funbun

Hey I just posted this article on my blog. It's about Major Taylor, the black world bicycle champion. He truly was the Lance Armstong of the 1890s. In fact no European could evey beat him. Read Ken Kifer's artcile about Major Taylor it's a great one.


biketour.blogspot.com

daneil

Not exactly the same thing. Taylor was more like the Merckx of the track. Or rather Merckx was the Taylor of the road. Lance certainly isn't unbeatable in the same way. Few have a chance in the Tour, but he can and has been beaten. Merckx on the other hand was an animal that won regardless of the race.

ctyler

Read the book "Major Taylor" by Andrew Ritchie, 1988 published by Bicycle Books, Inc in Mill Valley, California. ISBN 0-933201-14-1.

He was the American Champion in 1898 and World Champion a year later. Great story. Why is it that so few people have heard of him?

funbun

I'm just found out about him today. The Adventure Cycling is planning to make a bike route of the Underground Railroad. I found out about him on their fourm.

Thanks for the IBSN numbers I'll get that book and read it.

Bop Bop

If I'm not mistaken there is a movie about his life and the racism he had to contend with in cycling.

RegularGuy

You are not mistaken. "Tracks of Glory" was an Australian TV miniseries that shows up on US cable outlets from time-to-time as a one-parter. It isn't bad, though a little turgid in pacing. It stresses Taylor's Christian faith. I'm not sure about video/DVD availability.

Major Taylor also wrote an autobiography, which, though not as readable as the various biographies published about him, is from the horses' proverbial mouth. Taylor is very kind to those who were unkind toward him. The book is out of print, but can certainly be had through library loan programs.

Bop Bop

RegularGuy,

Thank you. I thought I remembered seeing something on the Dish recently. Did not catch the entire movie just a small piece.