Probably The Greatest Athlete You've NEVER Heard Of

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by steve B

One of the greatest cyclists of all time.
He was basically shut out of racing in the US, but found more success, acceptance and fame in both Europe and Australia.

At the time the top cyclists also made appearance money just for showing up to race.

Major Taylor was not only a sprint champion, but set several world records in paced races run behind a bike with 2 riders or more. Here, some tracks "fixed" his races by either providing him with the worst pacing teams, or pacing teams paid to slow him down. At least once he rode some distance yelling at them to speed up, then went past them to finish and win. Which is way harder than it sounds, at 30 mph, 80% of the riders power goes to pushing through the air. If the pacing guys are doing it, a rider con go very fast.

Waltham was a center of cycle racing from 1893 to just before WWI. A velodrome, was built just to the west of South Street. Most people in the area know it as Nipper Maher Park, a series of 3 little league fields and an older league field (Connie Mack league when I was growing up). To many people it is still known as 'Bike Park'. Concrete blocks that were part of the grandstands are still visible in the woods on the edge of the park. Waltham Manufacturing Company (bikes and cars) was based in Waltham. They build a very popular and fast bike (Orient and Waltham) and sold about 100,000 of them from the 1890's to 1910's. The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation website has some good videos and articles about cycling. https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/the-bicycle-craze

My alma mater U/Mass Boston (Go Beacons!), besides being the home of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, houses the largest cycling archive in the U.S.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Michael B

Waltham was a center of cycle racing from 1893 to just before WWI. A velodrome, was built just to the west of South Street. Most people in the area know it as Nipper Maher Park, a series of 3 little league fields and an older league field (Connie Mack league when I was growing up). To many people it is still known as 'Bike Park'. Concrete blocks that were part of the grandstands are still visible in the woods on the edge of the park. Waltham Manufacturing Company (bikes and cars) was based in Waltham. They build a very popular and fast bike (Orient and Waltham) and sold about 100,000 of them from the 1890's to 1910's. The Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation website has some good videos and articles about cycling. https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/the-bicycle-craze

My alma mater U/Mass Boston (Go Beacons!), besides being the home of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, houses the largest cycling archive in the U.S.

besides the general company info I didn't know that. And it's local to me too.

Now I have to go find those cement blocks, and when things get back to normal find some excuse to see those archives at U Mass.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by steve B

besides the general company info I didn't know that. And it's local to me too.

Now I have to go find those cement blocks, and when things get back to normal find some excuse to see those archives at U Mass.

I grew up in Waltham and I played little league at those fields. My parents still live there. If you are driving down South Street you would turn onto Dartmouth Street. I do not know which way you would go, but Dartmouth St appears to dead end at the Senior little league field. It actually continues to the left and runs along the right field line of the larger field, what we knew as Connie Mack. The blocks should be in the trees along the third base line / left field. If you go there you will also be around the corner from Mount Feake Cemetery. It is the burial place of Effie Carlton who wrote "Rock a Bye Baby" and a Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient. It is across the Charles from the Waltham Watch factory.

[DHogan]

I'm originally from Worcester Mass. I have heard of Taylor. A bicycle shop in Worcester had a picture of Major Taylor hanging on their wall. There's a monument of Taylor outside of the Worcester library downtown.

[Michael B]

I was wondering why I did not know about it as I passed by the library every day to work out at the YWCA next door, which is much nicer than the YMCA in town. The statue was erected 4 years after I moved away. The sculptor also did the Nolan Ryan and Tom Vandergriff statues at Rangers Park. The other side is a slightly small plaque showing 3 cyclists racing. The stonework on the ground below it is designed to look like a bicycle wheel. It is at the corner of Salem Street and Library Lane off of Franklin Street near Worcester City Hall.