We root for all women pushing boundaries. Whether they achieve an incredible sports performance, expand their work horizons, rock motherhood, or juggle all these things at once: we see you and we salute you. This International Women’s Day we want to put a very special female in the limelight.
The woman we want to kick this tour de force off with goes way back in time. 1894, to be precise. The name Annie Cohen Kopchovsky might not ring a bell, but we’re sure you’ll remember her from now on. Annie was the first woman to cross the globe by bike. As many stories do, this whole adventure started in a pub after a few drinks. A guy from Boston bet another guy that no woman could ever travel around the world by bike. Annie stepped forward to prove these fellas wrong.
She was a married woman with three children under the age of six at the time and therefore not the most likely candidate in that day and age. But she went. She cycled from Boston to Chicago, sailed from New York to France, and later on from France to South-East Asia. After a bike tour through China, she reached Japan and set sail again to the United States. When she arrived in the bay of San Francisco she jumped on her bike again to return to Boston to return fifteen months later after the journey of her life started.
This Annie not only had impressive leg muscles but also quite the brains. She figured she could attach an advertisement to her bike to make some money along the way and gave lectures about her adventures while cycling through France. What a legend. So the next time you’re fighting the headwind (or the patriarchy) - channel your inner Annie.
Want to read more about remarkable women? Read our blog on Marianne Vos; world champion winning cyclist
About Swapfiets
Swapfiets is the world’s first ‘bicycle as a service’ company. Founded 2014 in the Netherlands, the scale-up quickly developed being one of the leading micro mobility providers in Europe with 270.000 members in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Spain, Austria and UK. The concept of Swapfiets is quite simple: For a monthly subscription fee, Swapfiets members receive a fully functional bicycle or e-mobility solution for their own use. If needed, a repair service is available within 10 minutes in store to repair or directly swap the two-wheeler at no additional cost.
Contact details
Related topics
Related news
Own the City, Not the Bike
You don't have to own everything: discover our fresh-off-the-press campaign here
Through raindrops and snowflakes: 5 reasons why cycling year round does wonders for your health
We get it: when the rain hits and temperatures drop, the outside world suddenly seems way less inviting. It’s the season of hibernating with pumpkin spice lattes and Netflix marathons. But guess wh...
Easy, breezy, e-Bike
We might be biased, but E-bikes are so good. What is better than arriving at your destination? Easy. Arriving at your destination faster, easier and less sweaty! Luckily, we have what it takes to m...
Swapfiets Sustainability Report 2021
Wow. 2021 has been quite the ride (and that is an understatement)! Yes, our team was living and working in pandemic times and doing everything within our power to serve our members. At the same tim...
City guide: discover London’s coolest neighborhood with Swapfiets - Shoreditch
Let’s be fair: a bike isn’t exactly the first vehicle that comes to mind when visiting London. Tourists and visitors usually cramp themselves in the tube, take thousands of pics of themselves in a ...