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Rochelle Casement is a Cal Poly Pomona aerospace engineering graduate whose relationship with motorcycles has taken her well beyond a daily commute — most notably on a solo ride to Alaska that tested her nerve, her tires, and her philosophy about actually doing the things you say you want to do [1].

EARLY YEARS

Casement has said she loved motorcycles from a young age, though the circumstances that finally put her on one arrived by accident — or at least by argument. During her final year at Cal Poly Pomona, a disagreement with her mother prompted her to buy the gear and get riding. What began as a practical way to get to class became something considerably more serious [1].

She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2022 with a degree in aerospace engineering. Along the way she tried different types of bikes, working out what the machine could do and, by extension, what she could do on it [1].

OTHER INTERESTS

Motorcycling occupies the center of Casement’s life outside of engineering. Her Instagram profile — maintained under the handle @rochelle.casement — carries the note “No boys allowed!” and points to a secondary moto-focused account, @moto.rochelle, suggesting she documents her riding life with some regularity and a clear point of view about who the road belongs to [2].

The Alaska trip, undertaken as a solo journey, represents the most documented expression of that interest. Her stated goals for the ride were to reach Canada, Alaska, and — as a stretch target — the Arctic Ocean [1].

The trip did not go without incident. Somewhere along the route, she noticed unusual vibrations. Leaning into a turn at around 65 mph, the front tire de-beaded, taking steering with it. Her account of the moment is matter-of-fact in the way that people tend to be when they’ve already survived something and had time to think about it: “It whipped me around so bad, there wasn’t even a question of if I could save this. I had fully accepted I’m crashing right here; it’s just a matter of how bad it would be.” [1] She stopped, attempted to fix the tire herself, and when that didn’t work, accepted help from a passing driver and eventually got the bike repaired and continued [1].

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Casement has been direct about her broader outlook, which applies as much to motorcycling as to anything else: “People always talk about things they want to do, but I find that, even for myself, it’s really rare that people sit down and make things happen. You always hear older people saying, ‘I wish I did this,’ or ‘I wish I did that.’ But I want to have some good stories to tell.” [1] On the evidence of the Alaska trip, she is already accumulating them.

References:

[1] The Poly Post
[2] Instagram: @rochelle.casement