My bike Annie
I used to call my bike "Tank" but found this a touch unflattering. And by golly I don't want to upset her. So after some searching I came across an article about Annie who was the 1st woman to cycle around the world. I was so inspired by her story and immediately knew that Annie would be a suitable and meaningful name for my bike.
So let's meet Annie
One Woman, one bicycle, one unforgettable journey.
Her adventure began with a bet. In 1894, a gentleman in Boston bet another gentleman, $20,000 against $10,000, that no woman could travel around the world by bicycle, a feat that had been completed for the first time by a man in 1885. Although it is not clear why she was chosen, Annie Cohen Kopchovsky set out from Boston on June 25, 1894, to attempt the journey. Married and a mother of three children under age six, she was an unlikely choice but a good example of the ways that the bicycle was transforming women's lives.he had done what the Boston gentleman had bet $20,000 no woman could do. Not only had she circumnavigated the globe by bicycle, an astounding athletic feat in itself, but she had done it alone, proving that a woman could make her own way in what was still very much a man's world. Bucking the entrenched gender norms of her day, she had fended for herself and survived physical injury, mechanical problems with her bicycle, and the scrutiny of the press. In Chicago, Kopchovsky collected her $10,000 prize and then rejoined her family.
Although I am not planning to pedal around the world, cycling from San Francisco to San Diego and then turn eastward to finish in Saint Augustine definitely feels like it.
In my next post I will explain the route, some of the challenges, and some of the highlights.
Comments
Post a Comment