Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/85

 "At the quarter, Taylor made his famous jump but Fisher went after him hot-foot while Gardiner dropped back in single line and shot down the home stretch. It was too late, however, as Taylor finished, an open winner, by two lengths with Fisher second, and Gardiner and Cooper at his rear wheel, only inches apart with Freeman last. The time was 42 seconds which was close to the record despite the poor condition of the track.”

Realizing that the entire field was out to pocket me in the one-mile championship race, which was the feature of the program, I decided to employ my so-called Philadelphia strategy to nip their plot in the bud. My tactics centered about having the officials put in double pacemakers.

They had little chance to deal with me in the one-third mile race because the distance was so short. A race of this distance calls for a mad scramble from the crack of the pistol to the tape with no opportunity in between to jockey for positions.

Although I told the officials of the race track that I desired the double pacemakers in an effort to forestall pocketing and other rough tactics on the part of my competitors in the one-mile championship race I really had something else in mind. My thought was to have the pacemakers set such a terrific pace from the outset that the scheming riders would be so busy holding the pace that they would not have time to carry through their foul plans. As the officials seemed a bit skeptical about my reason for making this unique request, I played my trump card. It was, in effect, that I was feeling in exceptionally fine form that afternoon and felt that with the proper pace a world's record might be established. They swallowed my line of reasoning, hook, line and sinker. That's just what the crowd wanted—and the officials also. I received a wonderful ovation.

Despite the fact that I had number "13" wished on me by the racing officials in that season of 1898, and notwithstanding the foul tactics of my opponents, the press of the country was almost unanimous in declaring me the sprint champion of the country. My record for the season, covering 49 starts, included 29 first places, nine second places, and 11 third places.

The official standing of the leading sprinters of the country that year credited me with 121 points to 113 for Arthur Gardiner, 107 for Floyd MacFarland, and 98 for Eddie Bald, who was Champion in 1895-6-7.