Lisette Marton on a Gladiator bicycle in 1896

Amélie Le Gall, known as Mademoiselle Lisette or Lisette Marton, was born in 1869 in Quintin^[1] and was a French competitive cyclist. She was considered the women's world champion in the sport in 1896.

Early life

Amélie Le Gall was the daughter of a carpenter.^[2] She was reportedly working as a shepherdess in Brittany when she was wooed by a male cyclist who married her and trained her in the sport.^[3]

Career

Amélie Le Gall began competing in France, at exhibition contests to promote the new sport.^[4] In 1895, Marton competed in a race at the Royal Aquarium in London.^[5] She defeated Scottish cyclist Clara Grace for the women's world championship in 1896,^[6] and sometimes raced male riders,^[7][8] as when she defeated Albert Champion.^[9] She trained with controversial English coach Choppy Warburton^[10][11] and was sponsored by Simpson Chain, a British bicycle chain manufacturer. She raced in Chicago in 1898^[2] and in Winnipeg in 1900.^[12]

Her clothing was often described in detail, as the question of what women should wear on a bicycle was a topic of discussion at the time.^[13] "In France, Lisette never wears a dress," reported one Chicago newspaper in 1898, continuing that "Lisette dislikes corsets. To her they seem the culminating point in feminine attire of ugliness, unsuitability, and anti-hygienic stupidity."^[2]

References