Two time world champion Susanne Ljungskog successfully completed the 2005 Scandinavian Open, becoming the first woman ever to do so in a UCI classed men's race, but she was not the first to race against the men in the pro men's ranks. Alfonsina Morini raced in the 1924 men's Giro d'Italia.
Two riders have won the same race five times. Hanka Kupfernagel won the Gracia Orlova five times, and Fabiana Luperini won the Giro Del Trentino five times. In 1992 Monica Valen won all five stages in a row during the Tygrikescupen stage race in Sweden, a seemingly incredible feat, but the biggest by far is that Jeannie Longo won 8 stages in a row during the 1987 Tour De Femenino Yodora in Colombia, winning all but one stage, taking the final GC as well as both the points and mountains competitions.
Zinaida Stahurskaia and Regina Schleicher each win 4 stages in a row at the Tour De Feminin in 2001 and 2003. It's never been done before in the Giro De Feminin. Kirsten Wild also won three stages in a row during 2007 Tour de Pologne.
During the 1998 Giro De Feminin, the race became all about water, perhaps the hottest day in the history of women's racing. Super-Besse was a pretty moderate pace in temps of 115 degrees. Riders in desperate straits making their up the mountains yelling for water. It became a day about water more then cycling with team mates delivering as much as six bottles adding as much as 30 pounds with their jerseys pockets full, plus their cages.
Some of the hardest days in the mountains occured in Italy. Stage 11 of the 1998 Giro De Feminin, Longarone to Tambre encountered three challenges. The first at Pieve d'Alpago (676m - 2000 ft), after 32 km, the second at St. Anna Pai (km 51,5 at 1044m - 3100ft) and third, the toughest, Broz, two km from the finish at Tambre (965m -2900 ft). The climb to Broz is described as the most difficult ever encountered in women's cycling, comparable to the Mortirolo, even though it is seven km shorter than the most famous peak in the Men's Giro. It
rises 565m (1695 ft) in seven km.
Longest women's stage ever is hard to say. I thought it might be the Gila Monster, but perhaps the HP Challenge had longer ones as they planned to not only expand the length and number of stages, but also the climbing. Longest stage race on any particular year might be either the Grande Boucle or the HP Challenge, although the older Giro De Italia comes to mind, as well as the Tour De l'Aude. The most total cumulative climbing, or the most mountain stages would again have to be the Grande Boucle or the HP Challenge.
The most climbing in a one day classic might be Nevada City, but the longest and most difficult one day classic must surely be the Mt. Hamilton road race. It starts at the bottom of Alum Rock Road at zero evelation in San Jose and climbs over 4000 feet in 18 miles, and its a non stop steady relentless climb that leaves you totally sapped when you get to the top, and then another 40 plus miles to Livermoore over more smaller climbs. Mount Washington and Mount Evans would be the hardest challenges, but Mt. Hamilton also has a challenge as well.
Thea Phinny, mother of the famous America cyclist Davis Phinny, rode the notoriously difficult l'Alpe d'Huez during a trip to France with a bicycle tour group. Once she conquered the long, steep climb, she learned that at 71, she was the oldest woman on record to have done so.
In stage 5 of the 1999 Women's Tour de Snowy, a overzealous helicopter pilot blew Anne Samplonius off the road when he got too close while filming the riders. Fortunately she didn't suffer any injuries and quickly rejoined the group.
In stage 4, of the 2005 Nature Valley Grand Prix, Gina Grain is struck by lightning. Gina said a huge bolt of lightning came down her fingers on her right hand while on the shifters, and then she felt buzzing all the way up to her elbow. Race officials stopped the race 60 miles in for about 20 minutes. Riders were told to take shelter, and most went to a nearby farmer's barn.
Jeanne Golay placed in the top three of 10 out of 12 stages of the 1995 Powerbar International Women's Challenge stage race in USA, an incredible feat of endurance. She was an awesome rider who not only won often, but placed in the top three in an large number of races in her decade long career. Her top placings in so many races is a testament to her willpower and endurance.
Sister Act: Notable cycling sisters...
1. Chantal Beltman - Ghita Beltman
2. Anita Valen - Monica Valen
3. Rasa Polikeviciute - Jolanta Polikeviciute
4. Karin Thuring - Andrea Thurig
5. Alessandra Cappellotto - Valerie Cappellotto
6. Susanne Ljungskog - Anita Ljungskog
7. Christina Becker - Charlotte Becker
Possible sisters, Unconfirmed...
8. Regina Schleicher - Andrea Schleicher?
9. Marianne Vos - Henriette Vos? Janneke Vos?
Here is a short story about Jeanne (Robinson) Omelenchuk, a rider long since off the radar, racing and winning back before the first women's US road championships, early 60's. While she was also a skater like Young and Heiden, she raced in road and track too, winning often enough. There is little in the way of stats, but a somewhat interesting story. Check it out here...
http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=170
Here is Susan Notorangelo, a RAAM rider from the early years, who was an ultra-marathon cycling champion.
http://www.ultracycling.com/about/hof_notorangelo.html
Can women pro cyclists earn a living from their sport? Here is an older article posted March 18, 2003 by James Raia.
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=9697&category=Cycling&num=0
Interesting page on Lithuanian Women's Cycling, when it's online.
http://web.archive.org/web/20041021160007/www.worlddiff.com/sports_lithuaniancycling3.html
This is a really cool video of a girl doing some awesome tricks on a bike with music at a show. It's better then the tricks in the Quicksilver movie.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-8867862777896510907
Too Tall Gina is a take by an artist about two super women called Gina and Gwen. Gwen is even taller, nearly 9 feet tall. While its an fictional account of two super genetically superior women, the art work is quite good, and the author does calculations on the physics of these two women to measure their strength and power compared to smaller women. Its a somewhat entertaining slideshow that contemplates the possibility of two super tall somewhat petite attractive women in today's society. It also uses examples of the tallest women in the world today. This is an off topic page, since Gina and Gwen are not cyclists, but I wonder how good they would be if they were!
Shelley Verses became the first female soigneur on the elite European racing circuit in 1985.
More to come!