MUSCLE ON WHEELS : louise armaindo and the high -wheel racers of nineteenth-century america

Cover 1 MUSCLE ON WHEELS 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 CONTENTS 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 1 Circuses and Walking Tracks, 1870s 30 2 Pedestriennes, 1878–1880 48 3 Early Bicycliennes, 1879–1882 69 4 Champion Bicyclienne, 1883 85 5 Muscle on Wheels, 1884 97 6 Just One of the Guys, 1885–1888 110 7 Beauty on Wheels, 1888–1890 129 8 Safeties, Backlash, and Disaster, 1890–1896 151 Epilogue 174 APPENDICES 182 1 Louise Armaindo: Pertaining to Her Background 182 2 “Louise Viellard Sainte-Foix”: A Story by Elia W. Peattie 186 Notes 194 Bibliography 226 Index 236 The Majestic High-wheel Bicycle, With Its Spider Wheels And Rubber Tires, Emerged In The Mid-1870s As The Standard Bicycle. A Common Misconception Is That, Bound By Victorian Dress And Decorum, Women Were Unable To Ride It, Only Taking Up Cycling In The 1880s With The Advent Of The Chain-driven Safety Bicycle. On The Contrary, Women Had Been Riding And Even Racing Some Form Of The Bicycle Since The First Vélocipèdes Appeared In Europe Early In The Nineteenth Century. Challenging The Understanding That Bicycling Was A Purely Masculine Sport, Muscle On Wheels Tells The Story Of Women's High-wheel Racing In North America In The 1880s And Early 1890s, With A Focus On A Particular Cyclist: Louise Armaindo (1857–1900). Among Canada's First Women Professional Athletes And The First Woman Who Was Truly Successful As A High-wheel Racer, Armaindo Began Her Career As A Strongwoman And Trapeze Artist In Chicago In The 1870s Before Discovering High-wheel Bicycle Racing. Initially She Competed Against Men, But As More Women Took Up The Sport, She Raced Them Too. Although Armaindo Is The Star Of Muscle On Wheels, The Book Is Also About Other Women Cyclists And The Many Men – Racers, Managers, Trainers, Agents, Bookmakers, Sport Administrators, And Editors Of Influential Cycling Magazines – Who Controlled The Sport, Especially In The United States. The Story Of Working-class Victorian Women Who Earned A Living Through Their Athletic Talent, Muscle On Wheels Showcases An Exciting Moment In Women's And Athletic History That Is Often Forgotten Or Misconstrued. A fascinating account of high-wheel bicycle racing and one of North America's first women professional athletes