CARINA: Steadfast

PHOTOS | CAM ELKINS

Whenever I meet someone who was raised in a country town or village, I am always struck by their resilience, willingness to help and no-nonsense approach to life. Carina is no exception to this. Raised in a small village in Germany, Carina had humble beginnings however her urge to forge her own life led her to a living in different cities in Europe and New Zealand before finally settling in Sydney. Riding a motorbike was always something she wanted to do, however in Germany it is an expensive undertaking and was unsupported by her loved ones. Since calling Sydney home, Carina decided to put the word out there that she was going to learn to ride.

When I asked her, “What made you finally decide to do it?” her answer was “I had no reason not to, so I just did it”. Much like many of the major decisions she’s made in life, she doesn’t really over-think it. If it sparks her interest, she goes for it.

Carina admitted to being pretty scared on her first months of riding, falling off regularly, loads of frustration however nothing was going to get in her way. On the same day she got her licence Carina bought a Honda VTR250 and had it delivered to her place. A woman of her word, she persisted adding five minutes onto every time she went out to ride and practiced in carparks until she was ready to ride with the rest of the world. 

After weeks of pushing through her fear and frustration it all eventually “clicked”, a moment she’ll never forget. Carina explained at this moment she was only doing 20km/h holding up traffic behind her, but hey… who cares when you’re in a state of bliss!

Three years later, Carina’s VTR has undergone a transformation that is uniquely Carina. An efficient, tight, and tidy machine not to be underestimated… much like Carina. She rides it every day to work and has since been on longer group rides and has inspired many of her friends to get off the back and on their own wheels. Carina is now one of the more experienced riders in her family of friends and incredibly supportive of her girlfriends riding efforts. Learning how to ride seemed a lonely experience for her, and her generosity of support is not lost on the newly formed all-female cafe-racer riding group The Foxy Fuelers here in Sydney: all girls who were done riding pillion and support each other on their own two wheels.

Carina is a lady who knows what she wants, doesn’t suffer fools and has a killer sense of humour to boot. Her freedom machines are just another show of her independence, style, and resilience.

Thank you to Cam Elkins of Stories of Bike for capturing Carina so beautifully for IVV!