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Twelve motorcycles. Thirteen women. Over 500 miles of asphalt, one way. The purpose: taming The Dragon, the 11.1-mile section of U.S. 129 that runs from Tabcat Creek Bridge in Blount County to Deals's Gap just over the North Carolina line. There are 318 curves in this short section through the mountains, rated by top motorcycle magazines as the No. 1 motorcycle ride in the United States.

Sandi Schlemmer, a member of the South Bend, Ind.-based all-women motorcycle group, Sisters in the Wind, has experienced The Dragon before. She and Cindy Britton, another veteran, served as road bosses for the trip to Tennessee. The women arrived in East Tennessee May 15, spent the night at a Pigeon Forge cabin and rode The Dragon May 16 after visiting Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Maryville. They returned to Indiana May 18.

Curvy road

"Most of them haven't been there before," Schlemmer said prior to the ride. Some were a little apprehensive, but Schlemmer gave them safety tips.

"Don't stagger, just go single file, stay in the center of the road because crotch-rockets are going to pass you," she told them. "They were freaking out, and saying, 'Oh, is it that dangerous?' I told them, no, you just gotta go slow and be careful."

The youngest participant in the ride is in her 20s, the daughter of a member. She wasn't comfortable riding a motorcycle all the way from Indiana to Tennessee so she drove her car and then rode The Dragon on the back of her mom's bike. The youngest member of Sisters in the Wind, Jen Meyers, is in her early 30s; the oldest member, Diane "Di" Alexander, is near 70.

Schlemmer, who has been riding motorcycles since 2002, said, "Up here in Indiana where we're at, most of the roads are straight east, east, west, north and south. Throw curves in, and it's really nice. That's what's so much fun about doing The Dragon, all the curves and the challenge of it. It's pretty awesome."

The women also rode Little River Road to Cades Cove and U.S. 321 to Cosby. Participants in addition to Schlemmer, Britton, Meyers and Alexander included Lori "Leather" Whiteman, Deanna Zima, Susan Soujers, Janell Webber, Joni Nedderman, Mary Kunkle, Janet Demske, Diana Fozo and Sharon Demske.

Wherever the wind blows

Sisters in the Wind formed about 10 years ago. "There was some lady riders who wanted to meet with women and ride, so they started Sisters in the Wind," Schlemmer said. "We meet every Tuesday night, weather permitting. We meet in South Bend, Ind., at a gas station there, about 6 o'clock every Tuesday night. We don't decide where we're going till we get there."

The destination and length of the ride depend on the weather and how late in the season it is, but the women stay within about a 40-mile radius of their starting point. They take a scenic route along back roads, have supper, then return home on the highways. Throughout the year, the women plan weekend trips. On May 1, they participated in a women's ride in Milwaukee, Wis.

"Everybody comes from a different background, whether they're married or single, kids or no kids," Schlemmer said. "The one thing we have in common is riding, and we love that. We've developed quite a bond."