Tillie Anderson
The Swedish rider Tillie Anderson was born on 23 April 1875. At the age of 18, after having emigrated to the U.S., she bought her first bike and later travelled the country, participating in gruelling six-day races. She held records in almost every distance from sprinting to endurance. Anderson remained the unofficial World Champion until her retirement in 1902, when women were barred from racing. Even in her later years, she was an advocate for cycling and became instrumental in the development of cycling paths in Chicago.
Giuseppina Micheloni
Micheloni turned 65 on 23 April. The versatile Italian rider became the first winner of the inaugural Trofeo Alfredo Binda in 1974, one of the oldest races on the UCI WWT calendar. She started out as a skater but after winning several races, she lost motivation and spent more time on her bike. After saying good-bye to skating, she became part of the national road and track cycling team. After her retirement from competition, she worked as a journalist and a skating coach until 2014.
Mien van Bree
The versatile Dutch rider’s birthday was on 24 April. She was a pioneer of women’s cycling, setting up the first Dutch women’s cycling club at the age of 16. In 1938 she became the first Dutch women ever to win the World Championships. However, van Bree could not race in The Netherlands and was forced to compete in Belgium because her home country did not allow women’s races. With the outbreak of World War II, her cycling career was cut short and she gave up the sport, working as a mental health nurse and later as a breeder of canaries. She tried to make the best of her sporting talents but pressure from family and societal expectations were too great and she began to suffer from depression. She passed away at the age of 68 in her hometown in 1983. |
