The Lady Cyclists' Association was the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's – and probably the world's – first
cycling organisation
A cycling club is a society for cyclists. Clubs tend to be mostly local, and can be general or specialised. In the United Kingdom, for example, the Cyclists' Touring Club, (CTC) is a national cycling association; the Tricycle Association, Tan ...
expressly for women, set up to provide rides, tours and social gatherings for women cyclists.
History
The association was established in 1892, 12 years after the admission of the first woman into the 'Bicycle Touring Club', later renamed the
Cyclists' Touring Club
Cycling UK is a trading name of the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC), which is a charitable membership organisation supporting cyclists and promoting bicycle use. Cycling UK is registered at Companies House as "Cyclists’ Touring Club", and is co ...
. Its headquarters were at 35
Victoria Street, London. The annual membership fee was three
shillings and
sixpence.
[Dictionary of British women's organisations, 1825-1960]
p80, by Peter Gordon and David Doughan
It was affiliated to the
National Cyclists' Union
The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain. It merge ...
, which was a
sporting rather than leisure organisation. Some of its members wore '
rational dress
Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...
' and advocated women's right to wear comfortable clothing while cycling.
The organisation published a handbook (priced 4
d), containing details of reasonably priced places to stay while cycle touring, and a monthly journal, the ''Lady Cyclists' Association News''.
The founder and early driving force behind the association was Miss
Lillias Campbell Davidson
Lillias Campbell Davidson (1853–1934) was an American-born British writer.
She founded the Lady Cyclists' Association. In 2018, the New York Times published a belated obituary.
Life
According to Elizabeth Robins Pennell, another American cycl ...
, who saw cycling as a path to the emancipation of women from restrictions imposed by society, opining that cycling offered "the greatest boon that has come to women for many a long day". Davidson was the author of the best-selling ''Hints to Lady Travellers'' (1889) and later the ''Handbook for Lady Cyclists'' (1896). She also wrote the ladies' column in the Cyclists' Touring Club ''Gazette''.
JHU Press, 2003, by Julie Wosk, pp98-99
References
{{Reflist Julie Wosk, Women and the Machine: Representations From the Spinning Wheel to the Electronic Age (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001, 2003).
See also
* Cyclists' Touring Club
Cycling UK is a trading name of the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC), which is a charitable membership organisation supporting cyclists and promoting bicycle use. Cycling UK is registered at Companies House as "Cyclists’ Touring Club", and is co ...
(CTC)
* National Cyclists' Union
The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain. It merge ...
* Victorian dress reform#Rational Dress Society, Western Rational Dress Society
Cycling organisations in the United Kingdom
Sports organizations established in 1892
Transport advocacy groups of the United Kingdom