The Day Kintsugi Met Yume no Chikara.
By Shado Alston…. mostly.
The Japanese have a knack for making broken things beautiful. Take Kintsugi, the art of fixing cracked pottery with gold. Instead of hiding the scars, they highlight them, a shiny reminder that broken can still mean brilliant. Then there’s Yume no Chikara, “the power of dreams.” Put those two ideas together and you get what happened in George on Sunday, 21 September 2025, when a pack of ladies led by Maria Florio and her crew at Honda Wing George turned an ordinary ride into something extraordinary.
This wasn’t just a Sunday breakfast run. It was a rolling masterclass in strength, laughter, and the kind of self-belief that smells faintly of petrol and sunscreen.
My better half and I rocked up early to the Hibernia Street dealership, coffee in hand and grins locked in. There we bumped into our old mate Gerda du Toit, a bilateral amputee who’s famous for her “Twinee” Africa Twin and even more famous for her unbreakable attitude.
Gerda’s story could fill a book. Diabetes cost her both legs below the knee years ago, but she refused to park her dreams. Instead, she teamed up with the Kirsty Watts Foundation and later helped start Riding for a Limb, a nonprofit that funds prosthetics for people who’d otherwise never afford them. With the help of Charl Beukes, a drag-racing legend and all-round powerhouse, Gerda got her prosthetic legs and achieved the dream of hugging her two year old son standing tall on her own two feet.
Today she’s possibly the only female bilateral amputee biker in the world, sponsored by Honda South Africa on a CRF1100L DCT. She’s a walking, talking, riding definition of Kintsugi, stronger in the broken places and sprinkled with gold dust.
Then there’s Maria Florio, owner of Honda Wing George, long-time rider and certified machine whisperer. She’s been in the motorcycle game since before she could reach the clutch lever, hosting Lesotho adventures, distributing top brands, and now running her own dealership in one of the most scenic corners of the country.
Here’s the kicker, she lives in Bloemfontein, runs a business in George, raises twin boys, and still finds time to ride, plan, and inspire. If multitasking were a sport, she’d be on the podium.
The idea behind this ladies’ ride was simple: self-care with throttle therapy. Maria wanted to remind women that they deserve time out from life’s chaos, and what better way to do that than on two wheels with good company and a treasure hunt?
By 11AM, the dealership buzzed with 30 women from Mossel Bay, George, Sedgefield and even Oudtshoorn, ready for a day of fun and mild chaos. Maria split the riders into two groups, the cruisers and the speedsters, and handed each team a clue in the form of a riddle. Solve it, find your destination, complete a challenge, earn points.
We followed Gerda and her trusty Africa Twin down past the airport and through Herolds Bay, where the first challenge involved hurling tyres and solving upside-down puzzles. Chantelle Bester, the service and parts wizard at the dealership, proved that handling tyres all day at work pays off, she flung that thing like Thor’s hammer.
Next clue cracked, the convoy rumbled off to Bellami Wellness and Beauty, where bubbly was served and another challenge awaited: pin the front wheel on the motorcycle. Blindfolded. Spun around. Chaos. Hilarity. A few nearly perfect attempts, several near-misses, and lots of laughter.
The final stop was City Lodge at the Garden Route Mall, where the ladies tucked into chicken wraps, salads and sweets while Maria and Gerda shared stories that silenced the room.
Maria spoke about how women so often give everything to everyone else and forget themselves. The day was about hitting pause, a timeout from being mom, boss, fixer, nurse, wife, or all of the above. It was about community, about lifting each other up and remembering that self-love isn’t selfish.
Gerda’s story sealed it. She spoke with honesty and humour about her journey, the fear, the pain, the fight, and how she learned to find light in the darkest corners. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, mine included.
By the end of the day, the showroom, the roads, the laughter, and the tears had blended into something special. This was more than a ladies’ ride, it was a rolling reminder that resilience looks damn good in riding boots.
Big thanks to Honda South Africa for the dream machines, Maria and her team for pulling off a cracking event, Charl and Gerda for their tireless work with Riding for a Limb, and the Coded MC crew for keeping everyone safe on the road.
Oh, and about the bikes, I spent the day aboard Honda’s new Transalp 750, and I’ll say it straight: it’s a peach. Balanced, gutsy, comfortable, and happy to hustle. That parallel twin is a gem — whether in the Hornet or the Transalp, it just works.
Word is, Maria’s already planning the next ladies’ ride. So, if you missed this one, get yourself onto Honda Wing George’s socials and start pestering. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Because days like this, full of gold-glued hearts, loud laughter, and roaring engines, don’t just fix the cracks; they make life shine brighter.
Ladies, you’re the gold in the Kintsugi. Ride on.
