A Brief History of Black Cycling
In the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, I suddenly find myself thinking about the international cycling scene. Forty years ago, I bought my first new racing bike, a Raleigh Super Course, inspired in 1984 by the silver medal finish of Nelson Vails at the games in Los Angeles. As the first Black American to podium in Olympic cycling, Vails was a personal hero and I peddled that bike through a modest career in several triathlon races from the mid 80s into the early 90s. Though...