On the 22nd of November 2018, approximately 400 motorcycles drove across the causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to attend the 5th Bahrain HOG (Harley Owners Group) rally.
The causeway is not open to motorcycles except for special occasions and on this occasion Bahraini Anne Schumacher was amongst the group. Riding her 2013 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail Classic, Anne made history by becoming the first woman to ride a motorcycle across the causeway.
Anne recalls, “We weren’t sure if it was going to be allowed or not and the only time we would be notified would be at the immigration where we would already be halfway across. The causeway is open to women driving cars but there is no mention about motorcycles. So I nervously gave the man in the booth on the Saudi side my papers. He looked at me, asked me where my bike was and said, ‘Okay, yalla go’.”
“It was an amazing experience and I’m thankful to Samer Al Arayedh the Bahrain HOG chapter Director for facilitating this trip”, Anne added.
The local chapter of Harley Owners Group in the Kingdom takes the bond of promoting responsible motorcycling activities for HOG members by conducting chapter activities and encouraging participation in other events.