Hélène Dutrieu
| Hélène Dutrieu | |
|---|---|
Hélène Dutrieu dressed for flying
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| Born |
10 July 1877 Tournai, Belgium |
| Died | 26 June 1961 (aged 83) Paris, France |
| Occupation | Cycle racer, stunt driver and aviator |
| Spouse(s) | Pierre Mortier |
Hélène Dutrieu (10 July 1877 – 26 June 1961), was a cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, stunt driver, pioneer aviator, wartime ambulance driver, and director of a military hospital.
Hélène Marguerite Dutrieu was born on 10 July 1877 in Tournai, Belgium, the daughter of a Belgian Army officer. The family later moved to Lille in northern France. She left school at the age of 14 to earn a living.
Hélène Dutrieu began her cycle racing career inspired by her older brother Eugène– a professional cyclist. She became a professional track cyclist racing for the Simpson Lever Chain team. In 1893 she gained the women's world record for distance cycled in one hour. In 1896 and 1897 she won the women's speed track cycling world championship in Ostend, Belgium, but lost her title in 1898 to Louise Roger. In November 1896 she won the Course de 12 Jours (12-day race) in the Royal Aquarium, London, England, and In August 1898 she won the Grand Prix d’Europe (Grand Prix of Europe). Leopold II of Belgium awarded Dutrieu the Cross of St André with diamonds in honour of her cycling success. She later became a motorcycle and automobile racer.
She began performing in variety shows as a cycling speciality act and in July 1903 she cycled a loop inside a vertical track at the Eldorado in Marseille, France. She also invented her own stunt, "La Flèche Humaine" ("The Human Arrow"), which was a c. 15 m jump with a bicycle. In September 1903 she appeared at l'Olympia, Paris. She also performed in London (Crystal Palace), Berlin and other main cities. Later, she moved on to motorcycle stunts (La Moto Ailée, Saut dans la Lune), but after a bad crash in Berlin 1904 she had to spend eight months recovering her health.
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