Marshall W. "Major" Taylor was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1878. At eighteen, he became a professional cyclist, and in 1899, he won the one-mile sprint event at the world track championships, becoming the first Black athlete to be named a cycling world champion. Despite rampant racism from both fellow athletes and fans, Taylor became one of the most dominant cyclists of his era. After his retirement at the age of thirty-two, he moved to Chicago and unsuccessfully tried to make money in a variety of ways, including by self-publishing his autobiography, The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World. He died in poverty in Chicago in 1932.

Zito Madu was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States in 1998. He grew up in Detroit and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. His writing has been published in many publications, including Plough Quarterly, Victory Journal, GQ Magazine, the New Republic, and the Nation.