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31 women from 20 countries around the world competed fiercely to qualify for one of the six places on offer for the seventh BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy, which will be held in New Zealand in February 2020.
The Female Team Qualifier 2019 came to an exciting finish after three days of competitive adventure riding near Málaga, Spain, a fit conclusion for an event that is becoming increasingly successful.
Competition for places
The first female qualifier, held in 2015, saw 10 finalists picked from over 100 applicants. In 2017, 23 competitors won their place in the female final through their local GS Trophy qualifiers.
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This year, thanks to the growth in interest from international GS communities, 32 women qualified for the final. The growth both in numbers and riding quality reflects the continued worldwide rise in women’s interest in adventure motorcycling.
Image: Supplied
This year’s qualifier also welcomed eight newly participating countries: Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Netherlands and Norway.
The presence of competitors from some of these countries is a positive reflection of the changing attitudes towards women participating in recreational motorcycling. Two South African riders, Chantel Blake and Christelle van der Meulen, made it into the final but unfortunately didn’t qualify for the team.
Image: Supplied
However, finishing in 7th and 9th positions respectively in such a competitive event gives them ample reason to be proud.
The six riders who ultimately qualified for inclusion in the women’s team for the International GS Trophy 2020 are Isabella Londono Rivas from Colombia, Nikki van der Spek from the Netherlands, Claire Bichard from France, Lisa Taylor from the USA, Andrea Box from Australia and Klara Finkele from the United Kingdom.
