Photography Project Turns Around a Fictitious Disease Used to Prevent Women from Riding Bicycles

The story of women and  bicycles has never been easy. When the bike appeared in the 19th century and began to become popular among women, it was a revolution. Suddenly, women could go further than their own neighbourhood, they could do so without permission and without asking anyone to take them. In fact, the bicycle became especially popular among suffragettes, becoming a symbol. Which some sectors of society did not take kindly to.

So, doctors at the time invented what would become known as Bicycle Face. A fictitious disease that supposedly affected women who rode bicycles and caused dark shadows under the eyes, generated masculine facial traits and even led to depression, breastfeeding difficulties and miscarriages.

However, they ignored the warnings. And women cyclists and women’s cycling in sports are currently experiencing a hay day, with the official celebration of the first ever Vuelta Femenina. An event that began in Torrevieja, Spain, on 1st May and finished with an ascent to the Covadonga Lakes on 7th May.

On the occasion of the event, Škoda, the Official Sponsor of La Vuelta Femenina, and Proximity Barcelona came up with an initiative to celebrate the fact that women never stopped cycling and that women’s cycling has been becoming more and more popular over the years. So, they are launching a photography project to redefine, positively, what Bicycle Face means in 2023: a face showing the effort of getting to the top of a hill, the satisfaction of finishing with the best time or, in other words, the face of empowerment on two wheels.

With this aim, from the start of the competition, the sports photographers Naike Ereñozaga and Lara Ortiz de Zárate took on a photographic challenge: they took moving portraits of the cyclists as they raced to show all of the competition’s faces. In their statements, Naike said, “I have witnessed what it has taken for women’s cycling to get here. We’ve come a long way, but there is still further to go.” And Laura acknowledged that, “It is an honour to be able to take part in this project, to be a part of the change, and to have the opportunity to immortalise these moments struggling to win the race that represent the female attitude.”

The result of this photographic report can be seen here. 

Through this project, Škoda Spain is reaffirming its commitment to women’s sport. And, particularly, to cycling. In the words of Miguel Piwko, the company’s marketing director, “Škoda has always had strong links with the bicycle sector. It’s in its DNA. And it’s natural for us to support women’s cycling, just as we sponsor the women’s football teams RCD Espanyol and Valencia CF. Only with everyone’s support will we ensure that women, in sports too, get all the acknowledgement and visibility they deserve.”

Ramon Caba, the executive creative director of Proximity Barcelona, claims that “We’re in a moment in which brands have the obligation to commit, more than ever, to their values. This campaign reinforces what Škoda has been doing for women's sport and cycling for years."