Patricia Weston meets a lady biker from whom most male bikers could learn a thing or two
One day Tricia Warner dropped into the guy next door to ask if could he teach her how to ride a motorbike. She got her first bike lesson and went on to become Ireland's first female to hold the coveted RoSPA advanced diploma. She also married the man.
"He had a Suzuki GSX 400. I was hooked straight away," she says. Although she didn't come from a strong biking family, Tricia developed a love for two wheels. "I realised biking was coursing very strongly through my veins," she says.
Married life kept her off the bike for a while but it wasn't long before she was back in the saddle.
"Myself and my husband moved to England," says Tricia. "When we came back to live in Ireland, we brought a bike back but we didn't have time to ride it.
"I live south of Arklow and the road works and the hassle at the Glen of the Downs prompted me to get back on the bike. I bought a Yamaha Fazer 600."
Now in her biking leathers once again, Tricia was encouraged to take proper training. "My hubby made me take advanced training because he didn't want me to get killed."
Tricia decided to train with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in England. She completed its five-day intensive diploma, the highest award a civilian rider can achieve.
"I felt this course was the best benchmark for training," says Tricia. "It's not like other courses because they don't just pass or fail you.
"You begin by taking your silver. Then you're encouraged to go for gold - and ultimately the diploma. It's also great because you have to re-sit your exams every three years so your qualifications are continually up-graded."
Tricia wasn't remotely fazed when she realised she was the only woman on the course. "There are only 10 RoSPA trainers in Ireland and I'm the only woman to have completed the course. I got the highest marks!"
As a female in a predominantly male environment, she hasn't escaped sexism. "One student said to me that he didn't think there was anything he could actually learn from a woman. I soon showed him."
Now a highly qualified trainer, Tricia divides her time between training bikers, working as a theatre nurse and as a voluntary director/administrator for the Irish Rider Training Association (IRTA).
"It can be tough some days when you're training someone for four to six hours and the rain is bucketing down on you - but it's such a buzz and I enjoy it so much."
As a nurse, Tricia has seen the hazardous side of biking. "I've had to put plenty of people back together after bike accidents," she says. "Most injuries are soft tissue injuries and could've been prevented by wearing the proper gear."
Is she put off biking in any way by seeing such injuries? "No, I'm not put off . . . it just makes me ride more safely and encourage others to be safer bikers."