2027 MTICA Annual Convention
Sanford, Florida

Durham, North Carolina hosted what became the largest MTICA convention to date — a milestone gathering that expanded from three days to four days, reflecting the incredible growth of the Major Taylor family. Riders, club leaders, and cycling advocates came together from across the country and around the world for an unforgettable four days of rides, fellowship, and celebration.

Major Taylor – Durham 2026

Legacy Dinner – Durham 2026

Durham 2026 · Club Banners

MTCC Columbus

MTNC

Watch on YouTube →

🏆 2026 MTICA Trailblazer Award

Marc "Marco" Speeks

Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy

This award recognizes Marco's extraordinary leadership in getting the state of Michigan to officially recognize September 23 as Major Taylor Day — making Michigan the first state in the nation to honor the world's first Black cycling champion with a state proclamation. His tireless advocacy has set the standard for what's possible when community and purpose meet. Congratulations on all your hard work, Marco.

Visit Major Taylor Michigan →

Stephanie Miller

Nationwide Syndicated Radio Host

Stephanie Miller is a proud Major Taylor member and supporter — bringing her voice and platform to help amplify the legacy of Major Taylor and the MTICA movement.

🎙️ Listen: Happy Hour Podcast · June 8, 2026 →

The views expressed in this podcast are those of Stephanie Miller and do not necessarily represent the official positions of MTICA.

Preparing for Durham 2026

Before the first cyclist made it to Durham on June 4, 2026, a lot of work had already been done. A dedicated team was on the ground making sure everything was ready for your arrival.

Thank you, Major Taylor Cycling Club of North Carolina, for all your hard work. Durham 2026 would not have happened without you.

The MTICA family descended on LA for a vibrant West Coast convention featuring rides throughout the city, wellness programming, and a celebration of cycling culture. Around 300 cyclists joined MTICA in California for the 2025 gathering.

Watch on YouTube →

🖼️ Elevating the Convention Experience

In 2025, MTICA debuted a suite of professionally designed informational banner displays throughout the convention venue — giving attendees a deeper connection to Major Taylor's legacy and the history of the MTICA movement. Riders could walk through exhibits covering Major Taylor's career milestones, his biography, MTICA's founding story, and a full directory of national and international chapters.

Major Milestones

Marshall Major Taylor

MTICA History

National & International Chapters

Convention Photos

Stephanie Miller — nationally syndicated radio show host, proud Major Taylor member, and a true friend of the MTICA family.

Preparing for LA 2025

Before the first cyclist arrived in Los Angeles, the groundwork was already being laid. A look at the work that went into making LA 2025 happen.

While we were out there, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake made its presence known — just another reminder that LA does things its own way. The 2025 convention was challenging in ways largely outside of MTICA and MTLA's control, and those factors lessened attendance. But none of it stole the joy.

Thank you to Major Taylor Los Angeles for every drop of sweat and every tear that went into making 2025 a success. The White Party was off the charts — a memory that will not be forgotten.

The 2024 MTICA Convention was more than a cycling event — it was a homecoming. Chicago was where Major Taylor spent the final chapter of his life, residing at the historic Wabash Avenue YMCA in Bronzeville on the city's South Side. The Wabash Y was no ordinary address. At the turn of the 20th century, it stood as one of the most important institutions in Black Chicago — a place where writers, athletes, educators, musicians, and activists who shaped African American history lived, trained, and gathered. To host the convention in Major Taylor's city was to step into that same current of history.

The neighborhood itself carries that weight. Bronzeville — known as Chicago's Black Metropolis — was one of the primary destinations for the millions of African Americans who left the Deep South during the Great Migration, seeking opportunity and safety in northern cities. The community became a center of Black culture, commerce, and civic life, home at various times to figures like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Nat King Cole, and Jesse Owens. The land where MTICA set up the Major Taylor Village — at 3701 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive — sits on the former footprint of the Ida B. Wells Homes, named for the pioneering journalist, suffragist, and civil rights activist who helped document the brutality of the Jim Crow era. Hosting the convention on that ground was not incidental. It was intentional.

Premier sponsor SRAM helped make the weekend a success, providing on-site bike maintenance sessions and bringing resources to the event that elevated the experience for every rider in attendance. The League of American Bicyclists also joined as a sponsor, and U.S. Representative Jonathan L. Jackson — whose district covers much of the South Side — joined cyclists on the ride and personally delivered an update on the bipartisan Marshall "Major" Taylor Congressional Gold Medal Act (HR 6672), which he and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) had introduced earlier that year.

On the ride days, over 500 cyclists took to the streets of Chicago — a sight the South Side had never seen before. Riders followed the Major Taylor Trail, a 7.5-mile rails-to-trails conversion running along Chicago's southwest side from Dan Ryan Woods at 83rd & Western down through West Pullman and into Riverdale. Along the way, they crossed the bridge over the Little Calumet River near 129th Street — home to what is considered the largest artwork dedicated to Major Taylor in North America: a 400-foot-long mural painted by Chicago artist Bernard Williams, depicting key moments in Major Taylor's championship career, the cities where he raced, and the communities he inspired. For many South Side residents watching from the sidewalk, it was the first time they had seen anything like it — hundreds of cyclists, the majority of them Black, rolling in formation through streets that had never witnessed a procession of that scale. From the trail, the route continued south to Mount Greenwood Cemetery, where Major Taylor was laid to rest in 1932, giving riders a rare chance to pay their respects at the grave of the man whose name they ride in.

Throughout the weekend, people across the South Side stopped and stared — some pulled out phones, some just watched in silence. The refrain, heard again and again, was the same: Chicago has never seen anything like this. That was the point. MTICA intends to bring it back.

This photo was taken on the Ida B. Wells property in historic Bronzeville, on the South Side of Chicago — the home of the Major Taylor Village for the 2024 MTICA Convention.

Chicago, Illinois · 2024

Convention Photos

*Formerly known as the Major Taylor Invitational, the 2023 gathering returned to Major Taylor's hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana — continuing the tradition begun in 2022 and deepening the connection between the Major Taylor cycling family and the city where it all started. Just under 400 paid cyclists attended the Indianapolis convention.

📰 Media Coverage

Major Taylor is Going Back To Indy 2023 · Watch on YouTube

James Davis – Major Taylor South Carolina

The late James Davis, you are missed.

June 16–18, 2023 · Indianapolis, Indiana

Convention Photos

2023 Event Sponsors

In the 43 years since the first Major Taylor cycling club started in Columbus, Ohio, there had never been a national gathering of Major Taylor clubs — until June 2022. Major Taylor's hometown of Indianapolis hosted the very first Major Taylor Invitational, a historic Juneteenth weekend event that brought together 512 participants from clubs across the country for three days of riding, fellowship, and legacy. MTICA President Bill Gaston: "My goal was just to get people together so we could talk. I never knew this is what would come out of it."

CBS NEWS

Watch on CBS News · 1:43

CBS Evening News · June 20, 2022 · By Elise Preston

"He went against all odds": Cycling superstar Major Taylor was first Black American to win world championship

As Americans celebrated Juneteenth, hundreds of cyclists traveled to Indianapolis to honor its hometown hero. Major Taylor broke barriers and records nearly a half-century before Jackie Robinson. Now, there are 90+ clubs worldwide in his name that promote cycling in communities of color.

"He went against all odds during a time where he wasn't supposed to do that as a Black man."

— Damia Thomas, Velo City Riders · Baltimore

"All these world records and nobody knew of him."

— George Harper, Founding President · Major Taylor Columbus

"His spirit was one of inclusiveness, a unifying element. 'Let's bring everyone together because we have a common goal.'"

— Jed Romura, Founding VP · Major Taylor Columbus

"My goal was just to get people together so we could talk. I never knew this is what would come out of it."

— Bill Gaston, President · MTICA

Read Full Story on CBS News →

Day 1 · June 17, 2022

The First Gathering

This is the first time all of these people had ever gotten together from their respective Major Taylor clubs — the moment that started a movement.

Convention Highlights

A Historic Moment

Founders of Major Taylor Columbus

Major Taylor Columbus — the very first Major Taylor cycling club, founded 43 years before this gathering. Pictured here are six of the nine founders. George Harper (The Prez) is third from the right. George has attended every single MTICA convention since the beginning. If you see him at a convention, please take a picture with him and thank him for his vision — because without it, none of this exists.

The GOATs of Indy

Indiana State Museum · Saturday, June 18

Major Taylor Exhibit — Private Reception

Convention attendees received a private reception at the Indiana State Museum, home to a dedicated exhibit honoring Major Taylor — a once-in-a-lifetime experience for riders who came to celebrate his legacy in his own hometown.

More from Indianapolis 2022