ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester is the home of Susan B. Anthony, but not many know of female icon Elsa von Blumen.

For more than 50 years, Karen Lankeshofer has enjoyed cycling all around the world.

“The Rine River, the Mosel River, all the major rivers in Germany. I’ve ridden in Poland, I’ve ridden around Lake Ontario here,” Lankeshofer said. “I’ve ridden cross country here.”

But her love for cycling is rivaled by her love for reading.

That’s how she discovered Elsa von Blumen, a female icon from Rochester in the late 1800s.

“She’s my hero,” Lankeshofer said. “She’s my absolute hero now.”

Elsa was an athlete, competing in cycling and walking -- both men-dominated sports at the time.

“She was one of the first professional sportswomen,” Lankeshofer said. “How can you not admire someone like that, against all those odds?”

She took part in hundreds of races, and was known all across the country.

“The Mardi Gras in New Orleans, she was in Pittsburg where she rode 1,000 miles in six days,” Lankeshofer said. “She tried the same thing in Detroit in early 1882.”

And as a kid with tuberculosis, she was also a big advocate for health and staying active.

“Especially for women who were much more sedentary in the 1870s and 1880s,” Lankeshofer said. “Who, you know – you stay at home, you take care of the kitchen, you mind the children.”

Lankeshofer says especially during Women’s History Month, it’s important to recognize these inspiring trailblazers.

“It’s time young girls see it’s not wrong to be physically active and be proud of it,” Lankeshofer said. “It’s not wrong to be competitive and be proud of it.”