Major Taylor

Long before the sports pages were filled with the names of later champions, a Black bicycle racer named Major Taylor was the most popular athlete in the United States. By 1907 he was known as the fastest rider in America, and he earned that standing while facing hostility and cruelty that would have broken many competitors. This biography follows his rise through a sport and a country that often shut him out.

Taylor's story is shaped by the people who helped him. William Brady, a combative Irishman who later became a well-known Broadway producer, managed him. Arthur Zimmerman, an world-famous racer, offered quiet guidance when other riders refused to compete against Taylor because of his race. When hotels and restaurants refused him meals and rooms, forcing him to sleep in stables and race on an empty stomach, Birdie Munger, a former racer turned trainer, welcomed him into his own home.

The book also covers Taylor's journeys abroad. Victor Breyer, a dashing, mustached sports promoter from Europe, persuaded him to cross the Atlantic for a high-profile match race. The contest was so memorable that people still talked about it a quarter century later, and it is often compared to the famous Seabiscuit and War Admiral rivalry. Greg LeMond, a world champion and three-time Tour de France winner, contributes the foreword.

At its core, this is a story about perseverance, dignity, forgiveness, and the drive to win against long odds. It will appeal to cycling fans, sports history readers, and anyone interested in the struggles of Black athletes in early twentieth-century America.