Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/111

 race well in hand and there was a great fight on between Nat Butler, Taylor, D’Outreion and McLeod. They finished in that order.

“Major Taylor was too much for his associates and landed the world’s championship by a wheel’s length. He was cheered and cheered by an enthusiastic crowd of 18,000 people who loyally greeted the new world’s champion, Major Taylor, U. S. A.”

Still another Montreal newspaper printed this account of the the world’s championship meet: “The most really exciting incident of the world meeting was the final of the half-mile open professional. Major Taylor, the colored rider, for some reason or other, took the fancy of the spectators right from the beginning. He did some marvelous riding in the trial heats and the applause that greeted him was insistent and continuous. He is a very pleasing looking boy when he smiles and his skin, though dark, looks soft and smooth as velvet. Though rather small he is finely proportioned and taken all around, is probably the best developed man on the track.

“In the final referred to McCarthy and Taylor crossed the tape so nearly in a dead heat that it was very difficult to decide who should be awarded the decision. Referee Ingles announced McCarthy the winner and when this finally dawned upon the spectators in the grand stand they went frantic at what they believed was an injustice done to their protege. Some people began to shout for Taylor and it was taken up everywhere. They kept at this for nearly half an hour varying the monotony with some name and yelling scathing remarks to the judges and doing other things to create diversion but always with the idea in view of expressing their disapproval of the decision.

“Finally someone suggested that all those who were against the decision should stand up and in a flash every man, woman and child had arisen. The entire stand was on its feet and Mayor Prefountain, Aldermen Stevenson and Larry Wilson, who occupied a box just opposite the tape, vigorously joined in the protest.

“The referee, however, stuck to his decision and met the remarks of the angry crowd with a look of perfect indifference. It might be well to understand that in the case of so close a finish only the very few that can be actually on the starting line and on the track are in a fit position to judge who wins. In this case there was considerable difference in opinion among the officials, but as the referee decided against Taylor, and the judges, who represented Canada, United States and France, backed up the decision it can hardly be seriously questioned.”

While waiting to start in the final of the greatest race that I had ever been called upon to contest, the one-mile world’s championship at Montreal in 1899, I was a trifle nervous, perhaps, because I knew