Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World, The: The True Story of America's First Black World Champion

by Major Taylor, PhD Lugo (Foreword by), Ayesha McGowan (Foreword by)

Overview

Born in 1878, bicycle racer Marshall "Major" Taylor became the first Black sports star to become a global celebrity when he won the world cycling championship in 1899. Throughout his bike-racing career, he won awards and set records on and off the track. But in his native United States, he faced racist discrimination and violence at every turn, causing him to spend most of his time in Europe where fans saw his vale. After he retired from racing, he wrote and published his autobiography and traveled the world promoting it. Written in the 1920s, his story feels fresh, contemporary, and readable. His life was too short, but his legacy lives on in the many organizations and clubs that bear his name, and generations of new cyclists who look up to him. His intelligence, good humor, and global perspective shine through on every page in this candid account of a remarkable life. This new edition features a foreword by bicycle advocate Adonia Lugo, author of Bicycle / Race, as well as a preface by Ayesha McGowan, the first African-American woman to be a member of a professional road cycling team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781648411328
Publisher:	Microcosm Publishing LLC
Publication date:	01/10/2023
Series:	5-Minute Therapy
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Adonia Lugo, PhD is an urban anthropologist, bicyclist, and activist in Los Angeles. She collaborates to envision a sustainable transportation future centered in the needs and experiences of historically marginalized communities and people of color like her. She has written extensively on the socioeconomic implications of bicycling. Check out her website at UrbanAdonia.com..

Marshall “Major” Taylor (1878-1932) was a Black American cyclist who was one of the greatest bicyclists of his era, setting numerous world records and winning a World Championship and multiple national championships, as well as establishing numerous world records. He was an international superstar whose superhuman exploits were as well-known in his era as LeBron James or Michael Jordan are today. Despite his many laudable achievements, he battled overt racism and prejudice throughout his career and lifetime. In 1928, Taylor published an autobiography titled The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World: The Story of a Colored Boy's Indomitable Courage and Success Against Great Odds. Born in 1878 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Taylor retired in 1910 at age 32. In his autobiography, he cited the mental strain of battling racism in competitive cycling as one reason for his retirement. Later in life, he was forced into poverty and eventually died of a heart attack in 1932 in Chicago. In recent years, efforts have been made to revive Taylor’s story and introduce it to younger generations. In addition to the Major Taylor Program at Cascade Bicycle Club, Taylor’s name is now celebrated with memorials and historic markers, such as The Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis and Major Taylor Boulevard in Worcester, Massachusetts. His story has also been celebrated in film, including a recent ESPN short, “The Six Day Race: The Story of Marshall 'Major' Taylor.”