Resistance, Solidarity and Bicycles
Pedaling through a History of Struggle
2025 marks 80 years from the end of World War Two, a conflict that had a lasting impact on multiple generations, from those who experienced it in person, to those who lived it through stories and memories. Among the numerous horrific accounts of what happened between 1939 and 1945, there are quite a few stories of hope and courage, often related to the resistance movements that sprouted across Europe. However, when remembering the relevant role that partisans played in the defeat of Nazi-Fascism, history books often fail to mention a forgotten hero: the bicycle.
Since its invention in 1817, the bicycle has lifted millions of people around the world out of isolation. Back then, its simple design and inexpensive manufacturing symbolized the struggle of the working class and resistance movements across the world. Armies and authoritarian regimes also utilized the bike to deploy and move thousands of soldiers, due to its speed and efficiency on different types of terrain.
Today, we see the bicycle as a simple means of transport, bringing us from home to the grocery store, or accompanying us on adventurous trips. Yet, as my rusty gazelle stands in my garage, I cannot help but think of what this common artifact meant for the struggles of millions of people in history.
Bike to the strike!
On the 9th may 1898, an order from the Italian Kingdom prohibited bikes from circulating in Milano. Anyone caught using one would be severely punished. In the days leading up to the ban, the city was shaken by tumultuous worker protests, and the army generals quickly realized that the aspiring revolutionaries were moving and communicating by bicycle.
At the same time, in the United States and United Kingdom, bicycles were used by the suffragette movement, to protest, sabotage, raise awareness and organize action. And nobody said it better than the famous leader of the American suffragette movement, Susan B. Anthony, in 1986, interviewed by Nelly Bly: “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel — the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”
At the beginning of the modern age, bicycles were not just means of leisurely activities for upper classes, but also served massively the most marginalized classes and individuals of society. Workers, who until then had to rely on limited options for transportation, were suddenly able to occupy more space in the city and move around quicker, much to the disdain of upper classes. Women, who until then were relegated to the house and limited in their movement, could also travel independently; and with the invention of the bike came a shortening of the long skirts to better adapt to the frame, signaling the beginning of the end of conservative fashion.
For the first time, across the corners of Europe and the World, people were able to move through their cities, acquiring visibility and, with it, greater recognition. The bike initiated its own cultural revolution, bringing together thousands of workers on saddles to strike and protest, forging solidarity and actively leading to a more equal present.
Bicycles and Authoritarian regimes in World War 2
There are a few things that Mussolini and his fascist entourage loved as much as the cult of speed and progress. Nothing symbolized that as well as cars and machines that seemed to propel you directly into the future, a future of order, control and supposed greatness. This is why, in the first years of fascism in Italy, bicycles were heavily frowned upon. Their daily use was limited, and the use of cars greatly incentivized, despite the majority of people lacking the means to purchase them. However, once the war started and people had to pull the “belt” (Tirare la cinghia - Italian saying that means you cannot eat as much anymore due to poverty), the regime started promoting the bike as a futuristic and cool means of transport.
At the same time, the nazi regime in Germany was prohibiting all forms of association, even sportive ones, that were not regulated and dedicated to the promotion of nazism. Sport clubs, and especially those affiliated with the working class such as the Arbeiter-Radfahrerbund Solidarität cycling club, were seen as a breeding ground for revolutionary ideas. The Nazis confiscated the properties of the group, which by 1912 had managed to create a bicycle factory with a production of 20,000 bikes per year, and dismissed its employees. All cycling clubs were dismantled and members were redirected to the Deutscher Radfahrer-Verband, the only allowed cycling club under Nazism.
In many of the occupied territories, bicycles were confiscated and heavily regulated, for example in Ukraine: “bike owners had to register their vehicles, pay taxes, obtain permits, and mount license plates, cycling was forbidden during curfew hours and the use and sales of unregistered bicycles was prohibited, in some locales, the authorities forbade the use of bikes for private purposes” (Martynyuk, 2023).
Controlling the way people moved was an extremely relevant aspect of these authoritarian regimes, which saw the bike as both an opportunity for order and progress, and a danger due to its ability to evade check points and lower the visibility of individual riders.
Bicycles and the resistance during World War Two
Following the end of World War Two, Dutch people would yell to Germans “First my bikes back!!” (Eerst Mijn Fiets Terug), a provocative statement that referred to the massive bike theft that happened under nazi occupation. The confiscation of bicycles did not only happen in the Netherlands, but also in Denmark and Italy, where thousands of bikes were taken to be used by the occupying army. In 1944, refusal to hand over your bike could result in severe punishments, including execution. Those bicycles, besides being a needed means of movement for the occupying soldiers, represented a threat to power. Bicycles, fast and silent, could not be controlled, and were massively used by resistance movements throughout Europe to evade surveillance and organize guerrilla-style actions.
During the nazi occupation of the Netherlands, as freedom of press was abolished, the resistance movement in Amsterdam resorted to powering printing presses with bikes. Due to the lack of electricity, cycling would set the belt on the rear wheel in motion, powering the machine to print “prohibited leaflets”. These leaflets would, naturally, be distributed by bike.
Gino Bartali (1914-2000), renowned cyclist and winner of three Giro d’Italia and two Tour de France, is also a decorated hero of the Italian Republic. Between 1943 and 1945, Bartali would hide fake passports and documents in his bike frame, which he would then distribute to jewish citizens hiding in churches and convents, saving hundreds of people from deportation.
As an Italian myself, I have grown up with the adventurous story of the partisans, and especially the women, who roamed on their bikes through the hills of the Apennines and the rice fields of northern Italy, carrying hand bombs and battle plans in their baskets, hidden under cauliflowers, potatoes and all kinds of vegetables. Upon seeing these young and unsuspicious girls, the Nazis would simply let them pass. These women served one of the most important roles in the Italian resistance movement, which is often forgotten or undermined. They would act as contact points between different brigades, allowing for communication. Most importantly they sparked hope by letting the partisans know that they could count on the help of others. This is why, once the nazi occupation of northern Italy became aware of the significance of the bicycle in the resistance movements, their use was heavily regulated and even banned. Yet, thanks to their stealth and maneuverability, the bicycle remained a major means of transport for the resistance, playing a determining role in the course of events.
On the 29th of February 1944, after learning how to craft explosives from everyday items in the UK, the chemist Jeanne Bohec, was parachuted down to France, her home country. Waiting there was a bike, which she used to cross Brittany at large, to train teams of saboteurs in handling explosives to sabotage railways lines and communication systems during and after D-Day. Behind this was the goal of stopping the German troops from reaching Normandy. Who knew behind the great success of D-Day, was a fierce woman on a bicycle?
These are just a few of the hundreds of stories that involve bicycles and partisans, everyday citizens who stood against injustice, often at a great cost. Many of these stories, especially those involving women, are lesser known, but they deserve equal amounts of attention and recognition.
The bicycle and resistance today
In June 2020, following the George Floyd’s protests in the United States, the New York City Police Department confiscated tens of bicycles from the participants, who used them to move around and reach the site of the demonstrations. Today, bicycles are still a central part of social justice movements and aid advocacy and activism.
Nowadays, as bicycles are a common sight across the world, their role in resistance might seem to have faded. Yet, as urban planners and cycling researchers, we all know that to use a bike in many urban areas, it is already an act of resistance in itself. As bike riders navigate through rows of parked and moving cars and activists fight to reclaim space for active mobility, we are reminded of the inequalities and conflicts inherent to our cities.
Written by Michela Grasso, Researcher at Urban Cycling Institute.
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Stunning article. Thank you
Great read.
Please read my latest post, the last of this series on bike lane politics:
https://substack.com/@nogoplus/note/p-175763045?r=6cyw21