Girls Ride: Off-Road Training in France, 2 Days

For women riders who are at ease on the street and want to start riding off-road, or gain confidence on dirt roads, among women. The course is run with Wildust Sisters, a French brand of motorcycle apparel and accessories designed by and for women. No off-road experience is needed, but this is not a course to learn how to ride a motorcycle. The group is limited to 8 motorcycles.

The program is close to our two-day Level 1 course and trail ride, which runs from March to November and is open to everyone. This one is for women only and runs once a year, in October. To ride farther with other women afterward, Girls Ride also offers a tour, Chasing the Nomad Caravans in Tunisia.

On the first day, a briefing, then training on private land near Sain-Bel, in the Beaujolais: obstacle crossings, off-camber riding, slow riding, braking and exercises matched to your level and goals. On the second day, after a debrief, around 99 miles of trail riding through the villages of the Beaujolais crus and the forest dirt roads of the Beaujolais hills, to put the previous day’s skills to work. Back at base around 6 p.m.

This is a fall course: it runs in October, over a weekend. The next edition, on October 24 and 25, 2026, is full; your travel advisor can put you on the waiting list. Other dates are possible on request to your travel advisor. If you would like to ride sooner, the two-day course open to everyone has dates from March to November.

A recent Royal Enfield Himalayan 411, supplied with gas. You need a motorcycle license and regular experience on the street. Unsure about the seat height or your license? Ask your travel advisor before you book.

Yes, as on all our tours: she shares the motorcycle of one of the riders in the group and pays the passenger price, $590. The course stays women-only, riders and passengers alike, with 10 participants at most. Tell your travel advisor when you book, as passenger spots count toward that total.

$890 per rider and $590 per passenger, covering the motorcycle, gas, third-party motorcycle insurance, instruction by staff certified by the French Motorcycling Federation on both days, the hotel night, dinner on the first evening, breakfast the next morning and both lunches. Budget on top for your riding gear, travel to the Beaujolais, a $708 deposit per motorcycle and, on your first booking with us, a $41 registration fee.

The night between the two days is spent in a standard hotel; on your own, you share a room with two single beds with another participant. If you would rather have a room to yourself, ask your travel advisor: it costs $149 extra, subject to the hotel’s availability.

Yes, nothing is loaned and off-road gear is required to ride: full-face helmet, high boots, reinforced gloves, jacket and pants with protection. Pack rain gear too, as trail conditions depend on the weather over the weekend and in the days before. The details are in our help center.

The course starts from Sain-Bel, in the Beaujolais, west of Lyon; the village has a train station with service from Lyon, and Lyon Saint-Exupéry is the closest airport. The exact meeting point and time are confirmed before the course. The night before is not included. There is no support vehicle: if something goes wrong, the instructor calls the emergency services.