*****

ELSY JACOBS,Luxembourg, 1933–1998
Elsy Jacobs has made her mark on the history of women's cycling time and again with numerous records and victories.
In 1957, for example, she competed in 42 events and finished on the podium 38 times—almost one clear round! Example 2: a total of 1,059 races throughout her career, across various disciplines (from road racing to track racing to cyclocross). A truly remarkable career on par with that of one of her greatest "rivals," Beryl Burton. In 1958, the first women's world championship was held in France (in Reims). Guess who won it? Elsy Jacobs! Spectators say that once she had savored her victory, she quickly ran to the finish line to cheer on her rivals — just like Wilma's team spirit 😍— To think that the cycling press was expecting this first championship to be a flop... Determined and with her strong personality, she quickly became a popular figure in the field and made a name for herself among race organizers. She took advantage of this opportunity (and quite rightly so) to negotiate better terms for her contracts and bonuses. Thanks to her efforts, she became one of the few women who could make a living from her passion for cycling. She moved to Paris to be closer to her races and continue to make cycling her life. Her achievement in 1958 brought greater attention to women's cycling (at least in Luxembourg), as a national championship was organized. A championship in which Elsy, of course, competed and won 13 times. In 2008, the Grand Prix Jacobs (or Festival Elsy Jacobs) was established in her honor. It is a women's amateur cycling stage race held in Luxembourg.

*****

CONNIE CARPENTER-PHILEY, American, 1957 
Connie, a talented athlete, began to excel at figure skating. In 1972 (at the age of 14), she competed in the Winter Olympics and finished in 7th place. Her skating career came to an end a few years later due to an ankle injury. Since she was already doing a bit of cycling between skating seasons, she took up the sport. She began her cycling career by winning a silver medal at the 1977 Road World Championships, a bronze medal in 1981, and then the world title in 1983 (in the track pursuit). In 1984, the first women's cycling event was held at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. We would like to thank Eileen Gray for her contribution :) That year she was thinking about retiring, but she put it off because she was determined to do this first event. She was wise to put her career on hold until after the race, as she went on to win the event and thus became the first Olympic cycling champion, ahead of her compatriots Rebecca Twigg and Sandra Schumacher. “What I really like about cycling is that you can fall down and still win the race…which I did a few times.” Since retiring, her life has revolved around her family; she is the mother of two athletes (Taylor Phinney, a junior champion in the pursuit and time trial, and Kelsey Phinney, a top-level Nordic skier). Today, the former athlete shares her experiences with women’s cycling through her writing and public speaking. She is an author, an artist, and an entrepreneur (yes, all of the above!), and she continues to ride a bike, which she believes is a way to live a better life.

*****

MARIANNE MARTIN, American, 1957 
Like Connie, Marianne didn't start out as a cyclist; she's a former runner who injured her back. She turned her injury into a strength by viewing the pain as a positive, and as a result, she worked hard to reach the top level in cycling. Marianne was determined to ride the Tour de France no matter what, so she reviewed and adjusted her entire training regimen to accommodate her medical condition (anemia), in order to preserve her health and strength. To do this, she has made rest a key part of her training. Her hard work and dedication paid off when she was first selected for the U.S. national team for the women's Tour de France— a race she went on to win! Her career is remarkable, and she has proven that women are capable of competing in major stage races like the Tour de France. "The Tour really taught me that we can do so much more than we think we can" Today, Marianne no longer rides a bike but a horse, a sport she particularly enjoys and which reminds her of cycling. Based on her experience, she is a firm believer in the benefits of sports for people and their health. If you'd like to learn more about Marianne Martin, you can watch this video interview here. 
A brief look back at the Tour de France Feminin: With 18 stages, it was the longest women's race ever held. A source of great admiration and inspiration for many female cyclists, and generating significant media interest. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. In 1984, it was sidelined by the media, particularly in the run-up to the Olympic Games. From 1989 onward: a decline marked by fewer and fewer stages and fewer and fewer participants. In 2004, it was abandoned. Attempts were made to revive the race, but it never regained the success it had enjoyed in the 1980s. This reflects many of the challenges facing women's cycling: insufficient media coverage, funding, sponsors, sexism, and many others.
As for that, Marianne Martin thinks money is the answer: “If you can come up with the money, they’ll let you organize the bike race”. I won $1,000 at the Tour and had to split that with my team. I paid for my own flight to New York to get to Paris. I funded everything myself, bought my own bikes, and went into debt to finance my career.”

*****

JEANNIE LONGO, French, 1958
An exceptional career spanning many years: with a record of 59 national titles, 13 world championship titles, and 1 Olympic title!
At just 20 years old, she began competing in cycling, and by 21, she was the French road champion.
This was just the beginning of her legendary career in women’s cycling.
On October 26, 1996, in Mexico City, she covered 48.159 km in one hour, breaking the UCI women’s time trial record—a feat that remains unmatched to this day.
Jeannie Longo is one of the first French women to make a living from her passion thanks to sponsors.
In 2011, when she was voted the French public’s favorite female athlete, she won her last French Time Trial Championship.
Today, at the age of 61 and after a 40-year career, she still cycles a bit for fun and participates in a few races.

*****