Woody Hedspath

Woody Headspeth (June 14, 1881 – April 16, 1941) was an American professional cyclist.

Woody Headspeth, also known as Hedspeth or Hedspath, was an early African American cyclist, first in the United States (U.S.), and later in Europe, where he was often listed as Hedspath. He was not as successful as Major Taylor who was the 1899 ICA Track Cycling World Champion. Major Taylor and Woody Headspeth were friends. Headspeth also worked as a bicycle mechanic. In 1904, he returned to the United States and competed in a race in Dayton, OH, where he established a new hour record. Headspeth would return to Europe, and together with the Bohemian Emanuel Kudela, he placed second in a 24-hour race at the Velodrome in Steglitz near Berlin, Germany.

In Europe, racism and prejudices were less strong than in the States, but still there were some problems. When Headspeth competed in Amsterdam in 1905, all of the cyclists’ countries were mentioned in the program brochure, except for Headspeth; behind his name was written the word “negro“.

In his private life, Headspeth had been married in the U.S. in 1899.