Major: A Black Athlete, a White Era, and the Fight to Be the World's Fastest Human Being

by Todd Balf

At the turn of the 20th century, hundreds of handsome, lightning-fast racers won the hearts and minds of a bicycling-crazed public. Scientists studied them, newspapers glorified them, and millions of dollars in purse money was awarded to them. Major Taylor aimed to be the fastest of them all. A prominent black man at a time when such a thing was deemed scandalous, his mounting victories, high moral virtue, and bulletlike riding style made him a target for ridicule from the press and sabotage by the white riders who shared the track with him.Taylor’s most formidable and ruthless opponent—a man nicknamed the “Human Engine”—was Floyd McFarland. One man was white, one black; one from a storied Virginia family, the other descended from Kentucky slaves; one celebrated as a hero, one trying to secure his spot in a sport he dominated. The only thing they had in common was the desire to be named the fastest man alive. Their rivalry riveted first America, and then the world. Finally, in 1904, both men headed to Australia for a much-anticipated title match to decide, beyond dispute, who would claim the coveted title.Major is the gripping story of a superstar nobody saw coming—a classic underdog, aided by an unlikely a disgraced fight promoter, a broken ex-racer, and a poor upstate girl from New York who wanted to be a queen. It is also the account of a fierce rivalry that would become an archetypal tale of white versus black in the 20th century. Most of all, it is the tale of our nation’s first black sports celebrity—a man who transcended the handicaps of race at the turn of the century to reach the stratosphere of fame.

Genres: Sports, Cycling, Biography, History, Nonfiction, African American, Race

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story mired by really cumbersome, speculative writing. Balf succeeds in kicking this horse to death and far beyond.

[Robert Steele]

This was an engrossing read for fans of US history and/or cycling. The story deals with race relations, as it is almost impossible to talk about Major Taylor's life without touching on how race relations in the US affected his attempts to become the fastest man in a world where black men were considered substandard citizens. However, the real story is about his amazing ability on a track bicycle, and it is this vein that, as a cyclist, I was most enthralled. His exploits are amazing, and Todd Balf does a wonderful job of telling his story.

[Mike Kruse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major Taylor was a black racing phenom from Indianapolis in the world of white bike racing at the turn of the 20th century. Who knew bicycle racing was so big...thousands of people attending races...some of the races lasted six days! This would make a great film.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My neighbor, friend, and erstwhile colleague Todd Balf has brought the history of cycling to life with this account of the life of Major Taylor, a black athlete at the turn of the 20th Century who fought to be the world's fastest human being. Todd's deep research into the era, into race relations in America and abroad, and into the complicated history of the development of the modern bicycle are powerful. Little do most of us know that cycling was once as popular as NASCAR is today. Todd's narrative is always engaging, and the style of the writing reminded me in many ways of Larson's THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. The story is compelling, and I hope that someday it will come to the big screen, since it has so many elements that would benefit from cinema. Congratulations, Todd, on a tour de force.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turn of the Century America, and the story of Marshall "Major" Taylor, a Black athlete in a sport that no one considered him with the ability to perform and especially at the level that he attained through the perils on the race track and off to become world's fastest human. Filled with forgotten history and barely acknowledged pursuits and accomplishments, this story of bicycle racing, and the forerunner to the Tour de France reveals America's first Black Sport's celebrity.

[Amber Wildermuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

For bicycling and civil rights enthusiasts

I knew the name Major Taylor and what he was to the sport thanks to commentary during the Tour de France, but didn’t know his full story. This book is a detailed look at the society in which Mr. Taylor lived and his struggles to be not only the best in his sport, but also in his dealing with the racism throughout the US and the world.

[James Hughes]

well written biography of a black cyclist in the late 1890s who defied the odds and arguable became the fastest human in the world on a bicycle. if you like under-dog stories with incredible persistence this will satisfy.

[gail hoover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I like this book since it's a great read. I read this book for a biography book project. It was amazing.

[Michael Carrier · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting story if not overly well written.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, super interesting. The book was written in a strange non-chronological order that was repetitive at time and didn't seem to add any value.

[Zara Lei Norman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book and author are doing great work by memorialising Major Taylor. It was a bit of a grind to read, sort of belaboured the same points and dried up halfway through

[Frank Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better at descriptions of the actual cycling than at dealing with the racialized context. Some overwrought prose detracts from an interesting story.

[Ariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of history or biographies, but I found the story of Marshall "Major" Taylor fascinating. From the first chapter, the author paints a picture of cycling at right around 1900 that sets the story up in a fascinating light. At that point there were no real spectator sports, no Hollywood, even Broadway hadn't gotten big yet. Cyclist were the biggest celebrities in the world.
Major Taylor, at a time when slavery had only recently been abolished and segregation was a reality all over the world, managed to make a way for himself to become the World's Fastest Human Being.
Regardless of if your into cycling or not, you'll really enjoy this book. And it just might make you want to dust off your bike and cruise the neighborhood.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. Major Taylor is a fascinating character, and the writer (from my hometown of Beverly) is really interested in cycling and the turn of the 20th century in general. It's great how he manages to convey a lot of suspense despite the fact that we know how it ends (or I did, anyway).

Major Taylor, for those who don't know, was a bicycle racing superstar when the modern bicycle was first invented. Not only was he the fastest man on two wheels, he was African American and was up against a lot more than land speed records. People tried to run him off tracks, beat him up, plotted against him. He rode revolutionary bicycles, traveled the world, and kicked some serious ass.

[Jeff Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was an excellent book that was an easy read.
I had read a previous review that questioned that the author played loose with the facts.
I could feel this at times ( more due to the writing style of things that no one could verify such as conversations or feelings of the characters). I only was able to factually dispute it once- in the epilogue Balf takes up Indiana Universities Little 500 race and the Team Major Taylor that participated there. Balf gave statistics on the black population on campus and stated that there were "zero black fraternities". As an alum, I can tell you that this was not and is not the case. There are very active chapters of Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma.
Unfortunately, it made me wonder what else he had embellished for the sake of his story.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marshall Major Taylor was one of the United States most unlikely heroes. During an era of Jim Crow laws and lynching, Taylor managed to rise to the top of America’s favorite new sport to become the “fastest man alive”. Despite racial injustice and setbacks, he never lost his dignity, moral virtue or his love for the sport of bicycle racing. This is a classic underdog story detailing the life of a little known American hero.

[Lumberjuan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing that this story isn't better known in the public conscious. The epic rivalry between McFarland and Taylor is described in bristling prose. Considering how important cycling was at the turn of the 20th century - the original Madison Square Garden was a velodrome! - and that to all extents and purposes Major Taylor was the first international sports superstar, it seems bizarre that so little of this is known.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fascinating glimpse of a time when "wheelmen" were the rock stars of the day! Also a case study of a good christian man in a dirty business, a case study in remaining above the fray, and just striving for personal excellence. A must read for studies of African American History at the turn of the Century. A man who ignored bigotry, and rose above hatred to do what he loved.

[Katherine]

I'm not especially interested in bicycle racing (though I love bicycling), but this looks like a compelling book about Major Taylor (Chicago has a Major Taylor bike trail, and I wanted to know about the person it's named for).

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting race descriptions (and painful crash details); a good picture of racism in American athletics 60 years before Jackie Robinson; I'm glad to finally have some background on Major: now when I race the George Street annual, I'll have something to talk about.

[Mark Zadroga · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story of America's first internationally famous sports figure, Major Taylor. Todd Balf crafts a rich tale of America circa 1900 and the spectator sport that once dominated the country, cycling.

[Michel B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awesome story. Generally well told although I got the feeling that the author was more used to writing for magazine's for newsprint or something. I'm not well placed to criticize - so it's just a question of stylistic taste.

[Justin Dove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was fascinating. It's hard to believe this America once existed since it's so rarely talked about. The racial topics weren't a stretch of the imagination, but six-day bicycle races, steam-powered pacing vehicles, a country obsessed with bicycle racing! Crazy.

[Hardeep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book- gives history of track racing. Never realized that it was once such a big thing.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

"His cycling was an expressino of something beautiful and true and honest in a world that was decidedly otherwise." -p.88.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was slow to begin, but got really compelling at the end. There is a world and culture portrayed in this book that I didn't know existed.

[Meg Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring and informative; the prose is a bit overwrought at times, but ultimately the story makes up for it. Unbelievable tenacity.

[Dick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story of the great days of bike racing. Not well written, but a good story

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems likely that most people who don't know or care that much about the history of cycling wouldn't find this as interesting as I did, but I liked it.

[Diener · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story about a forgotten, yet important, time in the history of cycling, and the history of America.