Biography Tessie Reynolds

— cycling magazine s description of feat

tessie reynolds grew in brighton, eldest of 11 children. father, r.j. reynolds, cycle agent , encouraged sports among children. member of national cycling union , secretary of cycling club, umpire professional races. mother ran boarding house in kemptown, catered cyclists , reynolds helped at. in september 1893, when reynolds sixteen years old, rode man s bike brighton london , in day. in fact, took 8 hours 30 minutes cycle 120 miles (190 km), thereby setting record. father acted time keeper ride.

women s clothes @ time included long dresses , tight corsets, impractical cycling; reynolds instead wore rational outfit of pantaloons cropped , cinched below knee , shirt , long coat. outfit made reynolds sister, ada, dress maker. outfit caused outrage, suggestions inappropriately masculine , cycling in knickerbockers. publicity traveled far america, , outfit promoted proponents of victorian dress reform, reynolds intended. active in promoting dress reform 5 years prior foundation of local cycling dress reform club , continued wear outfit regularly.

cycling magazine wrote scathing report on scantiness of outfit, complaining of loss of modesty , calling feat lamentable incident . similarly, yorkshire evening post pointed out cycling not pleasant sight man, woman s abnormal hips made worse. publicity, despite being negative, helped improve women s rights suffragette movement in particular noting big milestone. further, helped show women need not tied street grew in , had means travel. effect of publicity reynolds received love letters, including marriage proposal stranger apparently older her. reynolds , family took advantage of celebrity status, reynolds promoting number of female bicycles on following years, in rational cycling attire.

the record stood year before beaten 42 minutes in september 1894 e. white dover road club. reynold s ride led noted key 19th-century cyclist. denied possibility of starting brighton branch of national female cycling association when 18, supposedly due age , lack of experience , more due association rational outfit.

later in life, reynolds married montague main , moved barnet in north london, having 3 children died in childhood. there became road safety officer, role performed women in london during 1930s , 1940s. 1948, husband died , focused work on accident prevention. reynolds died in 1955, aged 77, local papers covering death.

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