Although they rarely said it, some of those who focused on the effects of cycling on women's sexual and reproductive health had a greater concern. They worried that the bicycle might permanently change women's role in society by fostering their independence. At the time, the social lives of many young women were strictly supervised, but cycling allowed these women to escape their parents' watchful eyes.
—Wheels of Change,
The correct sentence is option three.
In the excerpt from "Wheels of Change," the author Sue Macy conveys that some disapproved of women riding bicycles because they feared it would give women greater independence. In the first place, cycling encouraged women's independence - they did not need to be taken anywhere because they had their means of transportation, which they could use on their own. As a result, women could evade the vigilant observation of their parents.