Amélie Le Gall, known as Mademoiselle Lisette or Lisette Marton, (19 March 1869 – unknwon) was a French competitive cyclist. She was considered the women's world champion in the sport in 1896.
Early life
Amélie Le Gall was the daughter of a carpenter.[2] She was reportedly working as a shepherdess in Brittany when she was wooed by a male cyclist who married her and trained her in the sport.[3]
Career
Amélie Le Gall began competing in France, at exhibition contests to promote the new sport.[4] In 1895, Marton competed in a race at the Royal Aquarium in London.[5] She defeated Scottish cyclist Clara Grace for the women's world championship in 1896,[6] and sometimes raced male riders,[7][8] as when she defeated Albert Champion.[9]
She trained with controversial English coach Choppy Warburton[10][11] and was sponsored by Simpson chain, a British bicycle chain manufacturer. She raced in Chicago in 1898[2] and in Winnipeg in 1900.[12]
Her clothing was often described in detail, as the question of what women should wear on a bicycle was a topic of discussion at the time.[13] "In France, Lisette never wears a dress," reported one Chicago newspaper in 1898, continuing that "Lisette dislikes corsets. To her they seem the culminating point in feminine attire of ugliness, unsuitability, and anti-hygienic stupidity."[2]
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