[SOLO] Bicycling for Ladies by Maria E. Ward -jo

[commonsparrow3]

Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward (1863 - )

To be added later (Summary by )

Source text (please read only from this text!): http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62227

Target completion date: 2021-07-01

Prooflistening level: Standard
Prospective PLs, please see the Guide for Proof-listeners.

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Magic Window:

BC Admin

Genres for the project: *Non-fiction/Sports & Recreation

Keywords that describe the book: women, bicycles, recreation, bicycling, 1890's

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LibriVox recording settings: mono (1 channel), 44100 Hz sample rate, 128 kbps constant bit rate MP3. See the Tech Specs

Intro to recording:
Leave 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning.

For the first section, say:

"Section [#] of Bicycling for Ladies. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit librivox.org.
Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward. [Section Title]."

For the second and subsequent sections, you may use the shortened intro if you wish:

"Section [#] of Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. [Section Title]."

End of recording:
Say:

"End of section [#]. Read by [your name]."

If you are recording the final section of the book, add:

"End of Bicycling for Ladies, by Maria E. Ward."

Leave 5 seconds of silence at the end.

Filename: bicyclingforladies_##_ward_128kb.mp3 where ## is the section number. (e.g. bicyclingforladies_01_ward_128kb.mp3)

Upload to the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader

MC to select: knotyouraveragejo

Copy and paste the file link generated by the uploader into the relevant Listen URL field in the Section Compiler, enter the duration in the Notes field, and post in this thread to let your PL and MC know that you have uploaded a file. You may also post the file link in the thread.

[knotyouraveragejo]

Sounds interesting. I'll MC. MW will be along shortly.

[TriciaG]

May I DPL? (I did 23 km / 14 miles yesterday.)

[commonsparrow3]

Sounds interesting. I'll MC. MW will be along shortly.

Thank you, Jo!

May I DPL? (I did 23 km / 14 miles yesterday.)

Yes, please DPL. Tricia!
(I don't bike anymore, due to bad arthritis, but I got around town on my bike for years when I was younger!)

[knotyouraveragejo]

All set here. MW is up and I added Tricia as DPL. Also found this link which states a date of death of 1941 and has some neat old pictures.

https://statenisland.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Ward%2C+Maria+E.&page=1

[commonsparrow3]

All set here. MW is up and I added Tricia as DPL. Also found this link which states a date of death of 1941 and has some neat old pictures.

https://statenisland.pastperfectonline.com/byperson?keyword=Ward%2C+Maria+E.&page=1

Thanks! I'll fill in the MW this evening. And hurrah on finding the death date!
Meanwhile, I just took a peek at the old pictures - and I see a number of them with women and bicycles! Cool!

[commonsparrow3]

Just checking in to say - Sorry I haven't yet begun recording for this project.
Just one thing after another has been taking up my time this month.
My car died, and I've been trying to buy another, while finding rides to work.
Meanwhile, my guy Brian ended up hospitalized, and I've been spending evenings at the hospital with him.
So LibriVox sort of fell by the wayside this month.

BUT .. Brian got home from the hospital today!
AND … I have bought a car, which should be ready to pick up tomorrow!
So life should now calm down again, and I hope to begin recording here shortly!

Thanks for being so patient!

[TriciaG]

Yay! Glad life is looking brighter for ya!

I've been busy, so I haven't noticed... much.

[commonsparrow3]

Here at last is Section 1 - (Preface and Possibilities) - (length 15:05)
https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/bicyclingforladies_01_ward_128kb.mp3

I recorded several of these short chapters today, so they will be coming along in quick succession as they are edited over the next few days.

[TriciaG]

PL OK!

I can't wait to hear what limitations she thinks I'll have. Yeah, sometimes I "overdo" it - and my husband does 100+ km (62+ mi) bike rides most weekends of the summer.

[commonsparrow3]

Here is Section 2 - (What the Bicycle Does) - (length 10:12)
https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/bicyclingforladies_02_ward_128kb.mp3

And Section 3 - (On Wheels in General and Bicycles in Particular) - (length 14:11
https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/bicyclingforladies_03_ward_128kb.mp3

I can't wait to hear what limitations she thinks I'll have. Yeah, sometimes I "overdo" it - and my husband does 100+ km (62+ mi) bike rides most weekends of the summer.

Well, she was writing to women who hadn't had much prior opportunity for sport and athletics, and these first chapters are aimed at utter beginners, so I guess she wanted them to start off easy. Even so, she promises them the exhilaration of freedom and speed, once they get the hang of it.

[TriciaG]

2 and 3 PL OK!

[commonsparrow3]

Thanks, Tricia!

Two more sections coming tomorrow, then a hiatus for a bit.

[commonsparrow3]

Here's Section 4 - (For Beginners) - (length 11:47)
https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/bicyclingforladies_04_ward_128kb.mp3

And Section 5 - (How to Make Progress) - (length 13:14)
https://librivox.org/uploads/knotyouraveragejo/bicyclingforladies_05_ward_128kb.mp3

I learned to ride a 2-wheeler at about age 9, after having previously ridden a tricycle, so I already knew how to pedal and steer, and graduating to a 2-wheeler involved mainly learning to balance. I think most of us nowadays learned that way, as kids. Here, we are reading instructions for adult women who had no experience with bikes or trikes, most of whom had few previous opportunities for any sort of athletic activity, trying to figure out pedaling and steering and balancing all at once, while dressed in rather inconvenient clothing. The author has to explain some very basic information that we picked up as kids by osmosis, and by the end of Chapter 5, she has them ready to take practice rides of several miles independently. Not bad for a start!

[TriciaG]

Very true!

Two items of note:

(1) Yes, going up an incline IS fatiguing! I can't imagine doing it without gears - being able to down shift!

(2) Avoid ruts parallel to your direction of travel: The time I took a tumble as an adult (which earned me a precautionary ride to the hospital in an ambulance), it was due to that. I've almost gotten in trouble that way since, but I've learned to keep my hands on the handlebars, and force it if I have to. There's no playing nice with the handlebars when your front wheel is in a rut. As my husband wisely said, "The bike will go the direction you steer it."

Both sections PL OK.