Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/76



I had always considered my physical condition my greatest asset and simultaneously my one and only real weapon of defense. Throughout my racing career I was so fine that a matter of ounces over or under my normal weight would have put me out of the running for the honors.

So when I arrived at the Tioga track in Philadelphia on that summer’s afternoon in 1898 I was as near physically perfect as an athlete could be. On top of my excellent physical trim I was bubbling over with confidence with the memory of my victory of the previous week over Bald, Cooper, Gardiner and Stevens.

However, I had no idea that before the sun would set that afternoon I was to make race track history by winning two national championship events on the same program.

When I won those two championship events that afternoon I established a record that has never been equalled on any bicycle race track in this country. During my long period of racing I frequently won two first places on the same program and on numerous occasions I won three firsts in a single day’s racing which was the equivalent of winning nine races when one considers the qualifying heats which in many cases were even harder and faster than the finals. Of course, such strenuous racing meant that a man had to be in excellent physical condition at all times and nobody knew this better than myself. I was known as one of the most consistent performers on the track and this was due in a large measure to the excellent care I took of myself.

But to get to my record-breaking performance of winning two championship races in the same program. Let me quote the following paragraphs from the Philadelphia Press:

“Two Victories. Major Taylor rode in front in Circuit Meet. Worcester Boy beat Bald in clever style. Major Taylor, the unbeatable colored boy, took both National Championship events, the one-third mile and the two-mile, at Tioga track today. He won out over the best fields of the season, not excepting the National Meet at Indianapolis, and his excellent work placed him 10 points nearer in the race for the championship fight.

“Major Taylor won his heats and finals under the greatest difficulties, he was third and fourth place in the bunch as they rounded the last turn into the home stretch, and again and again managed to win out in spite of the fact that the very best men in the country were ahead of him on entering the stretch.