Manuela Müller: Riding motorcycles changed my life

For Manuela Müller, also known as 'Akoth' in her circles, her love for Kenya grew as soon as she set foot in the country. Having been to 30 countries, she settled in Nairobi, a place she calls her second home.

The human resources consultant by profession would pick up riding motorbikes as a part-time activity that gave her the opportunity to tour the remotest parts of Kenya.

She tells us that her love for motorcycles was born out of the frustration of getting stuck in traffic. It is this realization that pushed her to learn how to ride the bikes.

"There are so many stereotypes about women riding bikes out there. I was just not ready to let any of them stop me," she says. A couple of months later, she took the challenge head-on.

"Ever since I started biking, I said goodbye to taxis when commuting in Nairobi," she tells us as her face beams with contentment and satisfaction.

Her longest recent tour was a 1,923-kilometre ride around Lake Turkana which took her 12 days. It included navigating through a 1,300km stretch of a dirt road covered in rocks.

"General fitness and nutrition are key when doing long rides. I do yoga for cardio, muscle strength and skeletal flexibility. It also helps with mental skills. The most important thing in a drive is hydration because you lose a lot of water during the ride," she explains.

In her case, she uses a hydration pack to help her drink without making many stops.

Given the unprecedented dangers, Manuela has ensured that her close circle is well aware of her movements to help in case of emergency.

"In the biking community, we have a group where one updates their location as a precaution. Apart from that, I have taken it upon myself to have a cover that has provisions for aerial evacuation in case of danger," she adds.

Manuela is currently planning to do a 3,600km ride to Tanzania - a ride which will include visiting Lake Tanganyika and other notable tourist destinations.