Tillie Anderson worked as a seamstress in Chicago and saved for her own bicycle. By 1895, she was breaking the women’s record on Illinois’s Elgin–Aurora century course. A personal enthusiasm had become a racing career.
Six-day bicycle races became her best-known stage. One format had women racing for two hours each evening on six consecutive days. Anderson combined stamina with a sharp sense of when to accelerate; her career record stands at 123 victories in 130 races.
Her connection with cycling continued after her racing career ended in 1902. Anderson supported bicycle paths in Chicago’s parks and remained involved in cycling organisations.
In 2000, she was inducted posthumously into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame. Her story is a reminder that women’s racing had stars and spectators long before today’s professional teams.