Clara Grace
Clara Simmons Grace was a British bicycle racer.
Early life
Clara Simmons was born in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, the daughter of George Simmons and Emma Simmons.Career
Grace and her older sister Katherine worked as straw basket makers as teenagers. She started bicycling after she married, and became serious about it after her fourth child was born. She joined the Wood Green Cycling Club, and competed in two women's half-mile races in 1894. She started touring with a club of other women cyclists in 1895; her husband was also racing competitively at the time. Grace set women's records in road endurance racing in 1895 and 1896, including riding in 2:41:49, riding from London to Coventry in 6:03:17, and riding from London to Brighton in 7:40:35.Grace advanced to professional and international competitive cycling by the end of 1895, winning events in London and Paris. She endorsed St. Jacobs Oil and the Matto Chain for pain relief in newspaper advertisements. She lost a well-publicized 100 km race against Amélie Le Gall in Paris in 1896. She retired from racing in 1899, after a fall in 1896.