“Let me tell you what I think about cycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.” As surprising as this statement from Susan B. Anthony sounds, in the 1890s, the bicycle was living its golden age. Everyone was interested in “this marvellous vehicle that gives man the speed of a horse”. From the suffragette movement in 1895 to the rebirth of the Women’s Tour de France nowadays, bicycles came to symbolise independence amongst women. Cycling has represented the quintessential of women’s freedom, after being long accustomed to relying solely on men for transport. The innovation of the bicycle gave women more control over where they went and when, bikes were easy to access and relatively inexpensive. And still it remains. On this International Women’s Rights Day, let’s pay tribute to the great women figures of the cycling and bike industry.
The cycling women champions, from yesterday to today
Annie Londonderry, the adventurer
Annie Cohen Kopchovsky (1870 – 1947), known as Annie Londonderry, was a cyclist, journalist and woman passionate about adventures and travels. She was the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle in 1895. It took her 15 months to accomplish this impressive trip, a real feat, at a time when Google Maps and social networks did not yet exist. She left her husband and sons at home and accepted the offer of the sponsor Londonderry Lithia, who paid her 1000 dollars to add the name of the brand to her name and to carry a sign with the bike. The reward was $5000 and the recognition of a society that saw her as an eccentric woman. When she came back from the trip and also thanks to her experience as a journalist, she wrote all her experiences in the New York World newspaper, under the pseudonym “The New Woman”.
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Alfonsina Strada, a woman in a men’s world
Born in 1891, Alfonsina Strada was an Italian cyclist, who won all the titles of the women’s competitions in which she pedaled. Feminist and keen to make a change in a world dominated by men, she is still the only woman in the world to have participated in one of the three great tours reserved for men! Holder of the women’s hour record in 1911, she then participated twice in the prestigious Tour of Lombardy, one of the five cycling races “monuments”. Her most notable performance, which marked her entry into the pantheon of women’s cycling, was undoubtedly her official participation in the Giro in 1924. The heroine Alfonsina Strada joined the men’s peloton and created a surprise by completing the 3,610 km of the famous stage race. During her entire career, she even frequently finished races ahead of male cyclists.
Connie Carpenter-Phinney, the 1st Olympic champion
Connie Carpenter-Phinney is one of those precocious high-level sportswomen. At the age of 14, she participated in the 1972 Winter Olympics. At the time, she was another kind of athlete: an ice-skater. During the off-season, she would practice cycling, like many speed skaters. In 1976, an injury prevented her from competing in the upcoming Olympics even though she was the best American speed skater. She then decided to focus more on cycling and became US road cycling champion that year. In 1983, she became world champion in pursuit, taking the title from her almost unbeatable compatriot, Rebecca Twigg. One year later, in Los Angeles, she became the first winner of the Olympic road race, since cycling was previously only reserved as a men’s sport. At the peak of her career, she decided to retire, after 4 World Cycling Championships medals. She remains the youngest American woman to participate in the Winter Olympics.
Jeannie Longo, champion of the champions
Nothing seems to stop her: at the age of 63, Jeannie Longo has become in 2021 the world-time trial champion… the 13th in her career! With this new record, the French cyclist marks a little more the history of the women’s cycling sport. In the 80s, Jeannie Longo was seen as a real phenomenon. Thanks to her performances, she was talked about – and put her sport on the map: a great advertisement for women’s cycling, which was not a big interest back in those days! Endowed with superhuman levels of sporting longevity, this cyclist has 59 national titles, 13 world championship titles, 38 world records, three Tours de France for women, and one Olympic title. In total, she won more than 1000 races, which makes her the female athlete to have participated in the most races in the history of cycling. Nowadays, she is still considered the greatest female cyclist of all time.
Marion Rousse, the rebirth of the women’s Tour de France
Even though Marion Rousse announced her retirement from competing in 2015, she is still very active in the cycling world. Providing commentary during the Tour de France, she has built a successful career on French TV as well. Between 2010 and 2015, the professional racer earned her country’s National Championship title. Thanks to her aura, Marion Rousse became the director of the new format of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. While the men’s competition will start in Copenhagen (Denmark) for the first time in its history, the women’s event will take place this summer only around France. As the director, Marion is in charge of designing the 130 km and eight-day long route of the race. We can also mention that Marianne Martin won the very first women’s Tour de France, organised in 18 stages in 1984.
The game-changer women in the bike industry
Corinne Kielty, founder of PedalPower
Proactive leader and organizer, Corinne Kielty founded the women’s group PedalPower. She also established the Friends of Ryburn Valley Greenway Trail in Ireland, a traffic-free cycling and walking route on a former railway line. This project connects now two towns and is a perfect example of how we could reuse an old way of transportation into a bike-friendly path. After her initiative, Corinne Kielty was nominated for the 100 Woman in Cycling.
Bonnie Tu, “the most powerful woman in cycling”
Often called “the most powerful woman in cycling”, Bonnie Tu is the face and chairperson of Giant Bicycle, the largest bike brand in the world. In 2008, she also launched Liv, the first cycling brand dedicated to females. This idea sparked after attending a Tour of Taiwan with her uncle. At this time, there was a limited selection of equipment for females and Bonnie Tu struggled with finding the right one. Liv is more than just another brand. It is a community consisting of an entirely female team, sponsors the Women’s World Tour Team, Liv Racing and has many international ambassadors. Apart from building her own brand, Bonnie Tu made Giant Bicycle Group into the world’s largest bike maker. Born in Taiwan, Bonnie got hooked on cycling from an early age. “My school was far from my home, and so I needed to ride about 10 kilometers a day. I always enjoyed my time riding to and from school, and at that moment, I felt a sense of freedom.” Even now, at the age 71, she is leading the company and remains fit and energetic by cycling three times a week.
Sidsel Birk Hjuler, spearhead of bike lanes highways
Sidsel Birk Hjuler is one of the reasons why Denmark is seen as the most bike-friendly country in the world. As the Head of Office for Cycle Superhighways in Copenhagen’s Capital Region, she believes that cycling can shift urban planning mindset in the world. Her mission? To reduce car congestion by optimising biking infrastructure and traffic. She originally created the Cycle Superhighways (Supercykelstier) around the Danish capital, a 170 km high-quality cycle paths network exclusively dedicated to bikes. The ambition of this project, which gathers the collaboration between 28 municipalities and key partners, is to offer more than 750+ kms cycle superhighways spreading out over approximately 45 routes by 2045. Sidsel Birk Hjuler’s message remains simple: if dedicated, safe, separate bike lanes from fast moving vehicles are provided, then usage increases. Its organisation reports a 23% increase in bicycle traffic since the construction of the first portions of bicycle highways. So, when will you try these Cycle Superhighways on a Donkey bike?
