Ladies Leading the Pack

I see this photo (or it’s similar counterpart) at least weekly while I’m looking through my favorite blogs, checking instagram feeds, etc… and the first time I posted this to the motolady site, I didn’t have a backstory. So here we are, with some history.

The photograph of three women riders at the helm of a group of solo riders dates back to 1949 according to the LIFE photo archives.

Riders enjoying a Sunday afternoon jaunt in Griffith Park: (1st row left-right): Lucille Meeker (on a Triumph), Betty Drafton (on a Velocette) and Cecilia Adams (on a custom-made bike); (2nd row l-r): Frank Cooper, Chuck Parkyns, Dr. William Eschrich and Frank Erling (unsure of spelling of last name).