goodluck portland...

unfortunately houston just couldn't happen. sometimes sh*t happens? in any case, i hear portland is all systems go...goodluck out there today kids. ride safe but more importantly...ride fast? don't forget chicago, milwaukee, and any other midwest city...we're only two weeks away from velocity hitting our neck of the woods. check cyclehawk for more info...peace.

bag competition...

as we all may or may not know...the naccc's are hitting boston pretty soon. that being said...chrome-bags is having a competition for the event...



Chrome is looking for a kick-ass design to be embroidered on this years 1st place bags for the NACCC. Winner gets a $200 Chrome gift certificate, bragging rights, & your design will be featured on the Chrome Website, Blog, and Facebook page, linking to your website (if you have one). Up for the challenge?

there are certain guidelines you have to follow if you want to enter. head over to their blog for more info. good luck to all who participate. more importantly...don't forget to register for the naccc's...peace.

a personal moment...

we will return to bikes, messengers, and badassity later on.

im at a loss for words at the moment. we went to the doctor the other day. the lady doctor pulled out a microphone looking machine and put it on my wife's stomach. a minute later there was silence and then...bump, bump, bump, bump...

can you f*cking believe it?!! i can't. it's still somewhat unreal to me. we're having a kid. a little j.dot if you will. i don't know what to do or say. all i did was look at my wife but could barely hold the stare...i thought i might lose it. funny how a simple sound can bring up such emotions. thank God the lady doctor was there to talk and talk cause it really helped me out.

what can i say? what can i do? i have no way to repay my wife for everything she's done and given me. she said "yes" when i asked her on a date...she said "yes" when i asked her to marry me...and now, she's carrying our kid. there's absolutely nothing in this world that i can give her to make things even. jess has given me so much and im sitting here typing trying to figure out what i can do to return all the great gifts she has given me.

sorry jess...the best i can do is try. there aren't enough "love you's" and gestures in the world to repay for everything. my wife is a blessing that i do not deserve but am happy that she continues to be with me. like i said...all i can do is try jess. i will try to repay you everyday of my life. i know that even when it's all said and done it still won't be enough but believe me when i say...i will die trying to make things even. i love my wife...i love you jess...peace.

they're your legs...

i never understand how some cats route themselves. in my head im always thinking that cats should drop and pick in straight lines unless i say anything different. i mean...why would you want to go pass some of your drops? i know, i know...you're trying to make some deliveries on time but if you just route yourself in straight lines then it'll all get done in time and without over exerting yourself(imo). if not, it's not that huge of a deal to be five minutes late on something...thats why you have me. i make calls to notify clients of lateness...for the most part they all understand. i guess i should say that i sometimes make calls...ha!

anyway, only chicago cats might understand this...i give 6731 two, one out of the tower, 233 south wacker, and one out of 208 south lasalle. one is going to the hill and the other up north at about 625 mich or something. sooooo...pick two up in the south loop and head northeast. easy enough until...

suburban dispatch...say julio. i got a driver starring at 6731. can he give him two drops in the loop. he's gotta head out soon.

j.dot...umm, where are they going?

s.dispatch...lets see. 1 north dearborn and 123 north wacker.

...in my head this didn't sound like a problem. i said go ahead and off everyone went. 6731 decides to grab everything and drops the 123 north wacker first. makes sense cause he's about three blocks from it. then im thinking he'll go to 1 north dearborn cause it's literally on the way to the hill on his way north east. well, it's off by a block or two but not that big of a detour. he decides to head on the hill the up north to 625 mich. this means he crossed the river. go back to one of my posts for a reference point of sorts...here. not a big deal but when you have to go over the bridges in chicago it could be pretty annoying. so, now he's up north holding a loop run. what does he do? he crosses the river again to drop that one without calling me.

if you're gonna do something like that at least call to see if i have something taking you back. he just zig-zag'd himself for no reason. i didn't say a word to him. we're slow and silly sh*t like that doesn't affect anything but when we're busy routing yourself all wrong not only hurts the board but your legs which are a valuable asset as messengers know. with how slow it's been i haven't been able to route cats properly but when they do it to themselves i sometimes cringe. sorry about the silly dispatching story and i apologize to those who cant really understand what happened cause you live in a different city. just know that it doesn't make sense...ha!

i know that when i was out there i wanted to do the jobs quickly but in an energy saving manner. all im saying is...well...they're your legs not mine...peace.

berlin warning...

im sure everything will be fine but just in case...from londonfgss.com...

This eMail is about the Fixed-Gear-Bike-Berlin-Police-Issue, about where we will be when and what you can do before the races kick off on saturday and some other things as well.

1. Fixed Gears and the Berliner Polizei
There are a lot of rumours, the facts are like this: If you get
stopped with a fixed-gear without a front brake, and you are unlucky,
the cops will confiscate your bike. Since April, this happened over 15
times already.

The Problem is, that no-one knows how long they‘ll keep the bike,
there has been no court-decision yet. It even is unclear, if the cops
are allowed to confiscate the bikes, but some do it anyways.

What you can do is:
(a) When they are about to confiscate the bike, say „Ich widerspreche ausdrücklich der Sicherstellung meines Fahrrades“. So they will have to call a judge, and you won‘t need a lawyer to get your bike back. You can „Widersprechen“ later. There is one guy who already got his bike back that way, but after three weeks.).

Attach a front brake.

Media covering the ECMC will definitely be interested in the Fixed-
Gear-Toipc. What we tell them is: Couriers are not interested in the
Style, Hipness and the „Adrenalin-Rush“ involved, but need a cheap,
easy to maintain ride that enables them to make as much money as
possible during the days on the streets. No courier has any interest
in smashing into cars and in hitting pedestrians, as usually both
events results in injuries and no money. That‘s what we‘ll try to
communicate, what you tell them is of course your decision.

oh-man...i would hate to get my bike confiscated. im sure everything will work out and not too much drama will go down but if you know me...well, i just needed to post something...ha! seriously...good luck to all going/attending. like i've said before...i can't wait to see all the footage/pictures from the ecmc09-berlin...peace.

some friends...

nope...they're not messengers but lets give them the benefit of the doubt. just jazzin'...wait, one of them might have been and maybe some food delivery in there but we all know that doesn't count...ha! check out team beer'd...these kids are putting together a race going down on june 6th...peace.

less than a week away...

click on image to enlarge...

may 28th messengers will try to destroy the events berlin has put together at this years ecmc. check out the great race course...

click on image to enlarge...

it's an old airport that is no longer in use...

At the end of October 2008, after years of public debate and ultimately a fairly unanimous public vote, Tempelhof airport closed its doors to air traffic forever, with no solid plans for its mid- to long-term future. Bad news for people who travel a lot by private jet, or have a job which necessitates getting to Brussels from Kreuzberg in under an hour three times a day. As for the rest of us, its closure presents the opportunity to utilize its copious system of access roadstoward the purpose of creating what could possibly be the most exciting racecourse ever seen at an international event. Steep climbs/descents, hairpin turns, TUNNELS, distance and more await those hungry for high speeds in an all-asphalt and concrete racing environment.

they have alot in store to try and break messengers from all over the world...disciplines...

main race
team race
cargo race
sprints
uphill sprints
goldsprints
fixed gear events
-best trick
-skid comp
-trackstand
-backward circles
-foot down
bike polo
slow race
mechanical bull

...whew! that's a sh*t ton of events. i believe they have close to 700 participants already registered. that in itself is an amazing job. i can't wait to check out all the footage and pictures of the event. i'll end this post in their words...

The bottom line is we will be throwing a once-off, staggering, spine-tingling, nerve-jangling, goose-pimpling ECMC slap bang in the middle of the German capital.

And you would be very unlucky to have missed it.

i already feel unlucky...peace.

welcome to guatemala...

the video is in spanish but has english subtitles. if you don't want to listen to the video just know that this man was a lawyer that created this video with the instructions to please air it if he was to die. he claims the president of guatemala himself is responsible for his death...holy sh*t!! i thought sh*t like this only happened in the movies. this just makes me feel angry, sad, and a whole bunch of other emotions. the man had four children that will no longer have a father. at least those children will know that they can be proud of their father for fighting for what he believes is right.

the chicago sun-times has a piece on it here...also, this might be boring to you cats but this is the protests that followed...



damn near started crying at about 5:30 when the guatemalan national athem plays.

why post this on a bike messenger blog? well...can't wait for the worlds next year in guatemala...peace.

thoughts and prayers...

got word of this through the ccu...

The fastest craziest messenger in Mpls committed suicide last night. His name was Terry, and he was known as the "Suicide King." He recently got in a bad wreck and shattered his leg. Myself and others suspect he thought he could never ride his bike again. A lot of folks in the bike community here are fucked up about it.

no matter the reasons the messenger community has lost a soldier. never knew him but don't need to. as we all know...an injury to one is an injury to all. my thoughts and prayers are with those who knew him...family and friends. ride safe...peace.

rain and pain...

man.o.man...it would not stop raining on friday. it started early and would go on and off and then, don't remember what time it was, it just didn't stop. the crew just kept hustling along. as you cats know...i work the later shift. not by much but enough that it isn't easy telling messengers to stick around one extra hour with me after they've been getting p*ssed on the entire day. i managed to hold onto a couple of them but let go of all but the usual two at about 1730 or so. thank you to all who came out to play in that silliness. it was warm but the rain just made it miserable.

it's friday, which means it's also payday. that sort of makes the rainy day go away. well...not really cause of how slow it's been but at least you get some loot to try and drink your sorrows away. in any case, i bring in 6758...

j.dot...wtf happened to you?!

6758...i just took a spill. my hand is bleeding.

...it wasn't much blood and he was fine. im sure he wasn't planning on ending the day like that. i say goodnight and he rolls out. turns out he forgot his keys...not sure where he was but i call him in case he wants to come back. later on i bring in 6774...

j.dot...wtf?! you too?!

6774...i just hit a nasty pothole. didn't see it cause of the rain.

...the man's side was hurting and, you guessed it, his hand was also bleeding. got some gauze and peroxide along with some band-aids. his accident was a bit harder than five-eight's. 7-4 was visibly hurt but ok. just needed to rest a bit. then 6758 walks back into the office to pick up his keys...

j.dot...you gotta be kidding me. wtf happened?!

6758...i just hit a pot hole and went down again.

...what the h*ll was going on is beyond me. it just wasn't his or both of their days. this time around 6758's hand was bleeding alot more. got more band-aids and gave him the peroxide. i asked about the bikes and walked outside to check them out. 6758's wheel was completely jacked. there is no way he could ride out on it. 6774 twisted his bars a bit but it wasn't that big of a deal.

sometimes i don't know how cats stick around. even on payday, when the weekend is supposed to start, the day is miserable. you get rained on all day, get a not so nice check, and then cap it off with accidents. i gotta give it up to my/our crew...we got some soldiers...peace.

cimb'09...

well...the first ever spanish messenger championships happened over the weekend. cimb09...



i thought for sure it would be like the houston velocity where nothing else would be heard about it but i was wrong...we have proof that it actually happened...

dave...1st place...

nice turnout...

fighting for the package...

nasty climb...some walked...

damn...feeling the burn...

wtf?! why?!

cargo racing...

i searched and searched for proof and found it through traffic-mutants. head over there if you want the results...not sure if anyone will know who they are but...well, why not? also for all the pics head over to biciplegable...click on the fotos. i would say to read but you must know spanish so good luck. also...check out TrafficMutants flickr. looks like it was good times all around...cargo sprints, main race, polo, some more sprints, probably drinking and cussing? keep your eyes peeled for more pics and vids...im sure they'll get them up sometime soon.

i tip my hat to our spanish speaking brothers and sisters. good job. on a similar note, don't forget chicago...velocity is less then a month away. lets do it up properly and show the world what we got. it hits portland next...houston, we're still waiting on you...wtf happened?! pics or it didn't happen...peace.

customer service...

j.dot...my messenger is having trouble locating you. he notified the concierge to direct him to the executive offices and he was sent two levels down.

customer...so whats the problem? im two levels down. i had this exact same order earlier today and you didn't have any trouble.

j.dot...i apologize mam. it's harder for some than others. anyway...the order says to go to the concourse level and then to the executive offices. you are clearly not on the concourse level.

customer...what? im right here. where is your messenger?!

j.dot...well, he said he's on the gold level which is two levels down where you said to head to.

customer...i never even heard of the gold level!! this is ridiculous.

...this went on for about five more minutes. back and forth we went. i couldn't win with the lady. maybe the concierge switched shifts and the later shift didn't know where she was located. turns out she was located on the bronze level. did you guys read what i just said? she's on the damn BRONZE level...if there's a bronze level how did she not know there was a gold level?!?! if she's on the bronze level how can she be on the concourse level also? she's like freaking night-crawler. in any case...the messenger was finally on his way to right location and she just kept going...

customer...this is ridiculous. my package is going to be late.

j.dot...well mam. there was some miscommunication as to where you were located but...

customer...what? you picked up this same order ear...

j.dot...mam. i don't have time to argue. please give the package to my messenger so he can hopefully make your package on time. if you have any further questions i can direct you to our customer service rep.

...she then hung up and made sure she told my messenger..."THIS BETTER GET DELIVERED FAST!" 6774 calls me...

6774...wow.

j.dot...i know, i know. what a great day to end the day...just keep rocking out. get rid of the other packages you have. just get rid of everything you have in order. not our fault if it's late.

...6774 rocked the package out quickly. i was sort of hoping he would have taken his time but he probably just wanted to get home already. he usually sticks around with me late but this time i told him to just call it a day. it's been slow and stressful and to deal with silly customers...well, sucks!

today i received a phone call...

customer...whats the quickest you can deliver from 20 north michigan to 676 north st.clair.

j.dot...well, we have a 30 minute service.

customer...you could charge me whatever you want. can't you make it quicker?

...ofcourse it could get done quicker but our quickest service is 30 minutes. im not going to guarantee some silly time...what if we don't make it? then that falls on me. not only that...i know many in our crew who can make this happen but at what expense? no package is worth doing super silly sh*t. i know cats like to fly and blaze through lights and whatnot but im not going to act like i condone it...especially not to a client. how much trouble would that cause me?

j.dot...no mam. our quickest service is 30 minutes. it might get there earlier but that would depend on traffic and elevators. other than that i can't ask my messengers to break the laws.

...she didn't say anything except..."i'll just take it myself in a cab". it sucks cause the last thing i want to do is deny work but im also not going to risk anything or anyone. man...times are tough and these clients are really starting to get to me. im usually really nice but for some reason...eh, it is what it is...peace.

crush, kill, destroy...

this is how work feels lately...STRESS!!!



paperwork up the a*s!! dispatching sucks cause there's no work to dispatch. instead of being challenged on how to route cats we're being challenged on how to keep 20+ cats happy while we get 2 runs an hour...wtf?! alright, alright...im exaggerating a bit but not really. lately i feel like just f*cking screaming when i get out of work. i could only imagine what the crew is going through. they're the ones that are really being affected by the non-existent work. f*ck all the analysts that say the economy is turning around.

on another note, for all the young hip-hop heads...yes pharoahe monch was around before simon says...peace.

moving on...

we lost 6664 this week. moving on to bigger and better things. something about being some mad scientist or something. i wish him all the best. he left once and had to come back...this time, i hope he doesn't. not cause of his skills cause the man was a horse who showed up no matter what the weather was like and was the first to check in and if i had to...was the last to check out. i just hope this new stage in his life works out and he's able to do what he's been wanting to do.



on a similar note, im on the way home when i get a call from 6706...he's moving on to bigger and better things also. he's going to be some big photographer for some skateboard company of sorts. sorry kid...i know you told me the company but the radio cut out right at that point...ha! check out the man's skills.

good luck to the both of you. good luck to any and all that come in and out of the doors of messengering...peace.

have you seen her?

i hear the lovely gina has been missing from her usual location on madison and franklin.


anyone know if she's on her yearly vacation or where she is? she's been gone all week. hope she's doing alright...chicago definitely misses her...especially messengers. keep me posted...



...peace.

memories...

the young lady who help put together cyclecourier.org is putting together another nice event in new york...from cass...

i promised no embarrassing pics...

Hey Ya'll

I am going to be curating a show displaying shirts from messenger events from the last dozen or so years. It's going to be going down the weekend before the NACCC during the NY pre-event at Boneshakers in Brooklyn. Boneshakers is a cycling themed vegetarian cafe, co founded by Brad from Trackstar (sorry if you didn't get wind of this brad, i took it up with meghan!) The show will be up all weekend but SATURDAY JULY 25th, there will be an opening mimosa breakfast/ brunch, preceding a group ride to the track for the VELOCITY CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Mostly on display we will be showing shirts from events all over the country, and hopefully the world. Each shirt will give short details of the event, designer, and the owner of the piece. We hope to also be able to show a select group of custom bags from relevant events, and a very select group of spoke cards.

For this I NEED YOUR HELP AND YOUR SHIRTS! I'm looking especially for older shirts (beat up, stained, cut up), and shirts from rare events. We'd also like to get a entire history of NACCC and worlds shirts, and I would love to get as many ECMC shirts as I could possibly get! I will pay for all shipping costs if you live far. all items will be returned the weekend after the NACCC in Boston.

I will update the below list as I secure more submissions. Contact me at cassandra.perplexed@gmail.com

THANKS!

SHIRTS WE ALREADY HAVE

cmwc dublin 07

cmwc sydney 06

cmwc new york 05

naccc chicago 08

naccc SF 07

naccc philly 06

naccc portland 05

ecmc warsaw 04

east coast messenger chumpionships 07

bombtrack berlin 04

Dancing with Death Dublin ?

kyoto loco 05

Milwaukee Messenger Invitational 4 ?

Monstertrack 06

panamexperience ecmc preevent paris 08

Ruedas en Fuego Barcelone 09

superheros NY 06

west side portland 06

west side portland 04

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

seems like a cool event. i know i got a couple shirts laying around somewhere but im sorta attached to them. we'll see...i might be willing to let go of them. good luck...peace.

a month and change...

velocity attacks it's next city this weekend...houston...



keep an eye on cyclehawk for updates...im sure they'll post up results, pics, and whatnot. we're only a month and change away for velocity to land in chicago...peace.

game on...

oh-boy...looks like the japan kids got the venue...it's game on. registration is open for the cmwc'09-tokyo...

no need to click on pic to enlarge...it's just a bunch of number...ha!

if i were going i would hurry up and register that way you pick the number of your dreams...ha! in all seriousness...i would love to ride with either 753 or 912...all day! check out the program of events set up and be ready to dedicate about a week for all this madness. sh*t...if you could spare more than a week go right ahead. i wish i could make it. can't wait to see all the pics, videos, and whatnot from this week long event...peace.

cpvc-'09...

looks like the kids over in paris made it happen over the weekend. the results are in. check out the pics...

pics by j001...

pretty good turnout...don't be afraid to check out more of j001's pics of the race here. also...looks like the polo tournament was the best part...

pic by j001...

that is a great looking hard court if i've ever seen one. check out j001's polo pics here and don't skip the video found here...

BIKE POLO TOURNAMENT - CPCV09 from Androsky Knauer on Vimeo.

good job to everyone involved on what looks like a great time. i can only imagine what the ecmc in berlin will be like. for more on the cpvc-09 madness head to their site here...must know french to get through it though...peace.

sucks...

heard the news through ira when he posted it on chifg.com...



holy sh*t!! according to the sun-times...

A car crashed into a busy Loop Starbucks on State Street this morning, smashing a plate glass window but missing customers inside as well as pedestrians on the usually bustling sidewalk.

...

Josh Korby, a bike messenger, was inside the coffee shop when the Grand Am rammed the window.

“I heard a large crash and the wall starting shaking,” Korby said, while still sipping his coffee. “There was a lady standing by the revolving door and she jumped back.”

When Korby exited he realized his bike was a casualty.

“I thought, wait a minute, there’s a car on the sidewalk where my bike used to be,” he said.

His bike was mangled.



damn korby...im glad no one was seriously injured. hope you bounce back from this. i know it's silly but people get attached to their bikes and losing the bike can...well...suck. even more so for a messenger...it's what makes them money. for the entire story click here...peace.

if only...

the weather has taken a turn for...well, for the best...



if only the work would pick up so that it could be like the old days. the days when even when the weather was beginning to get nice the work was still there. when summer was on it's way and the smell of the summertime warrior was still a few weeks away. unfortunately...this isn't the case. work has been slow and everyone and their mama is coming in to apply for a job. im fighting to stay awake and our crew is fighting to pay the rent. they say the economy is slowly bouncing back but it'll be a while before we feel the effects.

why? well...if and when the economy bounces back and we're back to "normal" the courier industry might still feel the effects. companies will realize that cuts here and there could be made. the effects of this economy meltdown will bring companies new eyes in the future. saving money and preparing to not make future mistakes will affect us. couriers won't disappear and the work will still be there but how much is the question.

at least the weather has finally turned? i should end this on a good note...at least there are still good people to help get through these tough times...peace.