Kittie was born Katherine Towle Knox in 1874 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts and later moved to Boston with her family. She was a pioneer in many ways. A skilled bicyclist she excelled in a sport she loved. A seamstress by trade she designed and tailored pants to wear rather than the long skirts so many women were wearing at the time, even on the bicycle. Kittie introduced us to comfortable style on the bike!

Kittie Knox was also the first Black woman admitted to the League of American Wheelmen in 1893, at a time when very few women were members. Sadly, the organization barred African-Americans from membership in 1894. Kittie Knox challenged this discrimination by attempting to attend the annual meeting in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It is said she rode in performing biking tricks to the admiration of onlookers but was denied entry even with her membership certificate. Her stance created attention with several news outlets around segregation in cycling and racism in society.

As a bicyclist Kittie Knox routinely would finish in the top 20% of all her races, outracing most of her male counterparts.

Thanks to our friend Melissa Balmer with Pedal Love we are able to introduce you to Kittie Knox in such artistic strokes. Pedal Love offers communications and storytelling tools for promoting a sustainable world, particularly through bicycling. You can also visit her website for downloadable biking coloring pages.

The photos that accompany Melissa’s drawing are of Kittie Knox in Boston. She died at the age of 26 in 1900.