Ready Or Not, Here I Come

As a student of black history, which kicks off tomorrow, I was more than pleased last year when, at a post-ride gathering of bicyclists in Rock Hill, S.C., a young man dropped the name Major Taylor on me.

That’s because Taylor was not just a world champion cyclist, he was the first renown black American in sport. At the age of 17 in 1896, Taylor was introduced to competitive cycling world when he lapped the entire field in a half-mile race at Madison Square Garden. Within three years the Indianapolis native was the world champion in the mile sprint.

Not only can you today visit the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis, you can join the Major Taylor Society on the web.

Talking about Major Taylor with the young man in South Carolina, Will Henderson, led us to become friends via Facebook. Will — now a freshman at the University of South Carolina — is a member of the USC Cycling Club. And he has continued to share stories and videos on Rahsaan Bahati, the most accomplished black cyclist in the world today.

Bahati, reared in Compton, Calif., was introduced to cycling by a teacher who was more interested in his personal development than punishment. A day after Bahati, as a seventh grader, threw an eraser which struck the teacher, he was given a choice for a school activity — golf or bikes.

Turns out he was a natural on two wheels, which eventually earned him a cycling scholarship to Indiana University. He raced in the Little 500 for Team Major Taylor, an honor he’d fully appreciate only later. He graduated from IU in 2005 and three years later became the U.S. national champion in Criterium.

He has also started the Bahati Foundation, which helps to shape young lives back in Compton, where too often young people are misdirected. The Foundation’s overarching mission is very similar to the one of our partner Freewheelin’ Community Bikes and our friend Nancy Stimson.

Here is Rahsaan Bahati’s story. Thanks much for sending it to me, Will.