The ride towards women's freedom

The fact that as few as one in four cyclists are women has an added poignancy in the week we celebrated International Women’s Day. The bicycle has a strong association with women’s freedom and the suffragette movement.

When Annie Londonderry embarked on a circumnavigation of the globe in 1896 (to settle a bet that a woman could not cycle around the world), she soon discarded the corset and heavy skirts considered that were considered socially acceptable sportswear at the time in favour of the more liberating athletic bloomers pictured above.

The ‘rational dress’ campaigned for by suffragettes, and adopted to much scandal by Londonderry, was a milestone on the road towards female emancipation. But long skirts were just one of the challenges that women faced in the early days of cycling. An article in Pearson magazine from over 100 years ago gives an insight into the perils of the day.

'the cyclist who is a skillful rider, who possesses pluck and dash, who has mastered the elementary rules of defence on a bicycle, and who is armed with a knowledge of how to use a machine to the best advantage as a weapon, may rest content that she is able to defend himself perfectly when attacked under the majority of likely conditions.'

'A lady, say, is riding alone on a country road, when an approaching tramp suddenly assumes a hostile attitude, standing before her with legs apart and arms out-stretched, effectively barring the way. Let the lady put on a spurt, and ride, point blank, at her assailant, then swerve at the last moment. Certainly this requires nerve, but it is really simple, and marvellously effective. The tramp cannot overcome the instinct of self-protection which makes him jump to one side, when the cyclist, of course, at once swerves in the other direction.'

'A simple means of defence that may be highly recommended for the use of fair cyclists is the water squirt. This is an ingenious little weapon sold in cycling shops, made in the shape of a pistol, but with an India rubber handle which holds water, and which, when pressed, will squirt a shower of water for a distance of 20 ft. or so. The water squirt is guaranteed to stop an attack from the most vicious dog or man — and certainly the foot-pad who attempted to approach a lady cyclist, and was met with a douche of cold water, would receive a severe shock that would probably cause him to stand back long enough to allow his prey to escape.'

If the reason for why more women didn't cycle at the turn of the twentieth century was roadside brigands, what are the reasons today?

The reluctance of our society to tackle road danger might be one, the incessant presentation of cycling as a sport rather than an easy way to get about might be another. Whatever the reasons, aside from the need for equality, the very future of cycling itself relies on increasing the number of women on bikes. Mothers hold significant sway in the decision over whether their children ride to school, or even learn to ride a bike in the first place.

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