Major Taylor members at the 2003 Rondo Days Celebration in St. Paul.
MAJOR TAYLOR CYCLING CLUB
Cycling group brings diversity to the sport in Minneapolis
By Teri Dwyer In 1999 a group of four Twin Cities women signed up to participate in a charity, long distance bike ride. They were recreational bicyclists who were looking for some training advice from more experienced riders.
They quickly connected with Louie Moore and his friend and cycling partner Tony Taylor. But it wasn't just bikes that drew them all together.
Moore and Taylor had been riding together and taking part in local races and criterium for years. They had often talked of their concerns about the lack of diversity in cycling and discussed ways to bring about change. In rode the women.
"A friend contacted Tony and me because we had done a lot of over the
road riding," says Moore. "We basically got together with this group of African American ladies and helped them to train for this ride. We shared our experiences and various techniques with them. We didn't do the ride with them but I took them all down to the start in my van and we rode out with them about 20 miles. They all ended up completing the ride."
Due in part to the interest and enthusiasm of Cynthia Johnson, Ann Hill,
Dacia Durham and Fawn Wilderson the four women from the ride as well as previous discussions with other local riders, Moore and Taylor had a plan. In the fall of 1999, they got together with their four new friends to discuss the idea of forming a bicycling club. The six were all Twin Cities cycling enthusiasts some recreational riders, some racers who all were interested in the same thing: promoting the sport they loved within their own African American community. By the spring of 2000,
the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Minnesota made its debut.
The club name is of great significance to this group. It's named after Marshall "Major" Walter Taylor, who in 1899 became the first African American world cycling champion. He was born in Indianapolis on November 21, 1878. Taylor received his first bicycle from the wealthy white family that employed his father. The Major nickname came about because he wore a soldier's uniform while performing cycling stunts for a
bike shop in Indianapolis. (Club founding member Tony Taylor is no relation to Major Taylor.)
"We only had T shirts at our first ride in the spring of 2000," recalls Moore, currently the president of the club. "We didn't yet have our trademark jerseys." Once they had their jerseys, described as "screaming yellow and black," the group quickly became known around the Twin Cities bicycling community.
Although it wasn't only their jerseys that helped them immediately attract attention.
"We just find ourselves to be a unique organization; we're very popular in our community," says Moore. "It's still unusual to see people of color not only riding bikes but riding in a big group. People find us to be an interesting, maybe peculiar, organization."
Three years later, the group and their jerseys continue to attract the
attention of the community at large, as well as the African American community. Today they have a roster of 16 members plus about a dozen other riders who regularly participate in their various rides. All but one member is African American.
Much like the world champion cyclist known as Major Taylor, this group is hoping to continue to pave inroads for African Americans into the biking community. But they also have other, perhaps greater, goals in mind.
"I think one of the issues, especially for the African American community, is health. For example, our community has been devastated by heart disease and diabetes," points out Moore. "We've been trying to promote the idea of people getting out and getting active. We're trying to encourage people to come out and become part of the effort to make us a healthier community. It's important for this community to see other
African American folks doing the same things for themselves."
And Moore truly leads by example. At 62, he is the oldest member of the club.
"We currently range in age from 28 to 62. I've been riding for 40 years. I remember I had a bike when my wife and I were married in 1963. I didn't have a car. Since then I've always had bikes, over the years."
Moore describes himself as a former amateur racer. He's been an active
member of the Minnesota biking community for much longer than the Major Taylor group has been around.
"Back in the 1980s I got involved in a couple of community organizations' fund raising efforts," he says. "We introduced the idea of long distance bike rides to raise money."
He once raised $13,000 for the United Negro College Fund by biking from Denver to Minneapolis. The money was raised through pledges
and sponsorships. Moore has also done three rides for the Model Cities of St. Paul, an organization that helps underserved populations.
Besides his work with Major Taylor, Moore is on the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Minnesota State Bicycle Advisory Committee. Through these committees he has been an integral part of putting bike lanes in downtown Minneapolis, as well as trails in various areas of the city, including the popular Greenway trail on a former
railroad bed in Minneapolis. The committees also work on legislative issues, garnering city council support for bike issues anything related to cycling and riders.
It was through his work as part of the State Bicycle Advisory Committee that Moore became involved in the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour a few years ago.
"The state committee has had a booth at the St. Paul Classic for a few years. They originally asked us to be there," says Moore. "I've worked
in the booth a few times. Now they've asked Major Taylor to be a part of it. We're planning on sending a few members to participate this year."
The ninth annual St. Paul Classic Bike Tour will be Sunday, September 7, in St. Paul. Last year, 6,400 people came out for the opportunity to ride through much of St. Paul on roads closed to traffic. This event is a tour, not a race, and offers two options a 15 or a 31 mile route but don't
be fooled by the shorter distance. The 15 mile route leads you directly up the infamous Ramsey Hill in St. Paul, a very long, very steep hill (once you reach the top you get a button that says I topped Ramsey Hill).
Moore likes the Major Taylor group to get out and participate in organized rides, races and their own club rides as much as possible. The more they're seen in their yellow jerseys, the more influence he feels they
will have in their community. One more thing that may make this group unique: they attract riders of all caliber, from racers to recreational riders, and occasionally some first time bicyclists.
"We have one gentleman who hardly ever cycled before three or four years ago. Now he has a Saddle Rocket and we have trouble following him," says Moore. "We do recreational rides from 20 miles on up through 100 miles. An average ride may be about 40 miles."
According to the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Minnesota's Web site, "The only requirements for membership are your bike, your helmet and your enthusiasm. We welcome all who wish to join us. The club prides itself on creating camaraderie and community for its members."
When you see the screaming yellow and black jerseys, prepare to stop and salute. You've just seen Major Taylor.
For more information on the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Minnesota: www.geocities.com/major_taylor_mn/.
For more information or to register for the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour: http://www.spnec.org/bike_classic/index.htm.
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