THE FASTEST BICYCLE RIDER IN THE WORLD, : The Story of a Colored Boy's Indomitable Courage and Success Against Great Odds; An Autobiography. This item is unavailable.THE FASTEST BICYCLE RIDER IN THE WORLD, : The Story of a Colored Boy's Indomitable Courage and Success Against Great Odds; An Autobiography

Octavo, hardcover, VG, well preserved in navy blue treated boards with yellow lettering and design. Scarce first edition. unmarked; heavy stock paper; News article laid in about bicyclists league started in 1894 called the League of American Wheelmen for whites only. Taylor was a colored boy with indomitable courage and success against great odds. Frontis photo of author (looks about 18). 431 pp. Taylor won the 1-mile sprint event at the 1899 world track championships to become the first African American to achieve the level of cycling world champion and the second Black athlete to win a world championship in any sport (following Canadian boxer George Dixon, 1890. Taylor was also a national sprint champion in 1899 and 1900. He raced in the U.S., Europe and Australia from 1901 to 1904, beating the world's best riders. After a 2+1⁄2-year hiatus, he made a comeback in 1907–1909, before retiring at age 32 to his home in Worcester, Mass., in 1910.