Kittie Knox Ride 2023 - Recap
Written by Jes Slavin
June 12, 2023
On Saturday, June 10th, about 90 bicyclists joined us for the second annual Kittie Knox Ride. The weather was perfectly cool and cloudy, for an enjoyable morning of riding and learning about Kittie Knox, a bi-racial woman cyclist and barrier-breaker in the 1890s. All participants received a pack of historical "spoke cards" which provided information about Kittie and the Riverside Cycling Club and enjoyed stopping by points of interest throughout the ride.
In Cambridge, there were two historical stops, one at the newly opened Kittie Knox Cycle Center at Cambridge Crossing and another at the former location of Kittie's home by the Broad Canal, where participants were greeted by Lynne Tolman of the Major Taylor Association.
Once the riders reached Mount Auburn Cemetery, they were greeted by the MassBike and Plays in Place teams for a chance to refuel, socialize and learn more about the work that Plays in Place is doing to honor Kittie. This stop was also a chance to visit Kittie’s headstone at the cemetery and see some historical artifacts associated with her.
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After the rest, the 15 milers went off to enjoy the rest of their day, and the 35 milers finished up the last leg of their ride. A big thank you to NECCD, Plays in Place, Biogen, the Major Taylor Association, and all of our community partners for supporting this important ride. It was a great day and we were lucky enough to avoid most of the rain!
We're looking forward to the third annual Kittie Knox Ride in 2024, but until then the MassBike team is working with Plays in Place to bring Kittie's story to life in a series of one-act plays. We hope you consider donating to The Kittie Knox Plays to help us share Kittie's story more widely and provide an opportunity for audiences to reflect on the history of race and gender around the topic of bicycling.