Anxious as I was to establish the one-mile human-paced record, I had something else in mind as I turned my sails to lower Taylore’s phenomenal mark. I felt that if I could establish a new world’s record for the mile that such a performance would go far to dispel any doubts about my right to the American sprint championship honors.
So intent was I upon establishing a new world record for the one-mile that in preparation for my race against time, I hung up new marks for the quarter, one-third, half and three-quarter mile distances. I made these four records on the Woodside Park track in Philadelphia which was also scheduled to stage my race against time in the one-mile event.
I quote from an article printed at the time in the New York Sun as follows:
“It is a serious fact that last week, when the horse was monarch in New York, its silent steel-framed contemporary, the wheel, was monarch in Philadelphia, and succeeded in establishing some records for time that throw all past performances of trotters and runners into total eclipse. Indeed, the surprising exhibitions of Major Taylor, the crack colored cyclist, at Philadelphia, have opened the eyes of all wheelmen and horsemen as well. During the week, Major Taylor lowered the paced records for the quarter-mile and one-mile and some of his feats were accomplished under circumstances which would probably have discouraged almost all other riders with reputations for high speed.
“But none of Taylor’s remarkable performances equalled the efforts of Wednesday when compelled to exert himself to the utmost because of faulty pacing, he smashed his own record of 1:32, shortening the time for the distance by one-fifth of a second and thus establishing his new one-mile mark of 1:31 4/5. Soon after this achievement Major Taylor sought to lower the figures for the three-quarters of a mile and succeeded in clipping one-fifth of a second from his own record, making the new one read 1:08 2/5. In the same trial he covered the half-mile in :45 1/5 which was one-fifth of a second under the best previous time and :02 2/5 under the record held by Windle. It is worthy of note that Major Taylor’s achievements were made in almost continuous riding, very little time being devoted to rest.
“In that respect, as in regard to the number of excellent records established, his performances will doubtless arouse the admiration of all racing men the world over, but it will doubtless startle the cycling fraternity. However, more than anything else, is the fact that four-fifths of a second has been slashed from the old record of the one-mile mark, and further evidence has been given that ere long the 1:30 mark will be easily within the possibilities of the wheel.
