"Everyone else on the course was a man..."

We love to celebrate tenacity at 100 voices for 100 years and today's piece has well over 100ccs of the stuff. Production editor Alice had always dreamed of having her own motorbike, but it was only in her late twenties that she got her first, Ruby Red. Despite nearly driving it into her neighbours fence on their first journey, it was only a matter of time before Alice felt the urge to upgrade...

A charming tale of how you have to fall off a few times to really master your steed.

Alice Lipscombe-Southwell is the production editor at BBC Focus magazine, the UK's best-selling science and tech monthly. She's from South Wales, but lives in Bristol with her husband and an assortment of animals. She loves the outdoors, and is happiest at the beach, hunting in rockpools for tiny creatures and plunging beneath the waves for a spot of snorkelling.