Evelyn Hamilton
Hamilton is often overlooked as one of Britain’s most decorated female cyclists. Born on 3 April 1906, she is best known as a pre-war, long distance cyclist and cycle shop proprietor from London. She had hundreds of wins, achieved the half-mile sprint record, 1,000 miles in 84 hours, 10,000 miles in 92 days, and received the Sporting Life Award. Living in France at the time of WWII, she became a member of the French Resistance and took on the role of a bicycle courier, ferrying sensitive documents and messages around Paris during the war. In recognition of this, she was awarded the Cross of Lorraine medal of honour for valour in WWII. She passed away at the age of 99 in 2005.
Mari Holden
Holden celebrated her 51st birthday on 30 March. She is a former pro racer who won the Time Trial World Championships in France in 2000 after winning a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in the same year. The U.S. rider was also six-time national champion winning a double by taking out the time trial and road championships in 1999. She was elected to the Board of Directors of USA Cycling and served on the advisory committee to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Her initial interest in cycling was sparked when she borrowed a bike and went with her school cycling club on a 50-mile ride. She loved the feeling of riding and became hooked on racing. After her retirement from competition, she remained in cycling by opening up a coaching clinic. Following on from that, Holden became the team director of TWENTY20-Sho-Air UCI Women’s Pro Team for six years and was the National Team Road Coach for USA Cycling until very recently. Currently she holds the role of Community Director for USA Cycling where she spearheads the “Let’s Ride“ initiative, which is a nationwide effort to make bikes available to underserved communities and engage cycling coaches to mentor young riders. |
