Revolutions

The highly praised and fascinating story of the women through history who broke from convention and cycled their way to freedom

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. Zahra Naarin Hussano challenged religious and cultural taboos in Afghanistan to ride a bike and teach others to do the same. As a twenty-four-year-old Latvian immigrant living in Boston, in 1894 Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky 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. 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 this gloriously celebratory book, Hannah Ross introduces 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.

Review

A male cyclist is just a bloke on a bike, but a woman appears political, independent, a bluestocking, egregiously sporty or suspiciously saucy . . . [a] likeable, informative and barnstorming book ― GUARDIANHannah Ross's fascinating history of women cycling their way to freedom is more a social history than a sporting one, full of inspirational tales of women getting on their bikes and transforming attitudes, gender structures and human rights . . . Revolutions is a rich story of empowerment, adventure and the sheer exhilaration of riding a bicycle ― OBSERVERA heart-soaring tribute to the trailblazers who seized upon a chance to break convention and pedal their way to newfound freedom. The myriad stories are awe-inspiring . . . REVOLUTIONS is a rallying cry ― HERALD SCOTLANDEye-opening and inspirational, REVOLUTIONS made me want to jump straight on my very own 'freedom machine' and go out for a ride. An utterly fascinating, and gloriously fiery read -- FELICITY CLOAKEEngaging ― The iA high cadence spin through the history of female cycling that is comprehensive despite its concision ― Guardian, Books of the YearThis is a fantastic book -- MAXINE PEAKEOne of the most comprehensive cycling books we've read ― CYCLIST, 13 Best Books About CyclingA celebration of the women who fought against the patriarchy to claim that most versatile of vehicles, the bicycle, for themselves. From Simone de Beauvoir's two-wheeled adventures in Paris to the extraordinary Annie 'Londonderry' Kopchovsky who in 1894 set out to circumnavigate the world on a bike these are remarkable stories, wonderfully told ― THE NEW EUROPEANMeticulously researched 130 year history of women awheel. A huge and wide ranging story but written with such skill and lightness of touch that it's a pure pleasure to read -- JACK THURSTON, author of LOST LANES

About the Author

Hannah Ross works for an independent publisher in London. When she isn't working on other people's books or writing her own, she is usually on a bike. She belongs to a local cycling club and also volunteers for a charity helping refugee women learn to ride bikes. Whenever she can, she packs up her saddlebag and heads for the open road, and now she doesn't feel she's really travelled anywhere unless it's on two wheels. Given the choice, Hannah would always rather be (slowly) pedalling up mountains than almost anywhere else. She also spends too long thinking about the next bicycle she really 'needs'.