Page:The fastest bicycle rider in the world - 1928 - Taylor.djvu/170

There was a problem when proofreading this page.
148
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MAJOR TAYLOR

unpaced and the third, if necessary, would be determined by the toss of a coin. I won the first heat and volunteered to ride it over again when Fenn claimed a foul. I won the run-off of the heat and also won the next heat thereby clinching the championship of the country for amateurs and professionals.

Willie “Bill” Fenn

On the day after the race one of the Hartford dailies printed the following article:

“Major Taylor Wins Championship Title Again. A large crowd of bicycle enthusiasts saw Major Taylor, the professional champion of America, defeat Willie Fenn, the boy wonder, who is the amateur champion of the country, in a specially sanctioned match race at the Hartford Veledrome last evening. Major Taylor won the event quite handily.

“Fenn has been doing some phenomenal riding all season and his many friends in Hartford thought he would easily be able to defeat the invincible Major Taylor. The match was finally arranged for the mile distance, best two in three heats, one heat to be single paced, one to be unpaced and the third, if necessary, to be decided by the toss of a coin. Fenn wore a confident look when he came out on the