Trui Hanoulle and Iris Heiremans about to enter Iran on their Yamaha XT 500’s in 1999

I think the bicycle has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world.”
— American suffragette Susan B. Anthony in 1896 —

Women face obstacles moving in public spaces, be it prejudices, rigid traditions, absurd laws, violence. All over the world, courageous, creative women have found ways to overcome these obstacles. Using specific vehicles, they challenge gender stereotypes, change their society from within, gain independence, self-confidence and strength. With their trucks, bicycles, planes, boats, rickshaws and motorcycles, they flout and challenge whomever holds them back.
Travelling to villages, towns and remote mountain areas, I track down, interview and photograph some of the world’s wayward women. A few are over a hundred years old, one is merely eleven. Some are local or international celebrities, others unknown housewives. Yet each and every one of them is a trailblazing role model, inspiring others to follow suit.

Move she does, or Trailblazers as the book title might be, delves into a large array of ages, cultures, classes, backgrounds and all sorts of vehicles.
Through stories and portraits, I aim to unearth a part of untold her.story, showcase the courage, power and ongoing struggles of these often unsung she.roes, to inspire next generations, and create more understanding, sisterhood and equity. And to provide more real life role models.

STATE OF THINGS
Since 2022, I have met with mind-blowing women and groups in IranEngland, BelgiumAfghanistan, Germany, ItalyJapan, Tanzania and India, for a total of 35 stories.
In 2025, I mainly aim to write the book, though making a few new stories in either Algeria, Morocco or Turkey is on my wishlist, depending on budget and time. And I still have stories waiting to be made in Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, of a tugboat captain, a special cyclist, a barge skipper, and two very young truckers.
In 2026, the full editing, designing and preparing of the book for publication will start. 
[ if you want to look into any of the previous or current journeys, you can follow me on my Polarsteps profile, a traveltracker/blog available on web and app. ]

Trui Hanoulle is a photographer, storyteller, graphic designer, writer, motorbiker, traveller, feminist, queer and coffeeholic. 
Move she does / Baanbrekers / Trailblazers is her own initiative and creation, financed independently of any media or other agenda.

Here are the very first portraits I made for the project, of Elke Maria Löhnerz, a passionate motorbiker, rally car racer, sailor, epee fighter, teacher. I made her story back in January 2022 in Germany close to the Polish border.
Sadly she passed away on 2 April 2024. Born in 1944, she was 79.
On her obituary it says: “Ein buntes Leben ist zu Ende gegangen”, “A colourful life has come to an end”.

A video and some of the archive material of Elke Maria Löhnerz