Celebrating International Women’s Day
Today we celebrate all the women who have inspired us—in cycling, in life, in the world. Here are a few of the women who have been part of the Rene Herse family—both literally and figuratively—since the beginning in 1938.
Marcelle Herse (right) was not just a strong cyclist herself, but also an essential part to the success of Rene Herse Cycles from the earliest days. She was an accomplished professional when both she and René quit their jobs to turn their dream of making high-end bicycle components into reality. She may have ridden on the back of the tandem, but there was no doubt that she was an equal partner in every way.
Marcelle and René’s daughter Lyli Herse inherited her parent’s legs and determination. She was one of the fastest randonneurs in France. Then she turned to racing and won eight French championships on the road. She still holds the women’s record up the famous Puy de Dôme hillclimb. The story goes that Jeannie Longo, who won even more French championships than Lyli, tried to beat the record—without success. The photo at the top of this post shows Lyli during that incredible ride.
When Lyli wasn’t out riding and racing, she worked with her parents. Among other things, she built the wheels for all the custom bikes that came out of the magical shop in Levallois-Perret on the outskirts of Paris. Lyli’s passion for cycling remained all her life—riding around the course of the Poly de Chanteloup hillclimb race on a tandem to celebrate her 85th birthday is one of my best cycling memories ever.
After Lyli retired from racing, she coached a team of women—with great success. Geneviève Gambillon (center) won two world championships, as well as many French titles. When I met her, she fondly remembered her days with Lyli’s team, as did Danièle Piton (second from left, next to Lyli). They were a fun bunch, and many of the anecdotes they recounted made it into our book about René Herse.
Lyli, Geneviève and Danièle were excited when Rene Herse was reborn in the Cascade Mountains and many female cyclists started riding and racing on Rene Herse again. Bikepacking has replaced randonneuring as the ultimate adventure, and seeing Marei Moldenhauer (above) and Meaghan Hackinen rip across the forgotten trails of the Atlas Mountains is just as inspiring as…
…following racers like Jenna Rinehart (above, right) as they leave most competitors—male or female—in their dust.
Inspiration does not need to include speed. Many of my favorite rides have been with Natsuko, who loves adventure, but doesn’t care about speed. Like Marcelle Herse back in the day, Natsuko is an equal part of today’s Rene Herse Cycles: Her vision, insight and professional experience are essential to everything we do.
It’s impossible to list all the women who have inspired us—there are simply too many. Whether it’s Paulette Porthault, who explored the mountains of Europe in the 1930s and 1940s (top left) or mountain bike pioneer Jacquie Phelan (bottom left)—we celebrate them all, not just today, but every day!
