Revolutions: Wie Frauen auf dem Fahrrad die Welt veränderten

by Hannah Ross, Daniel Beskos (Translator)

n REVOLUTIONS erzählt Hannah Ross die Geschichte des Fahrrads aus weiblicher Perspektive. Sie führt uns von den Anfängen des Radfahrens im 19. Jahrhundert, als Frauen unglaubliche Widerstände überwinden mussten, bis in die Gegenwart und rund um die Welt, von Europa und den USA bis in den Nahen Osten, nach Indien und Australien. Die inspirierenden Lebensgeschichten vieler außergewöhnlicher Rad-Pionierinnen, Rennfahrerinnen, Feministinnen und Abenteurerinnen zeigen, warum eine selbstbestimmte Position der Frau von Beginn an mit dem Radfahren verknüpft war: Das Fahrrad als echte »feministische Freiheitsmaschine«.

Ross berichtet mit großer Leidenschaft von dem Glück, das wir durch das Radfahren erleben und davon, wie schon eine kleine Radtour ein ganzes Leben verändern kann.

Aus dem Englischen von Daniel Beskos.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cycling, History, Sports, Feminism, Social Justice, Womens Studies

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2020

Reviews

[Bjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there's one thing I really miss in this inspiring, energetic, fun book on the history of women on two wheels it's... the everyday. Ross has researched, where still possible interviewed, and given due to pioneers on everything from the unthinkable rebellion of even getting on a bike (whether in 1890s London or 2000s Afghanistan) to the extreme feats of long-distance explorers and racers, but where are the people who simply bike for the hell of it, or to get to work, or to go on holiday, or to be able to visit friends without depending on others? For all that this makes me want to both get back on the saddle myself (damn busted foot) and help others get on there, for all that I'm filled with admiration of those women who had to fight both to be allowed to do what they did (or not give a shit that they weren't), and then to be remembered having done it (that image of a 60-year-old Tillie Anderson turning up to an old boys' reunion in the 1940s demanding her place in the history books) I'm not sure the Tour de France should have to be a reasonable goal for everyone.

That's a small quibble. It's a great book, one that captures both the joy of the wind in your hair and the frustration of hot air blown to stop it.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luin tätä aluksi ihan väärin: odotin yleisemmän tason esitystä, mutta sainkin yksittäisten naisten elämän- ja pyöräilytarinoihin keskittyvän kirjan. Ehkä kirja olisi kannattanut kirjoittaa Historian jännät naiset -tyyliseksi? Tai sitten olisin voinut nopeammin tajuta, että tässä kerrotaan yksittäisistä naisista ja heidän kauttaan vähän laajemmin maailmasta, eikä toisinpäin.

No, ihan hyvä kirja, kun sain kiinni siitä mitä Hannah Ross yritti tehdä. Pyöräily on alusta asti ollut ja edelleen on asia, jolla on valtava vapautumisen ja voimaantumisen potentiaali, mutta joka on pyritty rajaamaan - vapauden ja voiman ja itsemäärämisoikeuden takia - naisilta pois. Eri tavoilla eri paikoissa ja ajoissa, mutta aina samalla tavoitteella: älkää naiset ajako, se on vaarallista! Ja niinhän se onkin: miesten hallitsemalle maailmalle.

Mutta, kuten alistetut aina, ovat naiset panneet vastaan - ja voittaneet.

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

While today it is certainly not unusual to see female bicycle riders, that has not always been normal. From the early days of the bicycle when Victorian patriarchy ruled the day to modern feminist calls for equal pay for equal activity, the bicycle has played an important part in the advancement of the women’s movement. One just needs to read this book by Hannah Ross to see just how much the bicycle has been a part of the movement.

Starting from the Victorian era with the wide ankle length dresses that made riding nearly impossible to a group of women riding each stage of the 2019 Tour de France a day before the paid male riders would hit that stage, Ross writes about the role of the bicycle and how activist women would either use the bike to show what women could do that went well beyond beating men at bike races or to simply get some exercise, something that women just weren’t supposed to do at that time.

While most of the book is about the struggle for women’s equality, there is some good writing in the last third of the book about competitive cycling and the races in which women have participated. This is especially true for the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Ross also gives some much needed publicity to today’s competitive races for women – the biggest of these, the Giro Rosa, has to compete for attention with the Tour de France and sadly is not well known. While there have been strides made in competitive cycling for women, Ross shows there is a long way to go.

More of a book on feminism and women’s rights, this book nonetheless is a very good read for those who wish to learn how the bike has been a part of the lives of millions of women in so many different ways.

I wish to thank Penguin Group Dutton for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...

[Heather Penney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t finish - stopped at pg. 118. Life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy! I initially thought this book had a lot of potential, but it’s just not delivering for me. The author went back to the very beginning of when bikes were invented and I loved hearing the history of that, as well as the struggle of women to gain freedom to ride as well. But she wouldn’t move past countless stories of different women in the late 1800’s experiencing the same things. I would read this at work and it would barely keep me interested for 5 pages it was too slow. Maybe I’ll pick it up again in the future but I gotta move on to something more enjoyable!

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah Ross erzählt die Geschichte des Radfahrens aus weiblicher Sicht. Es gibt doppelt so viele männliche Radfahrer wie weibliche, aber gerade zu Anfang war das anders. Die ersten Fahrräder waren so teuer, dass sich nur Wenige ein Rad leisten konnten. Damals war es für die Frauen der Oberschicht schick, mit den Freundinnen in den Parks oder im eigenen Garten ein paar Runden zu drehen und das Verhältnis zwischen weiblichen und männlichen Radlern war ausgeglichen.

Das änderte sich, als Fahrräder günstiger und so für jeden erschwinglich wurden. Plötzlich war es für Frauen nicht mehr schick, auf dem Rad zu fahren. Im Gegenteil: es wurde ihnen mehr und mehr unmöglich gemacht. Nicht nur, dass die langen Röcke das Radfahren für sie gefährlich machten: immer wieder wurden Frauen an den Röcken vom Rad gezogen, weil es sich in den Augen mancher Männer nicht schickte. Jeder Versuch, praktischere Kleidung anzuziehen, wurde bestenfalls belacht. Den Frauen wurde vorgeworfen, sie würden sich beim Radfahren durch die ständige Reibung der Oberschenkel am Sattel bewusst sexuell erregen. Und wenn man sie schon nicht vom Radfahren abhalten könnte, sollten sie doch bitte darauf achten, dass ihnen der Wind nicht die Haare zerzauste und sie sich nicht schmutzig machten. Die Botschaft war klar: Männer dürfen und sollten auf Expeditionen gehen und man darf es ihnen auch ansehen. Frauen sollen bitte zuhause bleiben und wenn sie das nicht tun, sollen sie bitte immer hübsch dabei aussehen.


Auf das Thema "Aussehen" geht Hannah Ross ausführlich ein und spricht mir in vielem aus der Seele. Wir machen uns Gedanken, wie wir in der Radbekleidung aussehen. Nicht, ob wir hübsch sind. Sondern ob die Shorts nicht vielleicht doch zu kurz oder zu eng sind und wir so vielleicht ungewollte Aufmerksamkeit auf uns ziehen. Denn wenn uns etwas hinterhergerufen wird, sind wir natürlich selbst schuld. Hätten wir mal nicht so viel Haut gezeigt!

Wir können auch durchaus alleine auf dem Rad unterwegs sein und warten nicht auf jemand, der sich unser erbarmt und mitfahren will (am besten noch ungefragt). Und es gibt immer noch Radfahrer, die mitten aus einem gemütlichen Radeln plötzlich einen Sprint hinlegen, weil sie sich nicht von einer Frau überholen lassen wollen (aber trotzdem gerne in einem weiblichen Windschatten mitfahren).

Aber das meistens nur lästige Kleinigkeiten: hauptsächlich bringt das Radfahren eine unglaubliche Freiheit: ob man wie Dervla Murphy mit dem Rad nach Indien fährt oder die Welt umrundet, wie Jenny Graham das getan hat oder vielleicht nur eine kleine Runde am Morgen dreht: Radfahren ist für uns der Raum, in dem wir unsere Gedanken ausbreiten können.

Besonders berührt haben mich die Berichte von einer Gruppe in London, in der Immigrantinnen das Radfahren beigebracht wurde. Viele durften in ihrem Heimatland nicht fahren und erleben nun ein ganz neues Gefühl von Freiheit, auch wenn der Einstieg für manche von ihnen beängstigend war.

Hannah Ross hat mir mit vielen, was sie erzählt hat, aus tiefster Seele gesprochen. Einiges können wahrscheinlich nur Frauen nachempfinden, trotzdem ist das Buch nicht nur für Radfahrerinnen und Leserinnen, sondern auch für Radfahrer und Leser mehr als geeignet.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! It took me a while to get through this book because it got lost in the house for over a month and the library kept renewing it. I did eventually finish, though!

The beginning was bumpy for me. This is a nonfiction collection of stories of women on bicycles and it's organized in a couple of ways: thematically and chronologically. And within the themed chapters, organized somewhat chronologically, there are lots of stories and it felt disconnected. But I got used to it and fell into the swing of things in the last 2/3 or so.

I knew some of the stories already, having read Dervla Murphy's travelogue/memoir, and the biography on Annie Londonderry. I was unsure about reading the last couple of chapters, which focus mostly on racing as I'm mostly a bicyclist who bikes to get places and not to race. But I've been convinced to try cyclocross.

[Nella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good solid book. A feminist history of cycling, exploring, amongst other things, the revolutionary impact bicycles had on women's freedom in the late 19th & early 20th centuries.

An engaging and fascinating read and not just for those who are already interested in cycling!

[audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was so much and so many names and dates and more names, and my memory and attention span are not what they were, so I got overwhelmed and had to lie down.

But the chapter examining women's historical and present-day access to bikes in Afghanistan and Iran was superb.

[Hanna Kylin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel enlightened! I had not thought about the connection between women's rights and bikes until I read Sandi Toksvig's 2021 Almanac. I immediately desired to know more and stumbled across this book. Now I know more. It is thoroughly research, well organised, and decently written. I was shocked to discover that to this day, women are not allowed to participate in the Tour de France!

If you have the slightest interest in women's rights, history, or bikes, this is a great read.

[Kasia Kulma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been agonizing over how many stars to give this book as IMO the it is exactly 3.5 stars. On one hand, it's so we'll researched, interesting and full of facts I simply had no clue about but at the same time, it missed the trick of balancing the facts and the story. There are so many names, races and achievements mentioned that after a while it all becomes a blur. At the end of the day it all boils down to how hard women had to work to earn their place in the cycling arena and even today they're not there yet. There were also some questionable choices of narration styles: for example, when talking about women racing around the world Ross picked three women from 3 different time periods and intertwined their stories and achievements in one story - very confusing and hard to read. Still, the historical context was very helpful and made a fascinating read, even if a very slow one. The author is clearly very passionate about cycling herself, shows great evidence that cycling has been a "freedom machine" to women across centuries and wants to encourage more women to pick it up. She put an impressive amount of work into researching the field - 5 stars for that! But it was a slow and sometimes forced read for me.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love my purple bike and I love the motor vehicle-free Capital Trail which goes from Richmond to Williamsburg, VA. I feel so much safer there than I do on the roads. And my love of the bike and the trail is what drew me to this book. It did not disappoint. First a history of the bicycle and then a focus on what it took for a woman to ride a bicycle in the late 1800s, before the age of Lycra or even bloomers. Then on to some early women cyclists including some famous people known for activities other than biking such as Marie Curie and Simone de Beauvoir. As with many sports, the publicity and the compensation for women are below that of men. I have seen other women's sports take on the powers that be with some success so I can only hope that women bicyclists will soon be compensated as well as their male counterparts. And I'm hoping to see a true Women's Tour de France in the near future!

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed some parts of this, but overall I thought it was just fine. I was not anticipating how UK/Europe/U.S. centric this book would be, particularly given the popularity of cycling as a form of transportation in many regions of the Global South (and China). I also wished this had been a bit more comprehensive, as I don't feel like I got a full picture of the history of women's cycling through this book, but instead got mini-biographies of different key figures (which, granted, were very interesting). Overall I thought Ross was an engaging writer and obviously loves and is passionate about cycling, but this was not a new favorite non-fiction book.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s easy to fall in to the trap of smugness, and wonder how it was that women on bicycles was ever a controversial thing…. Except that cycling is, for the most part, seen as something done primarily by men and children – at least in the UK and North America, and on reflection much of the rest of the world (cycle friendly infrastructure changes that markedly – look at Denmark, the Netherlands and parts of Sweden for instance). We’re not quite in the days where bikes are seen as dangerous, granting women otherwise unknown freedom of mobility (although in some places – Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan among them this remains the case) – but for an array of reasons, often to do with safety and to do with patriarchal norms of domestic care and work, cycling remains a gendered pastime and sport.

Hannah Ross’ engaging exploration of aspects of women’s cycling histories and present experiences explores this marginalisation, considers cycling’s masculinity and to a lesser degree its Whiteness, taking in women’s cycle related activism as well as questions such as women’s suffrage campaigns where in the years before WW1 the bike allowed campaigners to work much more effectively and extensively. She also explores women cycle tourists and explorers, with a focus on the more adventurous and long distance travellers, and spends quite some time on various forms of racing, although the track racing she considers tends to be in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and thereafter it’s road racing. Amid all of this perhaps the only omission is BMX – but aside from racing that might also be a question of age.

These kinds of sweeping popular histories are challenging. They need to be well balanced to maintain popular appeal but also, for a sense of credibility, need also to keep a critical edge. This is no heroic celebration, and Ross strikes a good balance of individual action, collective practice and systemic and structural critique. This is clearest in some of the more recent cases focusing on road racing where the sport’s institutions are perhaps generously described as slow to take up women’s practice – a more accurate phrasing might be actively hostile to women’s inclusion. Ross does well to get beyond the ‘usual suspects’ here, reaching out beyond the Euro-American context she might easily have fallen into, with some inclusion of Global South women – Indian, Afghan, Rwandan and others – in the group she interviews as part of the book’s development: it’s a welcome if limited move beyond the focus of too much of this kind of work.

Cycling has been attracting quite a lot of publishing attention of late – this is one of half a dozen or so recent titles that have come across my desk, and of the ‘popular’ title is perhaps the strongest. It’s a welcome, sparky discussion of women’s challenges to cycling’s overwhelmingly masculinist self-image and practice – and what’s more is both entertaining and informative.

[Kelly Gibb Piasecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this deep dive book so much. Non cyclists would enjoy it but if you bike at all or want to, it’s a must read!

How did she fit in so many topics and stories?! The 2010’s parts about pro racer pay was eye opening. The amount of women who biked thru their pregnancies like I did… who have been harassed on their bikes like i have… who commute by bike like I do… bikes with their kiddos like i did.. I truly love all the details. The 1860-1900s parts inspired me to look up the infamous “legs” bike race illustration. No spoilers but she inspired me to do a long cycling tour. Feels like I discovered that I come from a long line of badass cycling ancestors I never knew that I had. I definitely see myself Re-listening to this one.

Last yr I did my first Triathlon at age 40. I had no prior swim or bike race experience but I LOVED it so much, primarily because it was an inclusive all women’s event, with so much care and support given especially to first time triathletes like myself. This is like the book version of that race weekend. 🥰

Just keep biking!!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hannah Ross has written an appreciation for the women who have stood out in the history of cycling. The book was originally published in the UK and much of the focus is on British cyclists but there is significant discussion of American cyclists and a few from other countries.

The book is organized more or less chronologically, although it jumps back and forth occasionally. Many figures are introduced and discussed only in passing while others are presented in more detail. Some of the figures presented here are discussed in much greater detail in other books - Annie Londonderry and Kitty Knox, for example.

The most depth is with those figures who she was able to visit to or have conversations with directly, such as Dervla Murphy.

Since I have read quite a bit about many of these women in other books, I am probably not the ideal or expected reader for this book, which is probably better as an introduction to the topic of women in cycling history.

[Machiko T · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wished I liked this book. What would go wrong about women and cycling in one book? Unfortunately it was so dull and unnecessarily stretched long that I couldn't finish it within the 21-day, library check-out period and I have no intention or interest to check it out again to finish.
Maybe if the author organized the sections better and willing to sacrifice/cut out "too much detail," it would have been more engaging.
But before that, I was simply disappointed about lack of inclusivity of races in this book. It's by default, the bicycle-friendly countries are all in Europe and never mentioned Asian countries. It's a painful, ignorant cliche. The author added a paragraph on China and that's it. How about do some research and see the ratio of female riders in Japan?

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhaltlich spannend. Bei der Strukturierung hätte ich mir an einigen Stellen jedoch mehr Klarheit gewünscht. So sind bspw. die Abschnitte, die sich jeweils aus verschiedenen Kapiteln zusammensetzen, im Fließtext nicht markiert. Auch Inhaltlich schien es mir vermehr zu Dopplungen zu kommen. Eine am Ende angefügte tabellarische Aufstellung der erwähnten Radfahrerinnen und ihrer Lebensdaten (evtl. auch noch von ihrem Radsportbereichs) hätte ich erfreulich gefunden. Ebenso auch Abbildungen der jeweiligen Fahrrad-typen, die am Anfang der Radgeschichte stehen, hätte mich erfreut.
Ob das ganze lediglich an meiner Ausgabe liegt (9783948722371) oder dem Buch generell zugeschrieben sein kann, kann ich nicht beurteilen. Alles in Allem hat mir das Buch eine bereichernde Leseerfahrung beschert.

[Jill Westerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that makes you think ‘Why has no one written this before?’ It’s a fascinating account of the history of women’s cycling, from the early days when women on bikes were unusual and shocking, through to women touring the world on bikes and winning races.

It shows how much cycling has contributed to the emancipation of women. Women on bikes were such a threat that they were attacked and pelted as they rode. More practical clothing was developed that made riding easier, initially shocking this became more common and acceptable.

Recommended reading for cyclist and non cyclists. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy.

[Paul Bevan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating reflections on Women, Cycling and Society

A great read for anyone who wants to understand better the historical significance of the bicycle on Women and Women on the bicycle. Truly shows the role of the bike as a ‘freedom machine’ and lots of great excerpts from contemporary sources as the book moves through history.

I must admit tiring with the later chapters’ focus on sport - as if cycling had evolved beyond transport. The epilogue hints at some themes about cycling during the pandemic, e-bikes (and I would say e-cargo bikes), and accessible cycling which would all make excellent additions to a future revised edition.

[Ann Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author had a lofty goal of trying to capture everything about the history of women’s cycling plus current issues. It was clearly a well-researched book. However, there was too much information packed into less than 300 pages. The book mentions at least 100 different women and I gave up trying to remember all of them. It was hard to follow all the topics mentioned as I felt thrown from one section to the next. This is probably better as a reference book for someone doing research rather than a book to read straight through.

[JanLu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Als fahrradliebender Mensch genau das richtige. Das Buch schafft es die positiven Freiheitsgefühle beim Fahren einzufangen. Das könnte belanglos sein, ist es aber nicht. Denn neben dem Fahrrad geht es eben auch um die damit einhergehende (Selbst-)Ermächtigung für Frauen (Feminismus). Das einzige was mir etwas zu viel war, sind die vielen Einzelgeschichten über die weiblichen Pioniere, aber ich bin auch nicht der Mensch für Biografien. Aus Radfan- und Feminismus-Sicht sehr zu empfehlen.

(Grüße an meinen Neuen Goodreads-Freund AB)

[Leah Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had so many inspiring stories. It motivated me to get on my bike more and I learned so many important historical facts. The author added a perfect amount of her own story and personality. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the evolution of how women are treated in sports and excluded from them (hopefully this is most people) as we have to fight tooth and nail for each and every freedom, with no guarantee of those freedoms in the future. Ride bikes! Screw the white straight male establishment!

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC! Must-read for all feminist athletes. I've learned about cycling history, women in cycling, niche cycling sports, that the tour-de france is all men - WTF!? Great points about women not being represented in adventure tales for the sake of adventure, they are more often focused on self-discovery or running away from something in their lives, Ross knocks those tropes out of the park with her retelling of powerful women in cycling history.

[Angie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I picked up this book I wondered if the title had a double meaning, such that the book was about women who were poltically radical AND also rode bikes. Subtly the book really is about women who pushed the societal norms. I am so embarassed to say, that almost every women mentioned in this book was new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about all of the women cyclists before me that have pushed the norms and encouraged women to get on a bike.

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book! It is awesome. I forget sometimes how recent women's rights are and how much of my life I take for granted. No more! This book taught me that most of my daily activities would not have been possible 100-150 years ago. It also reminds me that it can all be taken away. It is frightening. It also gives me insight into what life may have been like for women in my life who grew up before I did. Overall, this book left inspired by and proud of women.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very educational book for learning more about the history of women’s cycling in English-speaking countries (albeit UK-centric due to where the author lives), ranging from bikes as transportation to sport. It made a lot of the issues and challenges much clearer to me. I loved the sections about bicycle touring and adventure. Women are excellent at enduring in the face of tremendous challenges.

[Mamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive review of the social history and political struggle of women to claim the joy and competitive thrill of cycling. The ease with which a little girl can evolve from tricycle to training wheels to a Giant has been made possible by all who have gone before us.

[Laura MacDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it, but couldn't. The author's logic was lacking and extremely inconsistent.

[Arleen Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history of women on bikes from the Victorian era to the present.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book with tons of fascinating women’s cycling history.