|
View as Webpage
"Life is too short for a man to hold bitterness in his heart."
-- Marshall "Major" Taylor, 1899 world cycling champion
| |
|
CONQUERING THE CLIMB
George Street Bike Challenge
| | |
|
|
Taylor Smith, 33, of Princeton, Mass., was the fastest man up the hill in this year's George Street Bike Challenge for Major Taylor, with a time of 23.75 seconds.
Margo Pawlak, 57, of Westford, Mass., was the fastest woman in the uphill time trial, with a time of 40.19 seconds.
Riders went up the steep hill one at a time against the clock, ascending the same path Major Taylor rode in 1895.
| | |
|
Although no course records were broken in the July 21 race, proceeds benefiting the Major Taylor Association were above average.
Thanks to presenters Landry's Bicycles and the Seven Hills Wheelmen, a slew of volunteers, generous sponsors and raffle prize donors, cheering spectators, cooperation from the weather gods, and amazing legwork by 90 cyclists from near and far, the contest was one to remember.
Complete results are posted, along with a list of raffle prizes and winners, plus news coverage, photo albums and more. For a taste check out @mta1899 on Instagram.
| Medalists in the Boys 15 and under category, from left: third place, Colton Prince of Holden, Mass.; first place, Stephen Hill of Macon, Ga.; and second place, Will Goguen of Hopedale, Mass. All are 15 years old. | |
Organizer Lynne Tolman extends "major" thanks to everyone involved in the preparation and execution of the race, including sponsors MassBike, Schwinn, and UniBank.
After 20 years at the helm, Lynne is not going to coordinate the event again, but she can pass the baton to an individual or team willing to pull everything together for 2025 and beyond. If that could be you, please email info@majortaylorassociation.org and we can show you the task list. It starts with a community cleanup application that's due in September.
A new organizer would have the opportunity to build out or remake the George Street Bike Challenge in their own way. They would have four or five months to learn the ropes and would need to be ready to work on their own by February 2025 for a summer 2025 event, or a 2026 date if a "down" year is needed.
| |
|
BIKE GIVEAWAY
YMCA camper gets new wheels
| |
|
The winner of the 16" Schwinn in the George Street raffle lives in Michigan and said his grandchild in Massachusetts is not a fit for the bike, so he asked us to give it to someone else. The Major Taylor Association turned to the YMCA Central Community Branch in downtown Worcester because of its thriving summer camp and its ties to Major Taylor. The Y's wellness coordinator Brenda Jenkins and child care director Sarah Levy hooked us up with the right-size campers.
During "Character Counts" week at camp, preschoolers earned raffle tickets for demonstrating positive character traits such as caring, honesty, and responsibility. Luciyan, pictured on the bike, was the ultimate winner. The Major Taylor Association donated a helmet from Landry's Bicycles.
Major Taylor was "pleased beyond expression" to be allowed to join the Worcester YMCA, then on Elm Street, after he had been stung as a child when the Y in Indianapolis barred him because of his color. In his travels as a bike racer, he often found lodging at the Y when he was denied a room elsewhere. And he lived the last two years of his life (1930-32) at the Wabash Avenue YMCA, an anchor of the Black community in Chicago during the Great Migration.
Schwinn, a sponsor of this year's George Street Bike Challenge, is also a fitting partner. It was Frank Schwinn who paid, 16 years after Major Taylor was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave, to have his remains reburied with a proper marker.
| | |
|
WELCOME ABOARD
Charleston and Buffalo clubs join the fold
| |
|
The latest cycling groups to join our Associated Clubs are Major Taylor Lowcountry, in the Charleston, S.C., area, and the East Side Bike Club in Buffalo, N.Y. (pictured above).
We're proud to have them as our ambassadors where the rubber meets the road.
| |
|
THREADS
Major Taylor Cycling Wear
| |
The Major Taylor Association offers posters, cycling jerseys and caps as premiums for donations. | |
PBS DOCUMENTARY
"Major Taylor" film to be aired nationwide
| |
Nearly 300 PBS television stations across the United States will air the documentary "Major Taylor: Champion of the Race."
WTIU reports that 299 of the 330 PBS stations, or 91% of the broadcasting network, have agreed to schedule air time for the film this fall. That is the largest broadcast coverage of anything WTIU has ever produced and is one of the largest broadcast coverage areas of any documentary produced by any local PBS affiliate in the United States.
Check your local listings for air times beginning in October.
| |
|
Speaking of films, we can't wait to see "MOSES - 13 Steps," a documentary about our honorary national chairman, Edwin Moses.
"Moses - 13 Steps" trailer
The one-hour film about the unparalleled athlete and global justice advocate won Best Feature Film at a private screening at the OLY House Film Festival in Paris during the Olympics.
Moses will be at his alma mater in Atlanta, Ga., on Sept. 21 for the world premiere of the film and a post-screening conversation. It's the marquee event of the 6th annual Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival.
Tailwinds,
Lynne Tolman
info@majortaylorassociation.org
Major Taylor Association
| | | | |
