Isabel Best

This is a wonderful book that travels the last 100 years or so, chronicling the lives and exploits of amazing women cyclists that the world has largely forgotten and that, to all appearances, official cycling bodies would prefer to ignore if possible. From a slew of young Australian women breaking time and distance records (Melbourne to Sydney - 607 miles - in 1 day and 16 hours!), to speedsters criss-crossing the US for 6-day races in front of packed out houses, the turn of the 20th century show more and the following decades contained an amazing number of extremely talented women. They raced in spite of obstacles put in their way by the organisations run by and for men who refused to recognise the achievements of women, and some records broken then exceeded the finally official versions recorded in the 50s and later, when the men were finally forced to acknowledge that women could ride bikes and ride them well.

The last few chapters don't always explore their subjects in as much depth as the first ones. I guess this is because more work had to go into digging up the older stories, whereas the more recent figures are fresher in our recorded history (although, as Inga Thompson says, the official records for races from the 70s to 90s are patchy and not always accurate. The chapter on Jeannie Longo was interesting since she is now under a cloud for suspected doping, but her career and accomplishments are examined dispassionately and I came away with a better appreciation for her and what she accomplished.

If you care at all about cycling and the passion that drives people to pursue the sport to the best of their abilities, or if you believe women are just as capable as men of performing at the highest levels of the sport, this book is for you. show less