As part of our "eBay finds" series, we've scoured the web to find the best deals and most interesting sales from the cycling world. But today's find is not from eBay. On Amazon, we found the autobiography of the sport's first black world champion, Major Taylor.

Marshall Walter 'Major' Taylor raced on tracks around the world between 1896 and 1910, winning races in the US and Europe and setting world records.

The second black athlete to become a world champion in any sport (after Canadian boxer George Dixon), Taylor won the men's sprint event at the 1899 World Athletics Championships in Montreal.

During his illustrious athletic career, Taylor set numerous world records on the track ranging from 1/5 mile to 2 miles. Often racing in front of crowds of thousands, he earned $35,000 (an astronomical sum for the time) on the 1903 World Tour and won 40 of the 57 races during his stay in Europe.

Taylor is a legend for his countless victories, enormous talent, and speed, but his legacy lies almost entirely in his fight against overt racism and prejudice in the white professional athletic ranks.

Taylor was persecuted by restaurants, hotels, and race organizers, especially in the American South.

He detailed these events in his autobiography and added them as an inspiration to black athletes who suffer similar treatment. Taylor paved the way to challenge segregation and racism in sports, and his actions serve as an inspiration even today, when systemic racism and police brutality are sweeping protests across the United States and Europe.

Today, tributes to Major Taylor hang in Indianapolis and his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts. He was posthumously inducted into the USA Cycling and UCI Halls of Fame, and Indianapolis is home to the Major Taylor Velodrome.

Major Taylor's autobiography, The Fastest Rider in the World, is available in paperback on Amazon for £15.49 ($18.95) and on Kindle for £3.95 ($4.95).