The Major Taylor Cycling Club of Denver offers group rides to encourage more Black cyclists. DENVER — At age 4 or 5, Alton Dillard got his first pedal tractor from a Schwinn bike shop on Colfax Avenue.
From that point on, he was hooked.
It wasn’t a rosy ride though. As a kid, he distinctly recalls riding his bike through City Park and being stopped by Denver police officers.
“The Denver Police would essentially have bike stings in City Park and they would coincidentally pull over the Black kids to check our serial numbers and make sure our bikes weren’t hot,” he said.
“I’ve been Black in Colorado a long time, so it was not surprising.”
Dillard, recently retired as the communications director for Denver Elections, is also a co-founder of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Denver , a group working to encourage other Black riders to enjoy a sport and activity Dillard has since he was a kid.
Major Taylor was the first Black cycling champion in the world, winning a sprint race in 1899. His story has inspired cycling clubs across the country – encouraging folks to get out and ride with group rides and other activities.The groups are also determined to break a stereotype about who cycles.“We’re just trying to expose more people in our community to the sport,” Dillard said.“We also just shoot for the exposure as far as participating in parades, partnering up with groups like ‘Wish for Wheels’ who put together bicycles for kids who are refugees from […]
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