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Polish Sportsmgazine “Dyskobol” N° 1/2023 featuring a well-illustrated story of Karolina Kociecka, Poland’s women’s cycling pioneer.
Initially, she mainly raced on the track. Quickly achieved successes resulted in participation in bicycle rallies. Kociecka's first major achievement was a 25 verst (approx. 27 km) race near Warsaw organized in 1891. Initially, as she says: "[...] of course, only men were supposed to start at the start, as usual," the cyclist recalled nearly forty years later during an interview in Rome. “I protested, asking [...] that women could also take part in the race [...]. I was then told that I was actually just a child and not a woman, but in the end they agreed.” Thanks to her, apart from a dozen or so men, a total of seven women of different nationalities stood on the starting line. She reached the finish line first, leaving the audience stunned. 'At first there was consternation and amazement, but then joy and praise. And it only lifted my spirits, I started dreaming about new performances. The bike and the road were everything to me.”
In 1896, she was invited to Lviv for a 75-verst (approx. 80 km) race. To reach the place, she had to cross the border dividing Congress Poland and the Austrian part, without any permission. For this purpose, she bribed a Russian gendarme and ran through the border forest at night. “[…] imagine how I was running through the forest in patent shoes, short pantaloons and openwork stockings, then crossing the river, and then walking another six kilometers to the nearest railway station.” The cyclist successfully reached the place where, defeating 20 men, she won first place in the rally.
Karolina Kociecka won the first public women's race over a distance of 27 km, which took place on August 1, 1887, on the road outside Jablonna, becoming the most famous cyclist of that period. She was often described in the press as an oddity and a cycling fanatic.
At the invitation of the organizers, she came to Petersbug in 1898 for the next stadium time trial held there. “You had to drive around for twelve hours straight. I stood at the starting line. Incredible pomp. Tens of thousands of people and several military bands. A real picnic. Nineteen outstanding European cyclists took part. After twelve hours of uninterrupted, and at the end of a lonely ride (all other competitors gave up), Kociecka reached the finish line and won another victory, setting a women's world record (which she later improved twice). Then the press called her the Flying Devil. “When I got off the bike, I was curled up in a ball,” she recalled. "I couldn't stretch my legs, but I was very happy with this victory, because everyone knew that I was Polish."
Despite her victories and taking a high place in European sport, a right to which no one could deny her, Kociecka still faced unfavorable reactions from her compatriots. As she later stated, she did not care about the negative attitude of her family and the "street laughter": "[...] I competed and broke records in the 100, 300 and 400 versts. I had fun with it, I lived with it.” It is worth mentioning here that in 1899 alone, Kociecka achieved 75 wins!
30 x 21 cùs; magazine, 48 pages.
2023
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