Alfonsina Morini - the only woman to ride in the Giro d'ITalia

[mimitabby]

Introducing my new avatar, Alfonsina Morini. She was the only woman to ever compete in the Giro d'Italia.

I will come back and give you the full history. I have to translate it first. sorry, these photos are HUGE!!

[mimitabby]

In the times of Girardengo, Belloni and Bottecchia, a woman also rode a road bike, Alfonsina Morini Strada. She competed in 1924 and was classified as number 30, ahead of other competitors. She won races 36 times against men.
Alfonsina Morini was born in Riolo di Castelfranco Emilia March 16th, 1891 to a farm family. She began to ride with her father’s old bike and was the local hero in sports competitions in the area. For the people of Castelfranco, she became known as “The Devil in a Dress.” Her friends, relatives and parents didn’t really approve of the implication, so it is not difficult to imagine the strength of their opposition to the girl’s passion. At the end, it was decided that she needed to get married and and stop with this sports mania. So in 1915, at just 24 years of age, Alfonsina married Luigi Strada, a metal plater, an intelligent, modern man without prejudice, who instead of obstructing the passion of his bride, approved of it and gave her his full backing.


It was understood quickly the day of their wedding when he gave her a shiny new bike with the curved handlebars necessary for competition. And this was confirmed the next year when the couple moved to Milan and Alfonsina began to train regularly under the guidance of her husband. In 1924 Emilio Colombo, director of the “Gazzetta dello Sport,” a newspaper, admitted Alfonsina to the Giro d’Italia. In those days, the road was not asphalt, the bicycles weighed almost 20 kilos (44 pounds) and there were no gears. It was a success that Alfonsina gained during the race, not because of her place, but because she was able to prove that women could sustain the intense workout needed to finish the race.
She started off on her man bike, with Zuava shoes, with a smiling and good natured face, the first female athlete and she made it to Naples. She completed the first 4 stages, the Milano-Genova, where she arrived one hour after the winner, but ahead of many rivals; the Genova-Firenze, in which she was 50th of 65 competitors, the Firenze-Roma, only 45 minutes behind the first and ahead of the big group of competitors, and the Roma-Napoli where she confirmed that she could compete. In the stage L’Aquila-Perugia, the weather was like the end of the world. Rain and wind whipped the route, which was already very difficult because the southern roads at this time were nearly impassible. It is not surprising that Alfonsina finished after the required time. Consequently, she was put out of the race after a violent controversy since one part of the judges wanted clemency because of the particular circumstances that she had had along that part of the ride. She had been victim to some falls and several flats. At the end the opposition won out. But Emilio Colombo, who understood how good the publicity would be to sponsor the first woman cyclist in history; decided to have her finish the course, paying out of his pocket for her room and board and for a masseuse.

At Fiume, Alfonsina arrived 25 minutes late, but not a single spectator left until she arrived, everyone wanted to see this exceptional woman. That day she had fallen and was hurt. She arrived crying and the crowd tore her from her bike cheering her as if she had been the winner. She continued on the race up to Milan, observing the same schedule and rules as the rest of the competitors. The ride had 12 stages for a total of 3610 kilometers and concluded with the victory of Giuseppe Enrici after an enthusiastic duel with Federico Gay. When they left Milan, there were 90 participants, and at the end there were only 30 finishers including Alfonsina.
In successive years, she was not allowed to compete in the Giro, but she followed it anyway, winning the friendship and esteem of Cougnet, Giardini, Emilio Colombo, Cattaneo, Lattuarda, Girardengo, and of many journalists and competitors. . Alfonsina tried to exploit her abilites, participating in exhibitions riding her bike on rollers and in circles. She went to Spain, France and Luxembourgh. In 1937, in Paris, she defeated the French champion, Robin. In Longchamp, in 1938, she won the female speed record of 35.28 (kilometers per hour)
She was a widow until 1950 when she married an ex bicyclist that had won many prizes on the track, the giant Carlo Messori. With his help, she continued with her activities until she finally decided to quit competing but not to give up on bicycling, which she continued to use as a means of transportation. She remained in the biking world because Carlo opened a bike shop with a repair annex. Carlo wrote a rather negative biography of Alfonsina in 1952 where he reversed the esteem and affection that he had previously shown for her. It was more a work of apology than history. No editor bothered to publish it. He died in 1957 and Alfonsina continued to care for the house in Milan on Via Varesina where they lived, and the repair shop. Every day, to go to work, she rode her old race bike wearing a long pants dress. When she began to feel more tired she bought a 500 cc Moto Guzzi. It seems that to buy this red motorcycle, she had to sell some of her medals and trophies.

She lived alone in 2 rooms with little light, and she told people that she had a married daughter in Bologna. But it wasn’t true. She wanted to believe she was not alone in the world. She died in 1959 at the age of 68.
She had left home very early with her motorcycle to help in the famous “Three Varese Valleys” and returned in the evening. To the concierge of the house she said “I had so much fun, It was really a beautiful day. Now I will push my motorcycle to the store and I will return on a bicycle.” And she left. She took off quickly, The concierge heard her try to start the motorcycle, but did not succeed. She turned to the street to see Alfonsina pushing angrily on the start lever. After a bit, the motorcycle slipped out of her hands, and she fell on top of it as if she wanted to hug it. They rescued her and carried her to the hospital, where upon arrival, she was already dead from a cardiac crisis.

It was believed in 1959, with Alfonsina’s death that the story of women cyclists had finished. The times soon changed and women’s cycling has gained significant strides.
Alfonsina Morini would certainly be happy to know about it.
She went around on her bike because she liked it more than every other thing in her life. If there was a prize for “a life for a sport”, it would go to Alfonsina who started racing at the age of 10 and at 68, reclined her head on her handlebars.

[wavedancer]

Wow! Wonderful story and a remarkable woman. It is very inspiring to hear about strong women who lived the lives they wanted despite social barriers. We owe so much to them!

Thanks for sharing the story. Did you translate it yourself?...So many talented women on this board who are also very inspiring!

Linda

[mimitabby]

yes, i just translated it. I had to leave out 2 sentences... but you get the drift!

[Bikingmomof3]

Thank you for sharing this woman's inspirational life!

[KnottedYet]

Thank you, Mimi!

She sounds like she was a total babe, real Family!

I'm just sorry she was alone and pretending to have a daughter at the end.

[mimitabby]

yeah, that was kind of sad. Pioneers are often lonely people. IT takes courage to stand apart.

[Veronica]

Great story. Thanks so much for translating it for us.

V.

[Trek420]

More info here and .... an iron on transfer of her that you can put on a t-shirt!

http://www.biciveneto.it/giroditalia.html

[KnottedYet]

very cool, Trek. Thank you.

[margo49]

Yes, she is mentioned every year in the Eurosport tv coverage of the Giro. But even the great David Duffield doesn't know much about her.
Thanks for the wonderful story.Will commit it to memory

[Denise223]

Thanks Mimi for translating that story. Very inspirational!

Originally posted by KnottedYet I'm just sorry she was alone and pretending to have a daughter at the end.

I am too -- That was very sad to read.

Peace & Love,

Denise

[Bruno28]

Thanks for posting this.

What a great and moving story.

[mimitabby]

It really is hard to find information about Female bicyclists from the past.
If someone here knows french, they might look up the french racing scene
which apparently in the 20's or 30's had women racing bikes.

[tattiefritter]

Also worth having a look at Beryl Burton, a british gal. Never really hear that much about her but she was some woman on a bike, pretty fast:

http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=2487


(hope that link works)

I do love the story about handing a leading male cyclist a stick of liqourice as she passed him