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Published: 07/04/2022
'Eye-opening and inspirational . . . An utterly fascinating and gloriously fiery read' FELICITY CLOAKE
'A barnstorming book' GUARDIAN
'Fascinating . . . full of inspirational tales' OBSERVER
Simone de Beauvoir borrowed her lover's bike to cycle around Paris in the 1940s, instantly falling in love with the freedom it gave her (even when an accident caused her to lose a tooth). Alice Hawkins, a factory worker from Leicester, pedal-powered her fight for universal suffrage as the bicycle became a cornerstone of her work to recruit women to the cause. Zahra Naarin Hussano challenged religious and cultural taboos in Afghanistan to ride a bike and teach others to do the same. As a twenty-four-year-old Latvian immigrant living in Boston, in 1894 Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky became the first woman to cycle around the world. She took up the challenge, despite never having ridden a bike before, after two men bet a woman couldn't do it. Many of these women were told they couldn't or shouldn't cycle, but they did so anyway. Whether winning medals or spreading the word about votes for women, their stories are an inspiration. In this gloriously celebratory book, Hannah Ross introduces us to the women who are part of the rich and varied history of cycling, many of whom have been pushed to the margins or forgotten.
Publisher: Orion Publishing Co
ISBN: 9781474611381
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 260 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
A male cyclist is just a bloke on a bike, but a woman appears political, independent, a bluestocking, egregiously sporty or suspiciously saucy . . . [a] likeable, informative and barnstorming book - GUARDIAN
Hannah Ross's fascinating history of women cycling their way to freedom is more a social history than a sporting one, full of inspirational tales of women getting on their bikes and transforming attitudes, gender structures and human rights . . . Revolutions is a rich story of empowerment, adventure and the sheer exhilaration of riding a bicycle - OBSERVER
A heart-soaring tribute to the trailblazers who seized upon a chance to break convention and pedal their way to newfound freedom. The myriad stories are awe-inspiring . . . REVOLUTIONS is a rallying cry - HERALD SCOTLAND
Eye-opening and inspirational, REVOLUTIONS made me want to jump straight on my very own 'freedom machine' and go out for a ride. An utterly fascinating, and gloriously fiery read - FELICITY CLOAKE
Engaging - The i
A high cadence spin through the history of female cycling that is comprehensive despite its concision - Guardian, Books of the Year
This is a fantastic book - MAXINE PEAKE
One of the most comprehensive cycling books we've read - CYCLIST, 13 Best Books About Cycling
A celebration of the women who fought against the patriarchy to claim that most versatile of vehicles, the bicycle, for themselves. From Simone de Beauvoir's two-wheeled adventures in Paris to the extraordinary Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky who in 1894 set out to circumnavigate the world on a bike these are remarkable stories, wonderfully told - THE NEW EUROPEAN
Meticulously researched 130 year history of women awheel. A huge and wide ranging story but written with such skill and lightness of touch that it's a pure pleasure to read - JACK THURSTON, author of LOST LANES
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“Well researched”
Well researched with lots of accounts from all types of cycling - not just from the elite world.
Some very inspirational stories of super hardcore women
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