An interesting article from John Wilcockson:

http://www.pelotonmagazine.com/Wilco...A-Long-Journey

"What we all tend to forget is that women’s racing (track and road) didn’t even achieve international status until it was first introduced to the world championships in 1958—that’s 65 years after the first men’s worlds. Even then, it took a fight to achieve that recognition, and it was mainly thanks to the foresight and persistence of one feisty English lady: Eileen Gray."