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Elsa von Blumen (also Caroline Wilhelmina Kiner , Carrie W. Beardsley or Caroline W. Roosevelt ; born October 6, 1859 , † June 3, 1935 in Rochester ) was an American cyclist. She was considered one of the most successful female cyclists of her time.

biography

Elsa von Blumen was born as Caroline Wilhelmina "Carrie" Kiner. She grew up in Albany and Owego . As a teenager she suffered from the cold climate in Owego and showed the first signs of tuberculosis . Friends advised her to exercise, whereupon she began to take long walks - according to what she later claimed to be "thousands of kilometers" - combined with light weight training. She moved to Rochester with her mother and sisters in the late 1870s. In 1878 she first took part in a 100 mile walking competition in Auburn , which she won against a man. Before a competition in Albany, she was greeted at the train station by the mayor and a chapel. When walking competition itself was the Governor of the State of New York, Lucius Robinson , with his staff in the audience. Robinson gave her a small whip, which she later carried with her when she competed. Soon after, she started cycling and competed against both men and women.

In 1883 Carrie Kiner met her first husband Emery W. Beardsley (1863-1948) know, whom she married after a short time. After three months of marriage, she returned from a trip and found the house of dubious friends of her husband who had also stolen from her. She then returned to her mother's home in Rochester and filed for divorce.

As Elsa von Blumen , Carrie Beardsley traveled through the north-east of the USA to take part in races on specially constructed tracks or marathons for a fee or prizes. Her stage name was probably an idea of ​​her second husband, Will Roosevelt, a veteran of the American Civil War who operated as Bert (Burt) Miller . He was said to be very generous in measuring the distances his wife drove, so that some of her records are doubtful, as people talked about the "elastic" Miller Mile .

In 1881, von Blumen drove 1,000 miles during a six-day race in Pittsburgh , where she ended up having to be propped up on her bike and given " stimulants ". At a women's race in New York , a man threw her a stick in the spokes, causing her to fall and only come in second. On May 24, 1881, around 2,500 spectators witnessed how she competed on a high wheel against the trotter mare Hattie in front of a sulky in the Driving Park in Rochester , which caused a sensation nationwide. She won this 1.5 mile competition with two out of three runs, but with a handicap of half a mile. From December 31, 1885 to January 1, 1886, she drove successfully a race against a team of two men in the New York State Arsenal . The proceeds were intended for the construction of the Soldiers 'and Sailors' Monument in New York. The two men - WM.E. Williams and LF Featherley - each took turns after a mile, Elsa von Blumen drove alone and covered 367 miles in 51 hours.

Elsa von Blumen competed in her races on a custom-made Columbia High Wheeler with special pedals for her little feet. At the races she wore a full riding costume , which meant in plain language "Pants" by Männerart and not the time for women as becoming respected bloomers . She was next to Louise Armaindo as the most successful cyclist of her time; the two athletes also competed against each other.

Elsa von Blumen did not see herself only as an athlete, she was also aware of her role model function for girls and young women in the early days of the women's movement. In 1885 she wrote a greeting to “my friends and the public” in the racing program of the charity race for the soldiers' fund: “[…] I feel that I am not only offering the most novel and fascinating entertainment now before the people, but am demonstrating the great need on the part of American young ladies, especially, the need of physical culture and bodily exercise. Success in life depends as much upon a vigorous and healthy body as upon a clear and active mind. ”(“ I believe that I not only present people with the most novel and fascinating entertainment, but also the need for physical culture and sport, especially for young American women. Success in life relies on a strong and healthy body as well as a clear and active mind. ")

When the penny farthing went increasingly out of fashion towards the end of the 1880s and was finally replaced by the Niederrad , Elsa von Blumen ended her cycling career. After the death of her second husband Will Roosevelt, she became the wife of his brother Isaac, also a war veteran. The brothers were distantly related to President Theodore Roosevelt . In 1912 her third husband died. Caroline W. Roosevelt was agile until her death in 1935 and died in her home. She left a daughter. She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Rochester.

Web links

Commons : Elsa von Blumen  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d e Caroline Wilhelmina "Elsa Von Blumen" Kiner. In: findagrave.com, quoted from The Auburn Bulletin, Tuesday, February 22, 1887. May 14, 2012, accessed January 13, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Arch Merill: Rochester's Champion, Lady Pedestrian Bicyle Rider. She Was Elsa von Blumen, Who in 1881 even beat a Race Horse . In: Democrat and Chronicle. Orleans Genesee Valley Edition . August 6, 1961, p. 70 .
  3. ↑ a b c Sean Lahman: Cyclist Elsa Von Blumen. In: democratandchronicle.com. November 6, 2014, accessed January 13, 2018 .
  4. ^ The American Gentleman's Newspaper , 1881.
  5. ^ David V. Herlihy : Bicycle. Yale University Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-300-12047-9 , p. 205 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).
  6. ↑ a b Christine Neejer: Cycling and women's rights in the suffrage press. May 2011, accessed January 13, 2018 . (pdf)
  7. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer . November 23, 1947, p. 118
  8. ↑ a b Soldiers and Sailors Monument Fund Program (PDF file)
  9. ↑ USA Women. In: sixday.org. Retrieved January 13, 2018 .
  10. ↑ The bicycling world & archery field. In: archive.org. November 26, 1880, accessed January 16, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Astounding The Crowd: Bicycling in Geneva. In: Geneva Historical Society. April 28, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Flowers, Elsa von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kiner, Caroline Wilhelmina (maiden name); Beardsley, Carrie W. (married name); Roosevelt, Caroline W. (married name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH October 6, 1859
DATE OF DEATH June 3, 1935
Place of death Rochester