Hoosier Antique & Classic Bicycle Club
32ND INTERNATIONAL CYCLING HISTORY CONFERENCE - July 16th-20th 2022
The 32nd International Cycling History Conference (ICHC) was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, one of the leading bicycle cities during the 1890’s bicycle craze. It is also the hometown of Marshall “Major” Taylor. Currently, Indianapolis is living Major Taylor Mania.
These conferences are held once a year and each year in a different city. The purpose of ICHC Conferences is to provide a forum for the participants to give presentations on various aspects of the history of cycles and cycling in a friendly atmosphere that encourages discussions between presenters and the other conference participants.
In addition to the usual presentations on various aspect of cycling history chosen by the presenters, there were several lectures on Marshal “Major” Taylor who was born in Indianapolis and got his start in the world of bicycling racing when working for the Hay and Willits Bicycle Company while still a young teenager.
One of this conference’s featured events was a visit to the Indiana State Museum for a private showing of the Major Taylor archives as well as a cocktail reception. This reception included a talk by the museums own Kisha Tandy curator for the Major Taylor archives and Major Taylor historian.
Our evening programs featured several keynote speakers related to Indianapolis bicycle history and Major Taylor. Indianapolis’ own Tiffany Benedict Browne was our opening night speaker as she rolled out her new book on Indianapolis Bicycle History with a book signing after her presentation.
Other activities included an optional bicycle ride touring Indianapolis with an emphasis on our cycling heritage. Other tours included: Indianapolis Union Station, the first Union Station in the U.S.; Major Taylor signage, Indiana History Center & 1898 LAW holdings, and finally, we visited the Diamond Chain Company which is one of the few bicycle related factories that are still ‘standing and in operation’.
On Saturday afternoon our participants had the opportunity to tour the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track and museum. Indianapolis bicycle leaders Carl Fisher, James Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank Wheeler were the original founders of the track.
The hall adjacent to the lecture area was a “bringing together” of the conference participants and local members of The Wheelmen and the Hoosier Antique & Classic Bicycle Club exhibited their Indiana bicycles and ephemera. Knowledgeable members of the clubs conversed with the conference participants about the bicycles being displayed and the rich Indiana cycling history.
The Indianapolis ICHC conference was a success after years of postponing due to COVID. The number of attendees was lower than hoped but the quality of the presentations were fabulous. Thank you to all the presenters and everyone that helped make it a success.
CHAMPIONS ARE BORN HERE
For more information contact Tammy.
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