Creator of the 2MileSix brand, Céline shares her journey as a woman in the very masculine world of motorcycling. Fiercely determined to challenge gender stereotypes and encourage other women to embark on their own journey on two wheels.

Can you introduce yourself ?

Hello, I am Céline, the creator of the 2MileSix brand. Biker for several years, I could not find protective clothing adapted to my morphology, so I created the 2MileSix brand to offer an alternative to pink, black and baby blue equipment and low-waisted pants. And yes, in the motorcycle world, there is still often the association of pink for women.

My products are certified for motorcycling, i.e. they have passed resistance tests and are made in France.

How did the desire to ride a motorcycle come about and how long have you been doing it?

I always wanted to ride a motorcycle, as a teenager I wanted to pass my motorcycle license before my car license, yet my family is not a family of bikers, far from it! I finally passed my car license first, then I had the financial means to embark on the motorcycle adventure at 25 years old. For 17 years I have never stopped riding, mainly on road trips during the holidays, motorcycling is a pleasure, a hobby. Then I did a little circuit, it teaches finesse and now I started riding off-road, travel and walks take on another dimension.

Is this a field as masculine as we think? If so, how to make a place for yourself as a woman?

Motorcycling is historically a more masculine world, and I mostly ride with men. Most of the bikers I meet on the networks, on the track or on a motorcycle ride on the road or off-road are very respectful. There are of course some machos but it remains a minority. For these, ignorance is the best answer, especially since they are only silent if it is a man (more muscular than them) who answers them. Most of the time, men are benevolent and as in many sports are aware of the difficulties encountered, even if we approach them differently. I consider motorcycling as a sport even on a practice ride because it requires concentration, coordination, balance and awareness of your body in space. On certain practices such as the circuit or off-road, the notion of sport is obviously even more advanced.

At one point, I wanted to ride with other women so I joined a women's motorcycle club, always inclusive since men are allowed on many activities.

There are more and more women riding motorcycles, I'm very happy about that.

What is your biggest challenge as a woman who rides a motorcycle?

My biggest challenge is the mind. I am not a daredevil and I have vertigo. Paradoxically, I love riding a motorcycle in the mountains, the landscapes are magnificent. Except that if you are dizzy, the small pass or gorge roads with the precipice nearby are sometimes torture! Only master on board, it's up to me to manage the bike to the end of the road. After this delicate exercise, the feeling of accomplishment and surpassing oneself is very powerful. It's a good lesson in life: whatever happens, we are alone to manage our destiny.

And makeup in all this, what does it represent for you?

I've always been very feminine, both in clothes and make-up, so when I got on the bike, I resigned myself to looking like "nothing", between the unbecoming look, the make-up that didn't does not stay in place with the friction of the helmet and the lack of space in the luggage when you go on a road trip.

It's a bit like Dr Jekyll and Miss Hyde: ready for work and disheveled (or almost) on a motorcycle. During a road trip on vacation, we had booked in a nice hotel. On arrival after 400km of mountain road, the complexion is not very fresh, with all the equipment in addition we feel a little UFO alongside the other customers. We recover the room then I take a good shower and put on a dress to go to dinner and do my makeup with my 3 essentials: complexion touch-up pen, eye pencil and touch of pink on the lips. The receptionist who greeted us did not recognize me!

On a motorcycle, I try to keep my eyes made up since you only see that under the helmet with good long-lasting products and all-in-one eyeshadow pencils.

Beyond make-up, the first gesture of beauty on a motorcycle is good skin hydration since you are subjected to all the aggressions of the wind, temperatures and pollution.

What is the challenge in terms of make-up when riding a motorcycle? 

The typical Lara Croft cliché taking off her helmet with her avalanche of curls falling impeccably and her flawless advertising-style complexion: You can forget all that! A tight-fitting helmet will flatten your hair or make it full of static. Makeup is the same, there is a good chance of ending up with panda eyes if you load the eyes a little too much and the pencil was not suitable. We therefore need simple and effective products, long-lasting and without transfer. The motorcycle is one of the best beauty product crash test. If a product withstands intensive motorcycle use while remaining comfortable for the skin and eyes then it's a must-have!

Do you have any tips for keeping your makeup in place while riding your motorcycle?

It all depends on the type of motorcycle trip planned, if I go on a work trip, I make up my eyes completely and my mouth, which will not have time to turn. On arrival, head to the toilets for a refreshment of the complexion and hair.

For a walk or a road-trip, just a line of pencil on the eyes, and you don't touch it until the end of the day, I still check from time to time that it hasn't leaked.

Have you ever met people who have prejudices against bikers who wear makeup? How do you manage this?

These are generally the prejudices that go with women who ride motorcycles, in particular relayed by a certain "cliché" imagery on social networks, ultra-sexy women, in tight leather pants, limit Catwoman. The reality is quite different, much more disheveled.

What bothers me the most in this shot, and all the others around the bikers, is the reductive side, stored in a box. I have the right to do my makeup on Monday and not to do it on Tuesday. As for the machos, I prefer to concentrate on my road and forget the clichés. I tell myself that the most beautiful "makeup" is the smile we wear when we do an activity that makes us happy.

Finally, your essential ALL TIGERS make-up for a motorcycle ride?

 The eyeliner pencil that has stood up to an all-terrain motorcycle weekend, between the helmet, the mask that you take off several times a day. Very easy to apply, neither too greasy nor too dry, it stays in place.

A last word for the end?

Thank you ALL TIGERS. All bikers are tigers, strong and the roar is that of our engine and especially that of our freedom!

Thank you very much Celine, see you soon!

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