Pune Based Iranian Woman Is Biking Through All 7 Continents, 10,000 Kms And She’s BADASS!

Women are breaking stereotypes, changing the rules and carving a niche for themselves in typically male-dominated arenas. They are acing at extreme sports like mountaineering and snowboarding and making a name for themselves.

Now we bring to you another woman who is breaking the norms and testing her limits.

Dr. Maral Yazarloo, a 35-year-old Iranian woman embarks on the biggest adventure of her life. She is riding for over 10,000 kms through 45 countries in 7 continents on her 800 cc BMW GS. All this in 18 months.

A report by Hindustan Times says that her itinerary includes Antarctica. As if that wasn’t enough, it also includes Iran, where women aren’t allowed to ride motorcycles.

Born and raised in Iran, Yazarloo moved to Pune 15 years ago. She has been riding for six years now. And along with that 370 kg superbike is a girl on a mission to do the undone!

When she’s riding, passersby don’t look at her twice but when she takes a pit stop that’s when all the eyes are on her. They stare at her in shock that it’s a girl riding the monstrous bike.

Joining her on her arduous journey is a 42-year-old photographer and documentary maker, Pankaj Trivedi. The adventure freaks have taken another daring step to travel without a backup support vehicle or a support team.

People are also amused and excited by the toys and butterflies which adorn her bike. Even if the spectators don’t know English they make hand gestures implying that Yazarloo is strong. Women often embrace her in a warm hug.

She is riding across the world to change the image of women, particularly middle Eastern women. Like most on an expedition what thrills her the most is the fear of the unknown.

She and her photographer embarked on their tenuous journey Ride to be One, on March 15. So far, they have finished the first leg of their journey (crossing Myanmar, Thailand, and Australia). Yazarloo said,

“We dealt with bike break downs and extreme weathers. I can’t say it was easy but I definitely can say it’s possible and it’s wonderful.”

 “What makes it all the more special is that we have not made any travel arrangements in advance (except in Antarctica), so we’re taking each day as it comes. We’re relying on faith – that everything will happen for the best.”

Yazarloo says that she only started riding after moving to India because women aren’t allowed to ride bikes in Iran. Talking about riding in Iran as a part of her tour she said,

Two women were even arrested in Iran after filming themselves riding bikes. Last year a fatwa was released banning women from even riding bicycles.

Not only are Yazarloo’s adventure choices unique but so are her career choices. She is an MBA and Ph.D. in marketing and is the head of retail and marketing at Panchshil Reality for 11 years. She even launched a fashion brand which offers variations from bridal couture to kids wear.

She even spends her time on the world tour exploring fabrics and trends.

Yazarloo and Trivedi are currently in Peru covering the second part of their journey which includes Canada, USA and Mexico. The third leg of the tour includes South Africa, Sudan and Egypt. The pair will then move on to the fourth stretch of the adventure- Greece, Turkey, Russia, China, and finally back to India.

We are so proud of Yazarloo. We hope she’s successful on her mission. And we wish her all the very best. More power to you girl!