Cycling started as a playful activity among young men, mainly for leisure and racing. However, when the bicycle craze increased during the mid-19th century, women also wanted to try cycling. Initially, there was considerable hesitation regarding the impact of cycling on women in society. However, as the bicycle craze increased, bicycles—if not tricycles—specifically designed for women began to emerge.
During the time between the 1860s and 1880s, most bicycles were high-wheelers, which was both hard to master and dangerous to use. So, the women at the time were allowed to use bicycles such as the two-seater sociable, the tandem bicycle, and the tricycle. But up until the mid-1880s, women were dependent upon men when participating in cycling, primarily to keep women safe from the dangers of early bicycles. However, revolutionary inventions that emerged between the mid-1880s and mid-1890s, such as the safety bicycle, significantly improved the experience of women in cycling.
Bicycle touring is a type of adventure travel where a traveller uses a bicycle as the main mode of transportation. Women’s participation in cycle touring dates back to the invention of the safety bicycle. According to Loretta Henderson's “WOW — Women on Wheels”, which showcases the journeys of solo female cycle travellers, Annie Londonderry is recognised as the first woman to complete a ride around the world by bicycle. This remarkable feat took place around 1894-95, illustrating the growing interest among women in independence, adventure, and travel as cycling gained popularity during that era.
The 20th century marked another transition in women's cycling as cycling manufacturers began offering more bicycle models for women than before, and even some leading brands offered speed and sports models to women in the 1930s. In 1938, Billie Dovey cycled nearly 30,000 miles around Britain, serving as Rudge-Whitworth’s “Keep Fit Girl". Despite these developments, the trend of women participating in cycling remained poor, with reports indicating that “nine in ten British women” felt “scared of cycling in towns and cities”.
By the 1950s, the introduction of Lycra and new cycling clothing such as jackets, jerseys, and shorts changed the comfort of cycling. This change encouraged women to enjoy leisure rides and longer distances. By the 1980s and 1990s, the gap between men and women in cycling had significantly reduced with all these introductions.
Women’s cycling has not been just only a leisure-time activity; it has been a force beyond day-to-day routines. In 1958, the UCI held the inaugural women’s road race world championship. In 1984, women's cycling received even greater recognition as the women's road race was officially included in the Olympic Games for the first time.
The “Women’s Cycling Tour” — an international version of the Tour de France for women — was inaugurated in 1984 and continued until 1989. This concept was further developed with the introduction of a women’s stage race in France in 1992. But the financial inability and organizational problems led to the end of the Women's Tour de France in 2009. But the Amaury Sport Organization revived the tournament by returning an event in 2022 under the name of “Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift”. Apart from that, the “Women’s UCI World Tour” was started in 2016, and French road cycling championships for women were also held locally inside France to promote women in cycling.
Cycling was not only a means of transportation; it became a powerful symbol of women’s freedom, independence, and equality. The bicycle helped transform women from those confined to traditional roles into explorers, adventurers, and pioneers. Today, women’s cycling continues to grow around the world, but its progress stands on the courage and determination of those who paved the way and made these achievements possible.
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