Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/132

 better he essayed one more trial. After a vigorous ruddown in his training quarters, Taylor announced himself prepared for the great test, with only one circuit of the track as a preliminary warm up and the race was on.

“Motor and rider crossed the tape at a terrific clip, the start having been made with the wind in their favor, the first quarter of the ride being into it. From the start it was evident that the ride would be close to McDuffee’s mark of 1:21, or better, providing the motor held out. Taylor stuck like a Trojan to his pace, pedalling away like mad. The half was caught by some in :39-1, others in :40, and when they flashed for the tape one of the timers caught Taylor in 1:18-4, another in 1:19-1 and a third in 1:22-2. As several watches held unofficially registered between 1:18 and 1:19, the time was officially set at 1:19 flat.”

Still another Chicago daily quoted the following item the next day:

“Will Ride No More. Eddie McDuffee knows Major Taylor is his superior. Quits Track forever. Major Taylor’s claim to sprint record remains undisputed. Eddie McDuffee, who spent several weeks trying to lower the mark which the Worcester Flyer put up, has given up the task and will ride no more. He announced his retirement from the bicycle race track.

“Major Taylor’s supremacy is unauestioned, regardless of McDuffee’s retirement, for the Worcester Whirlwind proved beyond a word of a doubt that he can push a wheel faster than McDuffee, who had every opportunity that a rider could have to beat Taylor’s mark, or to set a mark which Taylor could not reach, but he was not equal to the task. Everything was in his favor while Taylor rode in a handicap. McDuffee had the fastest pacing machine, and he had it provided with windshields. The speed of his machine was shown in one of the trials when it covered the mile in 1:17-2, which time Taylor’s machine never made. Had it gone in that time, Taylor would have been in ahead of it, as he was when his machine turned the mile in 1:19.

“Taylor first went after the records without windshields and made the quarter-mile mark in twenty seconds without them. McDuffee went in 3/5 of a second better by using them. Shortly McDuffee announced he would not use windshields but altogether his trials showed he could never touch Taylor’s mark which he has stuck to. As Major Taylor never got any credit for his marks without windshields he put them on and went so fast that McDuffee gave up his task in disgust. Taylor had a big following at the track and despite the repeated failure of his motor to function properly, there were several thousand on hand to witness the successful trial. In addition to getting the mile mark, yesterday, Taylor tried for the half-mile and the third mile marks but his pace failed and the best he could do for the half-mile was :41-4.”