Fundraising is currently underway for the Major Taylor Project, a new bike club for teens at Bike Works in Columbia City.
Named for the pioneering African-American bike racer Marshall W. “Major” Taylor (1878-1932), the outreach program is sponsored by Cascade Bicycle Club and King County. Kids ages 13-17 will learn mountain biking, track racing, cyclocross, maintenance, and road riding skills in small, adult-supervised classes:
The program will integrate bicycle riding, community service, healthy living, fitness, safety and bicycle maintenance. In return for contributing to the club and to their communities, showing respect for themselves and for eachother, and working to achieve their own goals, club participants will have access to skilled training in different kinds of bicycling, and a supportive community of adults who will help them achieve their goals and make contributions to the club. More info.
Who Was Major Taylor?
Marshall “Major” Taylor was the first African American professional cyclist. Born in 1878, Major Taylor’s professional racing career spanned 13 years and included the world one-mile track cycling championship in 1899. He remained committed to his passion in the face of adversity and is a source of inspiration to all athletes.
Source: Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
{ 2 comments }
Major Taylor was a real champ. He wrote an autobiography which is available at the UW library, and there is a biography available, too. Both are good reads for anyone interested in this chapter of history.
Jack Johnson is remembered as the first black athlete in the US, but Major Taylor predated him by a decade.
Like many athletes, he was forgotten in his own time, and died in obscurity.
What a great undertaking for the kids in the South End! Hats off to the Cascade Bike club and Bikeworks. Hopefully it will provide an alternative for some to the gangs. Please support this!
Comments on this entry are closed.