On the Air with Ryan Harlan of Dirty Chix

If you’ve been living under the same rock as I have been, you’ll be amazed to hear that there are serious women motocross riders out there and one of them has a program on KWVH called Dirty Chix. The host is Wimberley’s Ryan Harlan and from 6 to 6:30 p.m. every Saturday she gets listeners up to speed on the sport by interviewing female riders, like herself, from all over the country. From Texas, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Idaho and other places, these top competitors are excited to have a forum for their experience by becoming a guest on her show.

In case you think motocross is a fringe sport, think again. The indoor stadium racing version of the sport called supercross attracted 80,000 fans during the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Series in Arlington last year.

Part of the excitement in the world of motocross riding this year is that WMX, the U.S. Women’s Pro Motocross series has roared back into popularity after washing out 2012. In 2024, there will be an eight round series for them to, once again, prove their mettle.

For the last 17 years Ryan has been riding, training and competing at tracks in Texas and for fifteen of those years, her son, Riley, who often serves as the show’s co-host, has trained alongside her, proving that the sport is a family-oriented activity. Like any sport that requires mental acuity, technical prowess and superb physical conditioning, training requires travel, she told me, as tracks can be located in places far from home. Planning is another essential component of the sport.

A serious competitor himself with sponsorship deals on the horizon, Riley suffered a sport-related accident during the last race of the day in September 2023 and has been healing since then. He has missed, he says, the excitement of being at the gate with 40 other competitors but is grateful to be on the mend. He lends fresh and surprisingly mature insights to the show.

During the thirty minute program you’ll hear Ryan and Riley break down the pros, talk about competitions, dish on fellow riders, and connect with top riders about their careers. More than that, they’ll find champions who acknowledge what it takes to pursue this tough and physically demanding sport.