Lorenz Finison Reads

Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900

A Story of Race, Sport, and Society

Lorenz J. Finison

How cyclists of all backgrounds made Boston a hub of nineteenth-century bicycling

From 1877 to 1896, the popularity of bicycles increased exponentially, and Boston was in on it from the start. The Boston Bicycle Club was the first in the nation, and the city’s cyclists formed the nucleus of a new national organization, the League of American Wheelmen. Massachusetts had the largest per capita membership in the league in the 1890s and the largest percentage of women members. Several prominent cycling magazines were published in Boston, making cycling a topic of press coverage and a growing cultural influence as well as a form of recreation.

Lorenz J. Finison explores the rise of Boston cycling through the lives of several participants, including Kittie Knox, a biracial twenty-year-old seamstress; Mary Sargent Hopkins, publisher of The Wheelwoman; and Abbot Bassett, a vocal cycling advocate for forty years. Finison reveals the challenges facing these riders in a time of segregation, increased immigration, and debates about the rights of women.

“Finison introduces us to a number of interesting characters who were in some way involved in the struggle for greater opportunity and acceptance. This is an important contribution to the literature on race relations and cycling history.”—David Herlihy, author of Bicycle: The History

“Finison demonstrates that cycling was not immune to the popular prejudices of the day. Not only is this an informative history, but a compelling morality tale that meditates on the important intersection of sport, race, and gender in the broader spectrum of American culture.”—Thomas Whalen, author of Dynasty’s End: Bill Russell and the 1968–1969 World Champion Boston Celtics

Lorenz J. Finison is a founding member of Cycling Through History and principal of the public health consulting firm SigmaWorks.