Marco Speeks, founder of Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy, has won the 2026 Trailblazer Award — and talked with the League of American Bicyclists about making Michigan the first state with an official Major Taylor Day.
Michigan Made Cycling History. Marco Speeks Isn’t Done.
When Mark “Marco” Speeks learned he’d won the 2026 Trailblazer Award from the Major Taylor International Cycling Alliance, his first thought went to the people who helped make it happen. “Governor Whitmer’s proclamation was a team effort,” he said. “This recognition belongs to everyone who rode with us.”
That’s typical for Marco. As founder and executive director of Major Taylor Michigan Cycling Advocacy, his days are usually about smaller things — a school visit, a bike rack, helping someone get to work. Awards are just moments to notice the work is spreading.
This one follows two others: a Youth Empowerment Award from the League of American Bicyclists, and Governor Whitmer’s proclamation making September 15 the first-ever statewide Major Taylor Day in the country.
Getting it done
MTMCA built a coalition — the League of American Bicyclists, Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society, Bike Friendly Kalamazoo, and the League of Michigan Bicyclists — and made the case through history, education, civil rights, and athletics. Marshall “Major” Taylor was the first Black American world champion in any sport, an international star years before Jackie Robinson or Jesse Owens. As Marco put it, the story wasn’t hidden. It just needed someone to organize around it.
Advice for other states
Start with the story, not the politics, Marco says. Then do the groundwork: draft the proclamation, gather documentation, collect letters of support. MTMCA is now helping other states run their own campaigns — reach out at marks@mtmca.org or MTMCA.org.
Just the beginning
Marco sees Michigan as a first step, not the finish line. He wants a Congressional Gold Medal for Taylor and a permanent place in how American history is taught.
“What we did in Michigan is a chapter, not the conclusion,” he said. “The goal is a day when a young cyclist in Atlanta, or Detroit, or Los Angeles knows exactly who Major Taylor was.”
Read the full Q&A with Marco Speeks on the League of American Bicyclists’ website.
