Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/149

 “When it came to the semi-final, Kramer defeated Collette and Monroe. Major Taylor and Newhouse left their pacemakers and Bowler behind in their race, Taylor being in front at the tape. This was the fast mile which has been alluded to. The heat which was to decide who should get the most points and the choice slice of the prize money was the prettiest finish of the day. Major Taylor, Frank Kramer and Al Newhouse all came down the stretch together, and the finish was as close as it could be and not be a dead heat. Taylor had the outside and was a few inches ahead of Kramer and Newhouse was almost even with Kramer.”

Another New Bedford newspaper printed the following item the day after the meet:

“New Track Record Made by Major Taylor Who Also Wins the Half-Mile Professional Championship Race. Major Taylor was easily the favorite at the race meet on the Buttonwood track yesterday afternoon. He did some wonderful sprinting during his preliminary work-out which immediately caught the fancy of the crowd. Howard Freeman of Portland, Oregon, won the first heat in the half-mile professional championship race with George Collette second, Hardy Downing third and Bill Tensler bringing up the rear. The time was 1:05 1/5.

“In the second heat there were only two starters. Tom Butler was on the pole while Alex McLean was on the outside. It was a cinch that both men would qualify for the final as they could alternate the pace and make it the fastest heat which they did. On the back stretch Butler cut loose and went past McLean like an express train winning by ten yards. The time was 1:02 4/5.

““There were three starters in the third heat. Major Taylor had the pole. Jimmie Moran, the Chelsea milkman, got away in the lead which he played for. He played a shrewd game. On the turns he carried Taylor far up the bank. Taylor could not ride long and could not get any more speed from the slope of the track than Moran could, but on the last lap Taylor shot past him like a thoroughbred race horse going past a truck horse. He put on a tremendous burst of speed. The time was 1:11 which was slow due to Moran’s tricky riding. Moran finished second but was shut out of the final as the heat was the slowest of the three.

“The starters who lined up for the final were Freeman on the pole, Tom Butler next, Major Taylor, Alex McLean, and George Collette in that order. Big Bill Tensler was placed out on the ten-yard mark as pacemaker, but according to instructions he only went two laps. Major Taylor caught the pacemaker and they flew around for two laps with Taylor hanging tight to Tensler’s rear wheel, Freeman being in second place and Collette in third.