Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/66

 there is not a whiter man on the track, he is game to the core, and you never hear him complain or protest about his ill treatment,' said Mr. Brady."

It was due to the observations Mr. Brady made at those races in Brooklyn that he challenged the sprinters to meet me in a match race for $1,000. He told the newspaper men that he had implicit confidence in my ability and that if he had not he would never put up $1,000 on me.

Now to get back to this all important race between Jimmie Michaels and myself on the Manhattan Beach track. The press conceded that the rider who got away in front in our race would have a slight edge on his opponent in the dash for the tape. Again I quote further from the same clipping referred to above:—“But this does not mean to say that he will necessarily win the race which will be the best second and third heat struggle with quintet pacing. It will be a wild rush on the part of the two contestants to locate themselves behind their big pacing machines at the getaway and the same sort of a wild scramble will ensue in the concluding few yards when they leave the protection of their multicycles to sprint for the tape.”

“The colored rider gets away very fast and the Welsh boy is not negligent in this respect. The battle between the two will be the first of its kind ever staged in this country, and should prove to be a heartbreaker.”

The following article appeared in the New York Journal the morning after our race:—Major Taylor a winner. Phenomenal performances in Special Match Race. Major Taylor runs away from Jimmie Michaels and establishes a new World's Record of 1:41 which will, no doubt, stand for years.”

“The Welsh Rider was hissed while the Colored Rider was cheered.”

"Major Taylor, the colored cyclist, met and defeated Jimmie Michaels in the special match race yesterday afternoon at Manhattan Beach. Michaels winning the first heat easily. Major Taylor's pacing quintet going wrong in the final lap. Major Taylor's riding was wonderful both from a racing and a time standpoint, having established a new world's record, which was absolutely phenomenal. For the first time in his racing career Michaels was hissed by the spectators as he passed in front of the grandstand deserted and dejected by Major Taylor's overwhelming victory.

"Immediately after the third heat was finished, and before the time was announced, William A. Brady, who championed the colored boy during the entire season, quickly issued a sweeping challenge to match Taylor against Michaels for any distance up to 100 miles, for from $5,000.00 to $10,000.00 a side. The challenge was received