Asil Özbay whose passion used to be bicycles when she was a kid, now hooked on motorbikes.
She is looking for her freedom on roads and states that “My journey will not end till the end of the world.”
A woman hits the road, all alone… As a woman states that “The seasons change...”, “The world change...” A brave woman takes the road and decides to write her own story. The mentioned “woman” is Asil Özbay. Asil Özbay who is an instructor at Gedik University, Institute of Sport Sciences, is a free-spirited woman who likes riding on the roads and enthusiastic for exploring the world on her motorbike.
Being on the road is a way of self-expression for her. Apart from her inner journey, bringing a free-spirited woman into view means a lot for her. She set off on her journey with her “Freedom be-fits (suits) women” motto. Starting from Maiden’s Tower, she rode to Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, France, Spain, Morocco, Georgia, Russia, Mongolia and Iran. She posts her road experiences on her dikizaynamdadunya.com blog and “Asil Özbay” Instagram account.
When does the motor-bike passion start?
When I remember my childhood memories, I find myself riding on a bicycle. Those were the days I set myself free. For long years, I spent my days on it. When I decided to go further and faster, motorbike came into my life for good.
“Being on the road” is conception which has a philosophical background on its part, but what does “being on the road” mean to you?
I think every single minute is a journey as long as your mind keeps on thinking. For me, travelling is not moving my body from one place to another. It is not monitoring the world, either. I don’t even need to go further. I consider every moment I look around with my soul, my heart, my mind and my conscience as a journey.
Have you ever faced any difficulties of being a woman when travelling solo around the world?
Of course, but I have never seen it as an obstacle to keep riding.
You inspire women with your “1 Woman, 1 Motorbike, 3 Continents” initiative. How did you decide it?
Instead of exploring new places, my desire is to explore and meet the new “me” in every single journey. I hit the road with the intention to pile of new stories and going back home with self-change and development. However, apart from all these individual desires, showing what a woman can do all alone and making her visible means a lot for me.
Inspired by prisoner (captive) women…
Your motto is “Freedom be-fits (suits) women”, what kind of reactions came from women?
Four years ago, I worked as a chess trainer in Penal Institution for Women which was lasted for 5 months. Every day, I spent 8 or 9 hours with them. Many of the women prisoners were condemned just because they harmed a man to defend themselves. The prisoner stories affected me a lot. I guess this “Freedom be-fits (suits) women” motto showed itself in those years.
Are there any special motives to start your journey from Maiden’s Tower?
In all stories and myths, women are stuck in a special area. Like Rapunzel and her tower or Cinderella who must be at home before midnight. Like all these stories, Maiden’s Tower has its own story. All of my journeys started from Maiden’s Tower to give a specific message. In my story, the turning wheel of my motorbike symbolizes the freedom of captive women who once lived in there.
Can you tell us about your future projects?
I want to complete my “The World in Rear-View-Mirror” project. In every country I visit, there is a reflection of a scene reminding the figures of them. They are like photo frames reflecting on my mirror. My journey will not end till the end of the world. In other words, it is an adventure in which I would like to be involved forever.
Finally, do you want to give some advices for motorcycle riders?
I have been riding for 16 years. I was on wheels under harsh conditions and unsettled weather, spent long hours on roads; however, I still wear my equipment as if I would be injured. I think the most dangerous thing you should be faced with is your ego in traffic. As all the researches show, the more we ride, the more confidence we get in traffic, so we become vulnerable to accidents and we tend to ride riskier. In other words, we can call it “pursuit of new thrills”. And finally, I have to say that not getting enough sleep before you ride is as risky as drunk-riding.
