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343:, where a crowd lifted her from her bicycle and carried her in triumph when she finished in tears from pain and exhaustion 25 minutes after the time limit. It motivated her to continue to Milan. Only 38 completed the race and Strada, although no longer formally in the running, finished more than 20 hours ahead of
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The race referees excluded her because she was out of time. The organiser, Colombo, couldn't stop them from applying his own rules but by then spectators were waiting to see her and her rides were producing stories for his reporters. Some reports say that
Colombo had to balance sentiment, commercial
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of 37.192 km. The status of the record is uncertain. It appears to have stood since 1905 but some reports say that Morini wasn't credited with her distance because her ride had been considered unladylike. Since that wouldn't have been an issue had she simply improved the women's record, there's
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and survived as far as Naples. Then the weather turned. A gale blew, rain poured, mud and rocks swept across the road. Strada was among many who crashed. Her handlebar snapped and she stood by the roadside until a peasant snapped a broomstick to jam in the hole. She rode on with one side of her bar
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at this time were nearly impassable. They were not paved, and were rocky and icy too. The mountain pass was so terrible that the riders could not get their bikes through the mire and mess on their own and almost all the participants were towed part way by motorcycles and cars. Alfonsina suffered
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Strada was never allowed to ride the Giro again, but she followed it for several years and earned the respect of the journalist
Armando Cougnet, Giardini, Colombo, Cattaneo, Lattuarda, Costante Girardengo, as well as of other journalists and competitors. She rode exhibition races throughout
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Strada entered as "Strada, Alfonsin." The absence of a final "o" or "a" to her first name hid her gender. She was accepted as number 72 and, assuming her to be a man, journalists began writing of
Alfonsino. The truth emerged the day before the start and by then it was too late.
189:. Some reports say that she was one of eight children; others that she was one of 10, with eight brothers; still others that she had 10 brothers. Her living conditions as a child may have been romanticised by reporters and gone unexamined as her legend grew.
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Luigi Strada died in 1946. In 1950 Strada married Carlo
Messori, a retired racing cyclist, and they opened a bicycle shop on Via Varesina in Milan. He started to write her biography but he died in 1957 before it was completed and she closed the shop.
185:. One account says her house was a windowless shack through which chickens ran; another says she was one of 24 living there. Further reports speak of her family considering her passion for cycling to have been the work of the devil, that it had the
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promised to pay their bills, their hotels and their food. It offered places for 90 riders and promised 600 chickens, 750 kg of other meat, 4,800 bananas and 720 eggs. But there would be no managers, no masseurs, no mechanics and no team cars.
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professional race. The motorbike fell off its stand when she got home. The weight was too much for her and she had a heart attack as she and the Moto Guzzi fell to the ground. She was dead by the time she reached hospital.
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She rode her first race at about 13, winning a live pig. She won nearly all the girls' races she entered and many of the boys' events. Her reputation brought an invitation to ride the Grand Prix of
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wrote that, as a boy riding in a park in Milan, he saw Strada and managed to stay with her for two laps before "exploding". He said that after that she shot off down the path like an arrow.
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She came 74th on the first day, an hour behind the leader but not badly by the standard of the day, when riders could be separated by hours. She finished 50th of 65 between
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She lived alone in Milan for her last years, riding to her shop every day until cycling grew too tiring. She sold some of her medals and trophies and bought a scarlet
146:(16 March 1891 – 13 September 1959) was an Italian cyclist, the only woman to have ridden one of cycling's three major stage races. She started in the
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a suggestion that she may also have broken a male record, perhaps a regional one, and it was that which she was denied. Her distance stood for 26 years.
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Her racing career included an
Italian record which lasted 26 years. She died aged 69 as she propped up her motorcycle after riding it to a bicycle race.
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In 1915, when 24, Morini married Luigi Strada, a metal plater and engraver, who was also a rider and racer. He gave her a new racing bike with
336:'s intolerance of her challenge to machismo. Colombo let her ride on as an individual, paying her bills but excluding her from prizes.
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The 2023 Giro Donne cycling race included a mid-race sprint named in honor of Strada, during stage 3 of the 9-stage classic.
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terribly on this stage. She fell on a descent and had to ride many more hours using her bruised, scraped and swollen knee.
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at a time when it was open to all. She finished 32nd and last in the 1917 race, an hour and 34 minutes behind the
Belgian
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and before Tsar
Nicholas II of Russia in Saint Petersburg. In 1937, in Paris, she defeated the French champion, Robin.
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Gli anni ruggenti di
Alfonsina Strada. Il romanzo dell'unica donna che ha corso il giro d'Italia assieme agli uomini
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250:. She completed the 204 km course in 8h 32m. She rode again in 1918 and finished 21st, ahead of several men.
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Strada's ride in the Giro d'Italia came about through a disagreement between the organiser, Emilio
Colombo of
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The Foggia-L'Aquila – 7th stage was 304 km, which was bad enough because the southern
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of steel and the other made from a broomstick but finished outside the time limit.
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In 1938 she set the female world record for the hour, covering 32.58 km at
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586:"Dante Alighieri Society of Washington – Profile of Alfonsina Strada, PDF"
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Torrelli Cycles – Article about
Alfonsina Strada at the 1924 Giro d'Italia
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in 1924 when the organisers mistook her for a man. Newspapers called her
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published the song "Alfonsina e la bici" dedicated to Alfonsina Strada.
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She won 36 races against men and became the friend of riders such as
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Videoclip of the song "Alfonsina e la bici" starring Margherita Hack
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Mimi Torchia Boothby, "Una donna su due ruote: Alfonsina Strada"
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361:. However, almost an hour separated Enrici from his runner-up,
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Quasi Rete: Il blog letterario della Gazzetta con em bycicleta
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The videoclip of the song has the Italian astrophysicist
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500cc motorbike. In September 1959 she rode this to the
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had done and offered places to whoever wanted to ride.
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Videoclip of Têtes de bois's song Alfonsina e la bici
675:"BiciVeneto – History of the Giro – Alfonsina Strada"
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1911 Women's (World?) Speed record at 37 km/h.
131:1938 Female world record for 1 hour, 32.58 km
207:in 1909. She was such a success that the Tsarina
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439:Her bicycle is among the collection at the
740:Image of Alfonsina Strada at Radio Marconi
575:, Comitato Guglielmo Marconi International
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662:Overview of Paolo Facchinetti's book
419:Alfonsina Strada at her bicycle shop
393:, Paris, a record beaten in 1955 by
192:According to lore, Morini grew up a
332:benefit, the political climate and
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262:as a present. The couple moved to
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222:, now in the southern suburbs of
713:"Giro d'Italia Donne 2023 route"
789:People from Castelfranco Emilia
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270:as Luigi acted as her trainer.
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470:starring as Alfonsina Strada.
266:, where Alfonsina rode on the
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631:Gianni 'zio Aramis' Bertoli.
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242:and Paris and twice rode the
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794:Cyclists from Emilia-Romagna
455:Memories of Alfonsina Strada
215:, to give her a gold medal.
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483:Facchinetti, Paolo (2004).
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211:⋅wanted her husband, Tsar
745:Image of Alfonsina Strada
459:In 2010 the Italian band
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784:Italian female cyclists
411:Personal life and death
46:Alfonsina Morini Strada
535:8 October 2008 at the
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633:"Giro dell'Alfonsina"
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213:Nicholas II of Russia
681:on 28 September 2008
441:Madonna del Ghisallo
339:The next day was to
296:Gazzetta dello Sport
287:Gazzetta dello Sport
218:In 1911 she went to
152:The Devil in a dress
57:The Devil in a dress
38:Personal information
711:Strada, Alfonsina.
403:The Italian writer
318:Radio Marconi said
236:Costante Girardengo
171:Castelfranco Emilia
129:36 career victories
76:Castelfranco Emilia
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433:Tre Valli Varesine
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345:Telesforo Benaglia
280:1924 Giro d'Italia
274:1924 Giro d'Italia
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598:on 20 August 2008
494:978-88-88829-03-6
382:, Spain, France,
369:for her efforts.
244:Giro di Lombardia
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89:13 September 1959
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754:Cycling Archives
750:Alfonsina Strada
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443:chapel close to
167:Alfonsina Morini
144:Alfonsina Strada
111:Road & Track
103:Team information
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23:Alfonsina Strada
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468:Margherita Hack
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334:Italian fascism
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238:. She raced at
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73:16 March 1891
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717:Cycling News
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405:Dino Buzzati
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91:(1959-09-13)
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779:1959 deaths
774:1891 births
350:maglia nera
228:hour record
768:Categories
685:18 October
647:18 October
602:18 October
503:References
429:Moto Guzzi
384:Luxembourg
220:Moncalieri
161:Early life
124:Major wins
108:Discipline
69:1891-03-16
445:Lake Como
391:Longchamp
268:velodrome
209:Alexandra
183:wet nurse
533:Archived
359:Piedmont
312:Florence
254:Marriage
187:evil eye
54:Alfonsin
51:Nickname
722:11 July
477:Sources
397:of the
240:Bologna
173:, near
98:, Italy
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347:, the
205:Russia
194:tomboy
175:Modena
596:(PDF)
589:(PDF)
449:Italy
380:Italy
341:Fiume
308:Genoa
264:Milan
224:Turin
165:Born
119:Rider
96:Milan
80:Italy
724:2023
687:2008
649:2008
604:2008
489:ISBN
367:lire
310:and
116:Role
86:Died
63:Born
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