Club founder, Phyllis Harmon, was one of four honorees inducted into the
U.S. Bicycling Hall of
Fame at its new home in Davis, California in recognition of her lifetime
of contributions to the bicycling movement. The event was hosted by the
City of Davis and UC Davis with keynote speaker Connie Carpenter Phinney.
 Phyllis
Harmon has made a tremendous contribution to the sport of cycling by
resurrecting the League of American Wheelmen, the oldest bicycling
organization in the United States.
Since buying her first bike for $28,
a 12-year-old Chicago girl then known as Phyllis Wiedman, has spent her
entire life promoting bicycling. As a teenager, she wasn't afraid to
bike 30 or 40 miles to visit a friend or relative. In 1937 at age 19
Phyllis was a member of the
Evanston Bicycle Touring Club which received the first League of
American Wheelmen club charter. The League's Chicago Council began
publication of the Wheelmen Bulletin and Harmon volunteered to publish
the bulletin beginning in 1929. Thus began a long history of volunteer
efforts on behalf of cycling.
 Bicycle
clubs and their memberships were growing and by 1940, the League had
become a national organization with the mission of promoting general
interest in cycling. Interest waned in the postwar years but with
enthusiasm and her knowledge of bicycling, Phyllis helped resurrect and
bring the League back to national prominence by 1966. During her years
with the organization she has acted as the treasurer, executive vice
president, historian, office manager, and writer, editor and publisher
of the "L.A.W. Bulletin" (now known as the "League of American Bicyclists"
magazine) until 1979.
 Along
the way Phyllis raised six bicycle-riding children and met her two
husbands through bicycling. Harmon also formed the
Wheeling Wheelmen in 1970 and
served on the Illinois Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee.
She has ridden thousands of miles across the United States as well as
leading tours in New Zealand and the American West.
Harmon received the coveted Paul
Dudley White Award in 1929 named after a former presidential advisor on
fitness, and has since had the League's volunteer Award named in her
honor. Up until 1972, Phyllis' efforts on behalf of the League was as a
volunteer. The League of
American Bicyclists, as it is now known, has over 300,000 members and
is the leading advocacy group for cyclists.
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