Alfonsa Morini was born in Castelfranco Emilia on 12 March 1881 to Carlo and Virginia Marchesini, both farm labourers.

From a young age, she showed a keen passion for cycling, taking part in various local competitions and earning herself the nickname ‘the devil in a skirt’.

Her sporting ambitions met with strong resistance from her parents, but she found a staunch supporter in her husband, Luigi Strada. So much so that on the occasion of their wedding, held on 26 October 1915, Luigi gave her a racing bicycle. The following year, the couple moved to Milan, where Alfonsina began to train more regularly.

Even before her marriage, she had, in fact, achieved significant sporting success: in 1907, in Turin, she was named ‘best Italian cyclist’; in 1909, at the St Petersburg Grand Prix, she received a medal from Tsar Nicholas II; and in 1911, in Moncalieri, she set the women’s speed record.

Later, in 1917 and 1918, in the midst of the First World War, Morini took part in the Giro di Lombardia, one of Italy’s leading races. However, the most famous moment of her career was her participation in the 1924 Giro d’Italia, where she was admitted amid a degree of scepticism.

More than in any previous competition, her motivation was also driven by financial considerations: her husband Luigi, after years of illness, had been committed to a mental asylum, and the entire burden of supporting the family – which had since grown with the arrival of a daughter – fell on her shoulders.

There were ninety participants at the start in Milan, including just one woman: Alfonsina Strada.

As the newspapers of the time reported, her presence stole the limelight from the other male runners, who were far better known than she was; at every stage, she was greeted with warmth and jubilant cheers, and showered with gifts, often including money.

During the eighth stage (L’Aquila–Perugia), Morini Strada finished after the time limit; however, given the impact of her performance and taking into account injuries and falls, the judges allowed her to continue the race, although she was no longer considered to be in the competition.

In the end, Alfonsina was one of the thirty participants who completed the entire race.

In the 1940s, she retired from competitive sport and opened a bicycle shop in Milan, which she ran together with her husband.

On 13 September 1959, Alfonsina Morini Strada died at the age of 68 following a sudden illness.

You can view the birth certificate on the Ancestors Portal: Archivio di Stato di Modena > Stato civile italiano > Castelfranco dell’Emilia > 1891

The original is held at the State Archives of Modena.