-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The cache is a small Lock & Lock container. There is a trail to follow - go to the top! The trail is very steep, but not overly difficult. Would probably be very slippery after rain. Please rehide well. FTF: $5 Amazon gift certificate - e-mail me!
The city of Indianapolis can be proud of its legacy in bicycling competition, a history that can be traced back to Marshall “Major” Taylor, the first black world champion in any sport. One of eight children of Gilbert and Saphronia Taylor, Marshall was born November 26, 1878. Gilbert taylor’s employer gave him a bicycle for Marshall to ride with the man’s son. When the bicycle broke, Marshall took it to a local bicycle shop, and when repaired, showed the owner his prowess as a trick rider. The owner promptly gave
Taylor a job giving daily exhibitions. Marshall wore a
military-style uniform while doing his trick riding and the crowds dubbed him the “Major”. In 1891 Taylor entered his first competition, a 10 mile road race. The 13-year-old won by six seconds. In 1893 he gained further recognition when he set a one-mile record of 2:11 (which was never broken) at the Capitol City race track. Taylor had one other local race of note as an amateur, winning a 75-mile race between Indianapolis and Matthews.
This attracted the attention of Lewis Munger, a bicycle
manufacturer and racer, who made Taylor his protégé. Taylor’s first professional victory came in his first race, winning a half-mile sprint at Madison Square Garden. In 1898 he captured his first American championship, aided by his performance before 8,000 hometown fans at Newby Oval, a forerunner of the current Indianapolis Velodrome. In 1899 and 1900 Taylor was again the American champion, and won two World titles at a meet in Montreal in 1899. He then embarked on an international tour, winning 42 of 57 races in Europe during 1901. Taylor returned to Europe in 1902 and also toured Australia, which served as his honeymoon with his
wife Daisy, a New York City socialite. Another Australian tour followed in 1903, where daughter Sydney was born. The strain of touring over three continents took its toll, and by 1910, at age 32, Taylor retired from racing. While little is known of his life after that, Marshall did publish his autobiography “The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World” in 1928. It was not a financial success, as had been the case with many of Taylor’s other investments. He died penniless in Chicago June 21, 1932, and was buried in an unmarked grave. In 1948, a group of former pro bike racers and Frank Schwinn, the owner of the Schwinn Bicycle co., provided a tombstone for his grave. Had Major Taylor been cycling
in current times, he would have been as well-recognized and
much-admired as Lance Armstrong. However, his career was plagued with difficulties – riders ‘drawing the color line’ and refusing to race against him; tracks banning him from racing; and physical assaults and tactical moves against him by fellow riders. He was better received internationally than in his own country for his talents. Naming this Velodrome for him, in his own hometown, more than a century later, is a small tribute when compared to his lifetime of accomplishments.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybpngrq bss gur genvy nobhg 10 srrg