In this Book
- Women on the Move: The Forgotten Era of Women's Bicycle Racing
- Book
- 2018
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
summary
The 1890s was the peak of the American bicycle craze, and consumers, including women, were buying bicycles in large numbers. Despite critics who tried to discourage women from trying this new sport, women took to the bike in huge numbers, and mastery of the bicycle became a metaphor for women’s mastery over their lives.
Spurred by the emergence of the “safety” bicycle and the ensuing cultural craze, women’s professional bicycle racing thrived in the United States from 1895 to 1902. For seven years, female racers drew large and enthusiastic crowds across the country, including Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New Orleans—and many smaller cities in between. Unlike the trudging, round-the-clock marathons the men (and their spectators) endured, women’s six-day races were tightly scheduled, fast-paced, and highly competitive. The best female racers of the era—Tillie Anderson, Lizzie Glaw, and Dottie Farnsworth—became household names and were America’s first great women athletes. Despite concerted efforts by the League of American Wheelmen to marginalize the sport and by reporters and other critics to belittle and objectify the women, these athletes forced turn-of-the-century America to rethink strongly held convictions about female frailty and competitive spirit.
By 1900 many cities began to ban the men’s six-day races, and it became more difficult to ensure competitive women’s races and attract large enough crowds. In 1902 two racers died, and the sport’s seven-year run was finished—and it has been almost entirely ignored in sports history, women’s history, and even bicycling history. Women on the Move tells the full story of America’s most popular arena sport during the 1890s, giving these pioneering athletes the place they deserve in history.
Spurred by the emergence of the “safety” bicycle and the ensuing cultural craze, women’s professional bicycle racing thrived in the United States from 1895 to 1902. For seven years, female racers drew large and enthusiastic crowds across the country, including Cleveland, Detroit, Indianapolis, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New Orleans—and many smaller cities in between. Unlike the trudging, round-the-clock marathons the men (and their spectators) endured, women’s six-day races were tightly scheduled, fast-paced, and highly competitive. The best female racers of the era—Tillie Anderson, Lizzie Glaw, and Dottie Farnsworth—became household names and were America’s first great women athletes. Despite concerted efforts by the League of American Wheelmen to marginalize the sport and by reporters and other critics to belittle and objectify the women, these athletes forced turn-of-the-century America to rethink strongly held convictions about female frailty and competitive spirit.
By 1900 many cities began to ban the men’s six-day races, and it became more difficult to ensure competitive women’s races and attract large enough crowds. In 1902 two racers died, and the sport’s seven-year run was finished—and it has been almost entirely ignored in sports history, women’s history, and even bicycling history. Women on the Move tells the full story of America’s most popular arena sport during the 1890s, giving these pioneering athletes the place they deserve in history.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-x
- Introduction. The Terrible Swede
- pp. xii-xxii
- Part 1. Bicycles and Bloomers
- 1. Six-Day Bike Race for Women
- pp. 3-10
- 2. Watch the Woman Cyclists
- pp. 11-28
- 3. After Gold and Medals
- pp. 29-44
- Part 2. Leading Ladies
- 5. Like Spiders on a Wall
- pp. 56-71
- 6. Lovers True
- pp. 72-79
- 7. Girls May Pull Hair
- pp. 80-88
- Part 3. Backlash
- 8. Threatened with Suspension
- pp. 91-99
- 9. A Gala Event on Wheels
- pp. 100-111
- 10. Is Bicycling Immoral?
- pp. 112-121
- 11. Men versus Women
- pp. 122-138
- 12. Amazons on Wheels
- pp. 139-148
- Part 4. Rivals
- 13. Girls Have a Spat!
- pp. 151-164
- 14. It Will Be Run for Blood
- pp. 165-180
- 15. They Do Not Speak
- pp. 181-189
- 16. The “Muscular Beauties”
- pp. 190-202
- Part 5. Lisette
- 18. Lisette and Her Lightning Rivals
- pp. 217-231
- Part 6. Farewell to Cycliennes
- 20. War on Six-Day Bicycle Races
- pp. 249-262
- 21. Grand Vaudeville
- pp. 263-275
- 22. Have You Seen the Cycle Whirl?
- pp. 276-286
Additional Information
ISBN
9781496210432
Related ISBN(s)
9781496204172
MARC Record
OCLC
1048608659
Pages
344
Launched on MUSE
2018-08-25
Language
English
Open Access
No