Marshall major taylor autobiography examples
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Who was Major Taylor
Major Taylor was much more
than just a bicyclist
By Albert B. Southwick
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Worcester, Mass.
September 16, 2001
"There are positively no mental, physical or moral attainments too lofty for the Negro to accomplish if granted a fair and equal opportunity."From the foreword to Marshall Taylor's autobiography, "The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World"
Marshall "Major" Taylor's exploits on the bicycle tracks of three continents are legend. From 1898 to 1904 he was indeed the fastest bicycle rider in the world. In 1899 he set seven world records -- in the quarter-mile, the one-third-mile, the half-mile, the two-thirds-mile, the three-quarter-mile, the mile and the two-mile. He did the mile (from a standing start) in 1.41, a record that stood for 28 years. He did the "paced" mile (behind a five-man windbreaker bike) in 1.31 and in 1.22 behind a motorcycle pacer. He also raced and
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History of Major Taylor
Marshall “Major” Taylor is a Black athlete and cycling legend who was one of the greatest bicyclists of his era, setting numerous world records and winning a World Championship and multiple national championships--all while battling racism throughout his career from the late 1800s to early 1900s. He was an international superstar whose superhuman exploits were as well-known in his era as LeBron James or Simone Biles are today.
As the bicycle industry and cycling community turn their attention to the Black Lives Matter movement and the racial injustices Black people continue to face more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, the story of Marshall “Major” Taylor, “the fastest man in America,” is more relevant now than ever.
Born in 1878, Taylor was a powerful sprinter who established numerous world records in races covering distances from a quarter-mile to two-mile in 1898 and 1899. While he raced on roads as well, Taylor excelled
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Major Taylor: The first Black American global sports superstar
He shattered world records abroad but was shunned at home. Now, the greatest athlete you've never heard of could receive the US' highest civilian honour.
On the wall of a tiny one-room museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, there's a black-and-white photo taken in 1901 of a man hunched over on his racing bicycle, eyes trained on the photographer. His fingers are clenched over the drop bars, his muscles bulging within his wool sweater and you can feel the intensity of his gaze.
Today, most people likely have no idea who this man fryst vatten, but Marshall "Major" Taylor wasn't just a world champion at a time when cycling was one of the most popular international sports; he was also the first African American global sports superstar.
Rediscovering America fryst vatten a BBC Travel series that tells the inspiring stories of forgotten, overlooked or misunderstood aspects of the