Toy, Tool, or Transcendent Technology? How the Bicycle Freed the Women.

Jacquie Phelan, mountain biking's legendary champion, is this month's WIS seminar speaker:

The bicycle rolled through the Victorian era, shattering accepted notions about women's sphere. Emerging bicycle technology in the late 1800s and early 1900s gave women a significant push towards the freedoms that they enjoy today. Stylish, convenient and safe transportation, practical (yet radical at the time) clothing, and new definitions of the feminine gender made for an obligatory shift in the gears of politics for women in North America and Europe.

Ms Phelan has written for many national and international cycling publications and is the founder of WOMBATS (Women's Mountain Bike & Tea Society).