Kate Minchin, 44, a writer, and Sue Stark, 58, who works for a solar energy company, live in New York. They met on an all-women motorcycle trip
‘We got to the front of the pack and sped off,” says Kate. She and Sue had reached the highest point on one of the highest motorable roads in the world, in the Ladakh region of northern India, and were alone for the first time. “It’s a tough bike ride to do – it’s not just a gravel path, they are like boulders,” says Kate. “So the adrenaline was flowing, but I was also chuffed because I was on my own with Sue. I was like a teenager.”
They had met at a hotel in Delhi 10 days earlier, in July 2015, where nine of them had gathered for an all-women motorcycle trip. Neither made much of an impression on each other – they just got on with the trip, riding all day and meeting at hotels and camps in the evening. It was in Leh, northern India, where they had stopped for a couple of days before the final, highest leg of the journey, that Sue and Kate got talking. “We had more time to hang out, have a beer, get to know each other,” says Kate. “That was the point at which I started to think: ‘Oh bugger, I think I fancy her.’” She laughs. “Sue was adventurous, keen on biking, gorgeous. Also, she can be a bit of a tough cookie, initially, and I like a bit of a challenge. I found that mysterious and appealing. When we started chatting, she was great fun.”
Read more: theguardian.com
