experience.
I could go on and on about that weekend, but what I loved most about it is that those girls were there because of one fact: they wanted to ride, and they made it happen. Some of them heard about it through the grapevine and contacted me. Some borrowed bikes and trucks; some carpooled with others they barely knew. They were presented with the opportunity and they made it happen.
To see it all come together was very cool. Everyone was easy going, positive and friendly. And in the morning we got suited, booted and started up our engines together. And since then, girls from that group have connected individually to go riding together, so by meeting each other it created even more opportunities for some of them to ride.
OK, SO TELL US ABOUT OVER AND OUT!
To make a public event possible, Over And Out has partnered with the Bear Creek Sportsmen riding club of Hancock, NY. The club owns private property in the town of Hancock and holds just a couple of public riding events each year. Over And Out will be their first ladies-only riding event!
Over And Out is a two-pronged event: It’s for dirt, woods and trail bikes that can ride over the mountain on marked trails, as well as street-legal dual sport and adventure bikes that can ride out on mapped dirt routes that we will provide.
There are many different styles of off-road riding and bikes: dirt, woods and trail bikes, dual sport and adventure bikes. This event seeks to include almost all of them, and all levels of rider. The only type of riding we’re not catering to this year is motocross.
This event is not a race or a hare scramble, it's a casual friendly riding event with options for everyone, from nervous beginners to long-distance adventurers to serious woods rippers!
WHAT CAN RIDERS EXPECT AS FAR AS TERRAIN GOES?
There’s going to be something for everyone. There are miles of grass tracks and fields to ride. There will also be a variety of marked woods loops ranging from beginner to intermediate to super gnarly! We will also be doing a guided ride on Saturday for advanced riders.
For riders who have dual sports (on-road/off-road) and adventure bikes, we’ll be providing mapped routes that explore a variety of dirt roads and terrain throughout the area.
I’ll be sharing more specifics about the property, the terrain options and bike details through the blog and website in the coming months.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE EVENT, WHAT CAN ATTENDEES EXPECT?
The event will be focused on riding and having fun, plain and simple. I think the atmosphere is going to be great. It’ll be laid back, very low pressure, but also offer challenges and new experiences.
I've met some of the greatest people through riding, and I expect that I'll meet many more at Over And Out. My partners at Bear Creek Sportsmen are also fantastic, so we'll all have a really good time.
There is SO much for me to share in the coming months I can’t even begin to tap into it all here. Stay tuned for details in the coming months!
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU, THE RIDER.
I always tell this story because I think it says it all, but the first time I ever rode was when my husband (then boyfriend) took me to his friend’s house to learn. They all grew up riding and racing, and he had an XR100 - perfect for me to learn on.
As far as basic riding goes I took to it naturally. I got right on and cruised around. They got bored watching me go around a field in circles and decided to take me on a woods trail. That part was just amazing. It's like my brain lit up in all these new ways. I struggled, sure, but I loved it. I literally thought to myself “This is what I want to get good at.”
Fast forward 5-6 years and I still love riding. I've gotten to experience some really hard terrain, and I immediately fell in love with the feeling of exploring out in nature, and the feeling of making progress as a rider. Riding isn't easy. Some days are freezing, some are sweltering hot. I've hurt myself or had bad days, but not once I have even thought about quitting. I just love riding. So let's riiiiide!
@overandoutmoto @kellymccaughey
Interview by Amelia Kamrad @millieonthemove
