Major Taylor ride, anyone going??

[sherbornpeddler]

Two of my favorite sports heros will be speaking.
I'm considering going there by car and doing the ride or biking out, maybe doing the ride and biking back.
From my Metrowest area it will be ~ 70 miles round trip or ~ 100 miles with the event ride.
Anyone interested?


From Velo News:LeMond, Moses to appear at Major Taylor event
Posted Apr. 4, 2008
Greg LeMond and track and field star Edwin Moses will speak at the unveiling of a statue honoring African-American cycling pioneer Major Taylor in Worcester, Massachusetts, next month.

The statue is the culmination of a long-term effort by local fans of Taylor, who lived in Worcester at the height of his career.

LeMond won one of his cycling world championships 80 years after Taylor.

The statue of the "Worcester Whirlwind," created by sculptor Antonio Tobias Mendez, is Worcester's first monument to an African-American.

The unveiling will be at noon on Wednesday, May 21 at the Worcester Public Library. Prior to the unveiling, the Seven Hills Wheelmen and the Charles River Wheelmen's Wednesday Wheelers will lead a 30-mile bicycle ride starting and ending at the library.

On the evening of the same day, the Clark University History Department and Higgins School of Humanities will present a panel discussion on "Race, Sports, and Major Taylor's Legacy."

For details visit the Major Taylor Association's Web site.
http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/events.shtml

[walter231]

You might consider commuter rail. There's a train that theoretically arrives at 8:14 into Union Station, which is about a 3 minute ride from the library.

[sherbornpeddler]

Very good suggestion. The Framingham Worcester line stops at Union Station in Worcester.
http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/lines/?route=WORCSTER

[Spartan112]

I live about a 5 minute ride from the library but I have work that morning....grrrrrrr.

[Lucky07]

Wish I could go, I'm from there originally. Too bad they couldn't get Todd Balf to appear. Check out his new book: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307236586

[sherbornpeddler]

I live about a 5 minute ride from the library but I have work that morning....grrrrrrr.

Spartan,
Work is important. BTW if you can get out for lunch, the speakers are on noon to 1PM:

Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond and three-time Olympic medalist Edwin Moses will be featured speakers at the public unveiling of the Major Taylor memorial from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at the Worcester Public Library

[sherbornpeddler]

Wish I could go, I'm from there originally. Too bad they couldn't get Todd Balf to appear. Check out his new book: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307236586

Lucky07,
Thanks for the tip. Have you read it? The write up looks great.

[Lucky07]

Sherborn, Haven't read it yet. Waiting for my wife to pick me up a copy since she freelances at Random House & gets their books for free... :D

[sherbornpeddler]

Sherborn, Haven't read it yet. Waiting for my wife to pick me up a copy since she freelances at Random House & gets their books for free... :D

Lucky07 ole buddy, ole friend.....
A great thing about forums is one can throw up all kinds of whacky ideas. I wonder if your spouse could enable a BikeForums book deal? PM me if there is a volume discount. Maybe I could use them as enticement for my favorite charity fundraiser.

I'm after my local library to garner a copy via their library community.

[sherbornpeddler]

Looks like rain will hold off for the 8:30 AM ride. I may hold off on the ride and take the train to noon festivities.

[walter231]

Morning weather looks okay -- I'm planning to go.

You can preview the route at http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ma/worcester/75673595.

It's a nice ride (except perhaps in the city part which includes one of Worcester's unique random-chaos rotaries, among other goodies), all on roads I have done, reasonably scenic. Just under 2000 feet of climbing over 31 miles, making it about average in hilliness for central Mass.

[BostonRoadee]

Sherborn, I'm sorry to say I won't be able to go after all -- just can't squeeze it in with everything else going on. What a bummer!

I'd love to read your full report here, on the talks, and also on the exhibit.

[sherbornpeddler]

By looking back, we can go forward

Cycling is an amazing sport. In this era of Greg Lemond and Lance Armstrong many of us have learned to love cycling. The exertion, speed and coordination carving roads and pumping hills on a machine we can understand is appealing. It has gone from being a premier world sport to almost unrecognized in America and is perhaps clawing it’s way back in popularity.

The dedication of this memorial was a great event.

I noticed John Howard, one of America’s greatest cycling champions, standing in the crowd with the rest of us. Imagine Larry Bird or Tom Brady trying that! Howard was one of the “Raleigh Boys” http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/news/tg-conti-2008may11.pdf
competing for love of the sport during a time when there wasn’t much money to be made. Major Taylor must have loved the sport as well and did make a lot of money for a short time, more than any baseball player, but in an era of racial prejudice, was unable to capitalize on those successes and died in poverty.

Taylor wrote in his own autobiography, “…when I learned I could join the YMCA in Worcester I was pleased beyond expression.” “Notwithstanding the bitterness and cruel practices of the white bicycle riders, their friends and sympathizers against me I hold no animosity toward any man.”

Greg Lemond spoke from his heart and tried to understand Taylor’s personal strength and perseverance to become world champion and succeed against discrimination and the animosity of teammates in a sport so dependent on support. Lemond is personable, knowledgeable and volunteered to attend as Taylor was one of his heroes.

Gen. Dallas Brown, Taylor’s grandchild, spoke of the impact of this recognition on his family. His message was warming from his personal view and powerful socially as he described how Taylor’s great grandchildren have all become successful professionals in their own right.

Stacey DeBoise Luster spoke as a third generation black citizen of Worcester it is important to note this is Worcester’s first memorial to an Afro American. The memorial is magnificent and positioned at the entrance of the City Library.

Edwin Moses, a very eloquent speaker, described Taylor’s strength of character, preceding Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and Jessie Owens as an Afro-American world champion and the importance of this memorial to our children. Children are able to learn about Marshall Major Taylor and his success and his tribulations; “by looking back we can go forward.”

.

[BostonRoadee]

Quite an excellent report, Sherborn. Thank you for being thorough, I feel almost as if I'd been there. And now I'm bummed that I couldn't be! But I learned a bit from the newspaper article, and enjoyed the pix.

(BTW, who's the white-haired fellow in the third pic?)

[Spartan112]

Quite an excellent report, Sherborn. Thank you for being thorough, I feel almost as if I'd been there. And now I'm bummed that I couldn't be! But I learned a bit from the newspaper article, and enjoyed the pix.

(BTW, who's the white-haired fellow in the third pic?)

I would assume it's the aforementioned John Howard, but that's just me guessin'.

[sherbornpeddler]

THE John Howard!
I'd say he looks very fit if a bit older but then I'd have to explain the dude I see in the mirror....

[sherbornpeddler]

Imagine standing in a crowd listening to Larry Bird (Lemond) and, well, Edwin Moses, talk about Bill Russell (Taylor) and find you're standing next to Dolph Schayes (John Howard)!

[BostonRoadee]

Yeah, it really sounds awesome. I would have loved to have rubbed shoulders with any of those gents. (Well, Taylor in another lifetime, perhaps...) ;) Hope we'll hear more at the breakfast meetup.