The Cycling Eight

Recently I had the delight of getting to know Norma Gilmore (n�e Blair), an energetic resident of Hamilton, Montana. Over the past few months Norma's story had been slowly making the rounds at Adventure Cycling, and everyone agreed ? something special needed to be done. Enter the intern!

When Norma was a teenager ? long before bike touring was common practice ? she and seven girlfriends took a multi-day bike trip on heavy cruiser bikes. Starting from their hometown of Mancelona, Michigan, over the course of five days they traveled to Traverse City and on to towns along the scenic shore of Lake Michigan.

But I don't want to spoil too many of the amazing details. Take seven minutes to watch Norma tell her own story in The Cycling Eight!

The Cycling Eight took their trip in August 1940. During that period, women on long bike journeys were rare enough that they attracted attention, from Jessie Small, another Michigander who purportedly biked 14,000 miles on a bike with coaster brakes; to Thelma Popp and Doris Ray (pdf), two young women who biked the eastern U.S. just a few years later.

These women were trailblazers, and I hope they'll continue to inspire those of you out there who may not think you're ready for bike touring. Determination may just be the most important key to traveling by bike. So, get your friends, and get on your bikes!

Sadly, my internship is over here at Adventure Cycling Association, so this will be the last of my planned blog posts. Hope you've enjoyed hearing some of the backstories of bike travel!

Photo: The Cycling Eight prepare a feast of hot dogs, biscuits, and corn during their Michigan trip. (L->R) Rose Hatto (chaperone), Norma Jean Blair (now Gilmore), Stevie Stevens, Irene Flynn, Carol Miser, Barbara Smith. Photo by Emma Nestle (chaperone), courtesy of Norma Gilmore.

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BACKSTORIES is written by Heather Andrews, publications intern. Sifting through the Adventure Cycling archives, the series presents interesting and unusual documents that illuminate the organization's history.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/09/cycling-eight.html

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