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. Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky, was a 24-year-old Latvian immigrant living in Boston, who in 1894 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. In fact, she actually arrived back home ahead of schedule.
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 REVOLUTIONS, Hannah Ross will introduce 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. A gloriously celebratory book, REVOLUTIONS is for anyone who would rather pedal the streets than pound them, and those who are curious about life on a bike.
