Marshall Walter Taylor aka "Major" born in 1878, was the first black world champion in cycling and the second overall in the entire history of the sport (the first was Canadian boxer George Dixon).

Marshall's father Gilbert was a veteran of the American Civil War. After the war ended, he moved from Kentucky with his wife Saphronia Kelter to a rural area of Indiana named Bucktown, where they gave birth to eight children including Marshall.

The Taylor family was very poor, earning their living by working in the fields, until Gilbert became the coachman for a wealthy white family: the Southards.

Marshall often followed his father as he worked, so much so that he became friends with the peer Daniel, son of Southards senior.
That friendship quickly became fraternal, so much so that they convinced the Southards to welcome 12-year-old Marshall into their home, offering him not only a more stable family situation but also a private education by joining Daniel. It was in those days that Marshall received his first bicycle as a gift.

I don't know whether the Southards regarded Marshall as an adopted son or merely a playmate for Daniel, the fact is that, whether because of the compassion of a rich family or the whim of a spoiled little boy, Marshall's destiny changes at that moment.

That bike was probably his only toy, and Marshall wore it out. He became such a tightrope walker and acrobat on the bike that he attracted the attention of Mr. Tom Hay, owner of a bicycle store in Indianapolis. In 1892 Hay hired him, in addition to being a store boy, to perform his bicycle acts in front of his store to attract customers.

He often wore a military uniform during acrobatic performances, which earned him the nickname "Major." The nickname given by the store's clientele stayed with him for the rest of his life. As his first paycheck he received a new bicycle and $6. With the new bicycle he decided to enter an amateur track race in Indianapolis over the 10-mile distance. It was the first of many victories.

In 1893 Major left Hay's store to take a job at Harry T. Hearsey's store in Indianapolis, where he gave bicycle riding lessons to enthusiasts.

That year he also managed to set his first record in the 1 mile (1.6km) standing start with a time of 2' 11", a record later rescinded because of the color of his skin. It was the first sports disappointment caused by racism, but it was not the last unfortunately. Major fought throughout his career against prejudice and racial discrimination.

It was at Hearsey's store that Taylor met Louis D. "Birdie" Munger, a former cyclist and velocipedist who was the founder of the bicycle racing factory: the Munger Cycle Manufacturing Company in Indianapolis. Munger took a liking to Major and became his trainer and new employer by hiring him at the factory.

Major was 16 years old and beginning to make his way into bicycle racing, but it was not an easy debut, the racism of fellow riders who refused to compete with a black man sometimes escalated into violence with insults and beatings during the race. Jim Crow laws were in effect in the states, which effectively sought to maintain racial segregation even after the end of slavery. Examples of Jim Crow laws was the shooting between whites and "colored" in public transportation, schools, bathrooms and restaurants. Some of these laws survived until 1964.

In this context Major sought to move to a more tolerant place so in 1895, Taylor and Munger moved to Worcester in the state of Massachusetts center of the U.S. bicycle industry, both employed for the Worcester Cycle Manufacturing Company that had purchased Munger's factory.

This move gave Taylor an economic boost, finding new sponsors and participating in more races, so in 1896 at only 18 years old Major Taylor became a professional specializing in six-day track races and sprints.

His first major race was the New York six-day race held at Madison Square garden on December 5, 1896. After six grueling days of racing he finished in eighth place.

In 1897 Eddie Bald became the U.S. sprint champion, but Taylor's fame overshadowed Bald's success, so many newspapers began to refer to him by fanciful nicknames such as "Worcester Whirlwind," "Black Cyclone," "Ebony Flyer," "Colored Cyclone," and "Black Zimmerman" (Arthur Zimmerman was the first sprint world champion in 1893). Among his many fans was President Theodore Roosevelt.

Between 1898 and 1899 Taylor set seven world records including: the ¼ mile, the 1/3 mile, the ½ mile, the ¾ mile, the 2/3 mile, the mile and two miles.

His one-mile world record of 1':41'' was astounding and stood for 28 years. […]

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