Breaking the Chains: A Century of Struggle and Milestones in Women’s Cycling

The history of the bicycle is also the history of women’s struggle for freedom. In the Victorian era, women riding bicycles was seen as indecent or even dangerous; today, women’s cycling has its own Tour de France, World Championships, and Olympic events. This journey from bondage to liberation spans more than a century, with every step steeped in courage and perseverance.

The Bicycle and Women’s Liberation (1890s)

Freedom on Two Wheels

At the end of the 19th century, the invention of the Safety Bicycle changed everything. Unlike the high-wheelers that required great skill, the safety bicycle allowed anyone to learn to ride—including women.

However, under Victorian social norms, women riding faced enormous opposition:

Opposition from the Medical Establishment
Doctors at the time warned that cycling would cause “facial disfigurement” in women (the so-called “bicycle face”—a distorted face from prolonged riding), reproductive problems, and even mental illness. These absurd “medical” claims were used to discourage women from riding.

Condemnation from Moral Guardians
Conservatives argued that women riding was “indecent” because:

• Riding required straddling the bike with legs apart (considered unladylike in the Victorian era)
• Women might gain the ability to move freely, escaping male control
• Cycling exposed the ankles (deemed “immoral” at the time)

The Clothing Revolution
To ride, women began wearing more practical clothing. Bloomers—loose-fitting trousers—became the hallmark of the female cyclist. This sparked the “Rational Dress Movement,” which became a major driving force in the liberation of women’s clothing.

“The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. Whenever I see a woman ride by on a bicycle, I feel a thrill of joy—it is the symbol of a free, untrammeled womanhood.” —Susan B. Anthony, 1896

Annie Londonderry’s Round-the-World Journey

In 1894, a Latvian-American woman named Annie Kopchovsky Londonderry accepted an astonishing wager: to cycle around the world. She completed the journey in 15 months (although part of it was by steamship), becoming the first woman to cycle around the globe.

Annie’s journey was not merely a sporting feat but a powerful rebuttal to the prejudice that “women cannot take risks.”

The Dawn of Competition (1900s-1950s)

Early Women’s Bicycle Races

In the early 20th century, women’s bicycle races began to appear sporadically in Europe and the United States, but they were small-scale and poorly organized. Societal prejudice against women participating in competitive sports remained strong.

From the 1920s to the 1930s, some women’s road races emerged in France, but they were all informal. In track cycling, women’s participation was slightly greater, as indoor velodromes were considered “more suitable for women.”

1958: The First Women’s Road World Championships

In 1958, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) finally held the first Women’s Road World Championships. The race took place in Reims, France, over a distance of just 63 kilometers (compared to 280 kilometers for the men’s race that same year).

Luxembourg’s Elsy Jacobs won this historic championship. It was a milestone marking the official international recognition of women’s competitive cycling.

Slow Progress (1960s-1980s)

The Olympics’ Belated Acknowledgment

The history of women’s cycling at the Olympics is almost absurd:

Year	Milestone
1896	Men’s track cycling became an event at the first modern Olympics
1912	Men’s road racing joined the Olympics
1984	Women’s road racing finally joined the Olympics (88 years after the men!)
1988	Women’s individual pursuit joined the Olympics
1996	Women’s sprint joined the Olympics
2012	Women’s track events expanded to near parity with men

In the women’s road race at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, American rider Connie Carpenter-Phinney took gold by a mere wheel’s margin. That race marked the official debut of women’s cycling on the highest stage.

Early Legendary Female Riders

Marianne Martin

• Winner of the inaugural Tour de France Féminin in 1984
• The event was held from 1984 to 1989, then continued under different names and formats

Jeannie Longo

• Legendary French rider whose career spanned four decades
• 13-time French road champion
• 4-time world road champion
• Still competing at age 59
• Known as the “Queen of Women’s Cycling”

The Turning Point: Pay Equality and Media Exposure (2000s-2010s)

The Reality of the Gap

Entering the 21st century, the biggest problem facing women’s cycling was not a lack of talented riders, but systemic inequality:

The Pay Gap

• In the early 2010s, top female professional riders could earn less than €20,000 per year
• In the same period, top male riders could earn millions of euros annually
• Many women’s teams had no minimum wage guarantees
• Some female riders needed part-time jobs to make ends meet

The Race Gap

• Women’s races were typically only half the distance of men’s, or shorter
• Television coverage was virtually non-existent
• Prize money disparities were enormous
• There was no women’s event equivalent to the three Grand Tours

The Logistics Gap

• Many women’s teams lacked professional team cars
• Medical support was inadequate
• Training facilities were outdated

The Call for Change

In 2013, a group of female professional riders launched the Le Tour Entier (The Entire Tour) movement, demanding that the UCI and ASO (Tour de France organizers) create a women’s Tour de France parallel to the men’s race. Prominent figures, including former professional riders Marianne Vos and Kristin Armstrong, publicly supported the demand.

Although the movement did not achieve its goal immediately, it laid the groundwork for the changes that followed.

The Dawn of a New Era (2020s to Present)

The Return of the Women’s Tour de France

In 2022, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift officially returned. It was the first time since 1989 that a women’s event under the Tour de France banner was held in a full-fledged format.

The inaugural edition featured 8 stages, with Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten taking the overall title. The race received extensive television coverage and media attention, with an enthusiastic audience response.

The 2023 and 2024 editions expanded further, with increases in both the number of stages and race days. The success of the Women’s Tour proved one thing: audiences want to watch women’s racing—they just need an equal platform.

UCI Reforms

The UCI pushed through a series of significant reforms in the 2020s:

• Minimum Wage System: Set minimum salary standards for Women’s WorldTour teams
• Maternity Protection: Safeguarded contract rights for pregnant and postpartum riders
• Race Upgrades: Increased the number of events and race days on the Women’s WorldTour
• Broadcast Requirements: Mandated television coverage for major events

Reform Item	2018	2024
Women’s WorldTour minimum wage	None	Approx. €32,000
Women’s one-day races	Approx. 20	Approx. 30
Women’s stage races	5-6	More than 10
TV broadcast coverage	Under 30%	Over 80%

Modern Legends

Annemiek van Vleuten

• 2022 Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia Women, and La Vuelta Femenina — a clean sweep of all three Grand Tours in the same year
• Olympic gold medalist
• Still a world-class rider at age 40
• An active advocate for the equal pay movement

Marianne Vos

• Widely regarded as the greatest female cyclist of all time
• Olympic gold medalist, world champion, Tour de France stage winner
• World champion on the road, track, cyclocross, and mountain bike
• An all-around cycling prodigy

Demi Vollering

• The new-generation Dutch superstar
• 2023 Tour de France Femmes champion
• Represents the bright future of women’s cycling

The Development of Women’s Cycling in Taiwan

Women’s cycling in Taiwan has also made remarkable progress in recent years. From a time when almost no women participated in road cycling, to more and more Taiwanese women now taking up the sport — whether for recreational riding, round-island challenges, or competitive racing.

Taiwanese female riders are also beginning to make their mark in international events, while domestic women’s cycling communities are growing increasingly active, organizing dedicated rides and training camps.

The Road Ahead

The future of women’s cycling looks brighter than ever:

• The Tour de France Femmes continues to grow, with the potential to reach a scale comparable to the men’s Tour
• The pay gap is gradually narrowing
• Media coverage has increased significantly
• Youth development programs are cultivating talent for the next generation
• New disciplines such as e-bikes and gravel offer more entry points for women’s participation

“We’re not asking for special treatment; we’re just asking for the same opportunities. Give us the same stage, and we’ll prove the racing is just as exciting.”

From Susan B. Anthony-era bloomers to van Vleuten’s carbon-fiber race machine, women’s cycling has taken 130 years to go from “indecent behavior” to world-class competitive sport. The road has been long and arduous, but every milestone proves: when barriers are removed, women perform just as impressively as men.

Related Reading

• The Development of Women’s Road Cycling: A Century-Long Journey from Marginalization to the Mainstream
• The Olympic History of Cycling: The Evolution of Olympic Cycling Events from 1896 to Today
• The Rise of Women’s Professional Cycling: From the Tour de France Femmes to Prize Money Equality
• The Two-Wheel Revolution: How Cycling Advocacy Is Reshaping the Future of Urban Planning