Tillie Anderson

Tillie, a Swedish immigrant and, from all accounts, an extremely strong-willed individual, outpaced the best of the best on the wheel, with times that are still impressive today.

In June 2000 – 105 years later - Tillie was posthumously inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, an undisputed champion and a true pioneer in women's athletics.

[3][5][6] [7] Many people - including Tillie's mother, brother, and her Bible teacher Reverend Dwight L. Moody - disapproved of women (especially Tillie) riding bicycles, not to mention competing in racing events wearing tight fitting clothing and where gambling was known to have occurred.

Tillie remained an advocate for bicycling through the years and often boasted about keeping within four pounds of her racing weight throughout her life.

She remained active in the League of American Wheelman and the Bicycle Stars of the Nineteenth Century organizations until her death in 1965 at the age of 90.

[1] For her achievements in cycling in both road and track events, Anderson was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 2000.