Women of the Wheel: Alfonsina Strada

Womanica

Acast Creative Studios

History, Society & Culture, Education

4.3 • 920 Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Alfonsina Strada (1891-1959) was an Italian cyclist and the first and only woman to compete in a men's cycling Grand Tour. In an era when women were discouraged from sports, Alfonsina took up cycling at a young age and earned the local moniker “devil in the dress” for her fervor. In 1924, she entered the prestigious Giro D'Italia under the name “Alfonsin.” She was eventually disqualified from the race, but completed the entire 3,613 km route through brutal weather and became a national sensation.

For Further Reading:

This month, we're talking about Women of the Wheel – icons who turned motion into momentum and spun their legacies on spokes, skates and potter's wheels. These women harnessed the power of the axle, pushing their crafts and professions forward through their works and lives.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.

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Transcript

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1:05.0	Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month we're talking about women of the
1:11.8	wheel, icons who turned motion into momentum and spun their legacies on spokes, skates, and
1:17.0	potter's wheels. These women harness the power of the axle, pushing their crafts and
1:22.5	professions forward through their works and lives.
1:32.8	It's early morning on May 10, 1924 in Milan, Italy.
1:37.4	90 eager cyclists gather at the starting line of the Giro de Talia,
1:39.7	one of the most important races in the sport.
1:43.5	Not everyone will complete the task set before them.
1:48.0	3,613 kilometers looped around the country,
1:52.9	but in the end, it will be an unofficial rider who emerges as the star of the race.
	...

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