Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/44

 if he continues to keep in the front. Possibly there may be little ground for complaint by Taylor, but in the Metropolitan district in which he has competed he has not been sinned against. The colored rider has a very dangerous habit of crowding in on the pole, no matter how narrow the opening is in the finish down the home stretch, and on a couple of occasions the holder of the third desirable position has upheld his rights with a bit of elbow work that was provoked by the offender.

"In the record race at Springfield there was a stiff fight between Tom Butler and Taylor, but Tommy was not in any combine to do up the other, but was simply having it out with him on a personal score. They both come from Boston. The success of the colored boy (and he has done some excellent riding) was sure to arouse bitter opposition and feeling among the other riders, but officials of the meets have been particularly vigilant in seeing to it that Taylor got all that was coming to him. In baseball and fistic circles the color line has caused any amount of trouble, and the same difficulty is now being experienced in bicycle racing.

"One prominent rider declined a match race with Taylor for a substantial share of the gate receipts, and it was not because he was afraid, but simply through his unwillingness to be singled out in a match race with one he considered his social inferior. But for Major Taylor it must be said, however, that he is the most modest and retiring youngster with which his race was ever favored."