Ever hear of Alfonsina Strada?
Me either, before yesterday. She is the only woman ever to take part in a cycling grand tour (the great stage races*: Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, Vuelta a España). She rode in the 1924 Giro.
The ‘start list’ was reduced because of a strike, so the organiser Gazzetta dello Sport allowed independent riders to enter without support teams, as they provided bed, board and massage. The event was unique because of the participation of Alfonsina Strada, the only female competitor in the history of the Giro. Entry number 72 was granted to Alfonsin Strada to conceal her gender. She successfully completed the first 7 stages but a series of crashes and punctures between L’Aquila and Perugia led to her exclusion [that is to say, she failed to make the time cut-off for the stage](such was her heroism that the organisers allowed her to continue each stage without inclusion in the overall classification) [ie, riding the route with the other racers, but excluded from race results].
Even aside from the above she was a remarkable woman; born piss-poor, but made a life for herself:
She rode her first race at about 13, winning a live pig. She won nearly all the girls’ races she entered and many of the boys’ events. Her reputation brought an invitation to ride the Grand Prix of St Petersburg in Russia in 1909. She was such a success that the Tsarina Alexandra⋅wanted her husband, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, to give her a gold medal….. She won 36 races against men….
Last year was the 100th anniversary of her participation in the Giro. I am flabbergasted that I had never heard of her before yesterday. Why was the 2024 Giro not one long celebration of her achievement? She should be better known and celebrated. I’m doing my bit.
j
*- there is now a matching set of three women’s grand tours. Cycling is getting better.
Update:
In the first part of this thread I wrote about Millie Robinson, the winner of the inaugural (short lived) Women’s Tour de France in 1955, another trailblazing woman, but even less well known these days than Strada. I am pleased to report that as of Feb 2024, Robinson has a wiki page.