No records, but plenty of fun and sore muscles at the Major Taylor bike climb

WORCESTER ― They came from near and far to conquer one of the steepest stretches of roadway in Worcester.

Some climbed out of their Worcester beds Sunday morning to make the 10 a.m. start time at the intersection of Main and George streets. Others traveled all the way from Georgia to tackle the 500-foot stretch that ends on Harvard Street, the equivalent of more than one and a half football fields in length.

It’s also steep, averaging an 18% grade from start to finish.

It was the annual George Street Bike Challenge for Marshall “Major” Taylor, the “Worcester Whirlwind,” who died in 1932. Taylor cycled this incline after moving to Worcester from Indianapolis, part of his legacy that includes being crowned the world cycling champion in 1899 and the second African-American world champion in any sport. The first was Canadian boxer George Dixon in 1891.

Mason Robinson had Taylor on his mind as he ascended the incline, finishing in 33:65 seconds. Robinson was part of a group of cyclists from Macon, Georgia, who belong to the Major Taylor Middle Georgia Cycling Club. One of the club's members, 15-year-old Stephen Hill Jr., who also cycled George Street on Sunday with his younger sister Liana, said it’s the first Major Taylor youth chapter in the world.

“I underestimated myself. I did better than I expected,” said the 16-year-old Robinson, who said Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr and Harriet Tubman are talked about in classrooms, but not Taylor. Robinson felt his participation Sunday helped “spread awareness about Taylor and the legacy he left behind.”

90 riders: lots of fun

This year’s event was the 20 ^th annual edition since 2002. There were 90 riders in all, ranging in age from 11 to 79, and Lynn Harvey of Worcester made it to the top of George Street in 40:22 seconds, the fastest time in the women's 18 to 34 age bracket.

“It was fun,” said Harvey, moments after finishing. She got one practice run in earlier this week, and noted that in her home country of Scotland the inclines are more winding than the one she conquered on Sunday.

After she walked over to a nearby tent to get her official time, Harvey revealed that she injured her knee playing softball a few days before the challenge, but knew she could ride Sunday, because cycling doesn’t require much bending of the knee.

Harvey barely missed out on the top time for all women participants in this year's challenge. That accomplishment want to Margo Pawlak, 57, of Westford, with a time of 40.19 seconds. Neither Harvey or Pawlak were close to the course record for women of 29.16 seconds, set back in 2012 by Julianne Oberle of Worcester.

Taylor Smith of Princeton was the top overall finisher in this year's challenge. The 33-year-old raced to the top in 23:75 seconds, more than a second behind the course record of 22.19 seconds, set by Scott Smith of Agawam in 2012.

Some not ready for the challenge

John Melone of Clinton won’t come close to breaking the record anytime soon. He was a spectator Sunday, watching the action with his wife and in-laws who came from Denmark.

“I couldn’t do this,” said Melone with a laugh when asked when he’s going to don cycling shorts and tackle George Street. Melone came to cheer on his buddy Mike Kirby of Sterling who made it up the hill, but Melone missed Kirby's climb.

Relaxing after his turn up the hill, Kirby said he thinks he'll be back next year to take on George Street, but isn't holding his breath for Melone to join the fun. "He won't do it," said Kirby with a smile.

Jessica Howland, 46, of Worcester, was breathing heavy to pump oxygen into her lungs moments after finishing the climb. It wasn’t Howland's first George Street challenge, but it never gets easier.

“It's hard, but it make you feel like a bad ass,” said Howland. “Major Taylor was our hometown hero.”

Fans add flavor

Fans clapped and yelled words of encouragement from both sides of George Street as each cyclist had a turn up the hill. Judy Benedetti was one of them, visiting from Vienna, West Virginia, in the western part of that state, where she said there are hills near the Ohio River, but nothing like George Street.

“I don’t know how they make it up the hill," said Benedetti from her comfortable seat along the route.

The McGrail family also took in the action, with 2-year-old Claire sitting her in father Matt’s lap, munching on a bagel and displaying a big smile when one of the cyclist whizzed by.

Earlier, Matt was one of the cyclists, and Claire was attached to his bike in a small trailer as they ascended the sharp incline. It was the second straight year father and daughter made it to the top, but Matt thinks their time this year was a little slower. He was right, because they finished in 64:22 seconds, lagging behind last year's 62:94 seconds.

Matt had an explanation for the slower result: Claire is heavier this time around, which tends to happen when children grow up, but Matt added with a smile, "But I'm a little stronger."

Near the starting line, Devon Kurtz wasn’t dressed for a ride up George Street or for the day's warm weather. Kurtz, executive director of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, wore historical clothing made of wool that mimicked the uniform worn by the Massachusetts Bicycle Club in 1880.

Nearby was what Kurtz called a “high wheel,” with a huge front wheel, the type of bike popular in the late 1800s. No way that bike was making it up George Street, said Kurtz, since its center of gravity is over the front wheel.

“If I went 20 feet up George Street with this bike, then I would fall over,” said Kurtz.

Bucks the trend

Most riders took the straight approach up George Street, following the basic math principle that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. However, Junior Ledesma, 23, of Worcester had a different stragegy. He took wide turns, looking nice and relaxed as he approached the apex on his SE bike that he described as a "trick" bike without gears.

“I cut the hill, so I wouldn’t be tired that quick,” said Ledesma. However, even with those carefree wide turns, it wasn't as easy as it looked. “I got tired at the end.”

Besides goodwill and plenty of sore quadricep muscles, this year's challenge raised approximately $2,000 to support programs run by the nonprofit Major Taylor Association Inc . It keeps the legacy and story of Major Taylor alive through a variety of educational and outreach programs.

"We have a blast," said Lynne Tolman, the association's president. "This year we had more women participants, more kids and more out-of-staters. It was beautiful and amazing to see."

Final times can be found here .

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com . Follow him on X: @henrytelegram .

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: No records, but plenty of fun and sore muscles at the Major Taylor bike climb