"Major," by Todd Balf

When we lived in Indianapolis, our house was less than two miles from the Major Taylor Velodrome.  However, I was often more interested in the skate park that shared the area or riding my mountain bike in the nearby single track than taking in a day of racing at the velodrome.  Even the fact that Marian College, an incredibly small school nestled in Indianapolis, consistently won track National Championships against largest schools in the country never really peaked my interest.  (In fact, this year, the won their 11th title and 3rd in a row.)

Fast forward to this year and, thanks largely to the upsurge in fixed gear riding, I found myself fascinated by what little I knew of Marshall "Major" Taylor.  A few weeks ago, I picked up "Major" by Todd Balf in a coffee induced fit of team over-analysis at Barnes and Noble.  While I knew going in that Major was America's first African-American World Champion in 1899 (a fact that had garnered me a few pie shaped tiles in Trivial Pursuit), the rest of his story remained largely a mystery.

The book solved that problem in spades, providing not just details of Taylor's life, but attempting to convey the times in which Taylor found himself.  Taylor turned what seemed to amount to a side-show acceptance by racist white America into a life which in many ways transcended the hatred and injustice of the time.  As a precursor to Jackie Robinson, he truly did fight through the color barrier which was established in sport.

I have to admit that as I watched the presidential election results come in, I thought of Major Taylor.  It's interesting and disappointing to read about what he dealt with in his life.  (Can you image today an American World Champion initially being buried in an unmarked grave?)  The hundred year gap between Taylor's pinnacle and our present day is a fascinating side-story to the actual read of the book, one well worth the cover price.

Taylor wrote an autobiography.  I think I will track that down next.