Episode 8 - Marie Marvingt, the first cyclist to race the Tour de France
We often talk here about Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967. We could say that Marie Marvingt is her cycling equivalent.
Both pioneers in their disciplines, they paved the way for the emancipation of women in sport: our Kathrine (yes our 😂, she is with us every day at TwoSixOne), by participating in the Boston Marathon at a time when women were explicitly excluded, and Marie by taking part in the Tour de France after the organizers refused (well, yes, cycling is a man's sport).
They proved to us that gender barriers can be overcome with a big stride or a pedal stroke.
Summary :
- The woman with a thousand talents
- The Tour de France challenge
- Aviator and inventor
- The legacy
The woman with a thousand talents
Born on February 20, 1875 in Aurillac, Marie Marvingt revealed herself from a very young age as an exceptional sportswoman.
At 4 years old, she can swim several kilometers in a river. At 15, she canoe nearly 400 km between Nancy and Koblenz. Not bad!!!
Her love of challenge and sport led her to achieve unimaginable feats at the time. Marie Marvingt was the first woman to climb numerous peaks in the Alps: Dent du Géant and Mont Blanc, of course. As a skier, she competed in cross-country and downhill skiing at a time when these sports were rarely practiced by women. She also excelled in fencing, becoming one of the first women to compete in this sport.
Likewise, she gave it her all, proving that girls belong everywhere.
The Tour de France challenge
By 1908, the Tour de France was already considered one of the toughest cycling events in the world. Only men could compete.
That was without counting Marie.
She had already participated in numerous cycling races: from Nancy to Bordeaux, Nancy-Milan, and then Nancy-Toulouse. She decided to register for the Tour de France cycling race. Unsurprisingly, the organizers refused her participation.
And like Bobbie Gibbs in 1967 in Boston, legend has it that she completed the same course as the men, starting a few minutes after them.
She covers the 4888km of the event among The 36 finishers out of 114 male competitors. An unofficial performance, but one relayed by the press at the time as an achievement: alone most of the time, she finished the race without the support of the men's teams and proved that a woman was capable of it.
Aviator and inventor
Besides her sporting exploits, Marie Marvingt was also a renowned aviator and inventor.
Passionate about aviation, she crossed the English Channel and the North Sea in a hot air balloon. She then became the third French woman to earn her pilot's license and the first to fly combat aircraft, proving once again that women can excel in male-dominated fields.
She actively participated in the development of an ambulance plane. This project prefigured modern air emergency medical services.
Having achieved military feat in 1916, Marie decided to join the front as a poilu. She then joined the 42nd Battalion of Chasseurs à Pied under the name Beaulieu. Marie stayed there for 47 days disguised as a man before being unmasked.
In 1913, she had a plane crash and dubbed herself "the bride of danger."
"Once again, I remain the bride of danger, but marriage was not far off... [...] My helmet was completely buried in the earth, my face bathed in blood. Crushed under the mass of my device, I was breathing with difficulty. Fortunately, with my left hand, I was able to dig the earth near my mouth to allow me to suck in a little air."
The legacy
The life of Marie Marvingt is a testimony of audacity, perseverance, innovation, and courage.
She not only challenged conventions in sport, but also showed that women could excel in all fields, even the most perilous. Her life is a series of adventures and innovations that still inspires today. She opened doors, broke barriers, and proved that, yes, women belong everywhere, including on the Tour de France or in a cockpit.
Her contribution to women's sport goes far beyond her cycling journey; she opened the door for generations of female athletes, showing them that with courage and perseverance, no challenge is insurmountable.
By embodying the spirit of adventure and commitment, Marvingt is one of those 261 legends who resonates deeply with the values of TwoSixOne and with all those who seek to push the limits of what is possible, with all those who want a world of equality between men and women.
These are the kinds of stories that resonate with us, and we hope they inspire you as much as they do us. Here's a little video: