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1 total messages Started by Bob Allisat Mon, 21 Aug 1995 00:00
Cycle Messenger World Championships
#9
Author: Bob Allisat
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 1995 00:00
354 lines
13805 bytes
 SPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIALSPECIAL
 EDITIONEDITIONEDITIONEDITIONEDITIONEDITIONEDITIONEDITIONEDITION

  August       1          C y c l e                          The
   1 2          9         M e s s e n g e r                Robin
    +            9        W o r l d
   1 3            5       C h a m p i o n s h i p s         ...!

 E v e n t s    Bikes, bags, tattoos, bodies pierced, cigarettes, 
 v    o<   L    numbers tied to back seats or front pipes, bikes,
 e   (0)   o    men, women, mountain bikes, goatees, shaved heads,
 n --/|--- c    sweat, heat, sprint racing bikes, laughter, beer,
 t  Robin  a    smoke, bikes, Germans, Americans, ganga, tall
 s L o c a l    machine Danes, dogs, bikes, bike junk, bikes.....
 
 It was two good, strange, fun days in the hot Parkdale sun.
 The Cycle Messenger World Championships were held in the King
 Dufferin Warehouse district this weekend...
 
 Once upon a time these tall, huge buildings pumped early
 twentieth century low-tech products and pollutants out into
 the Dominion of Canada and the British Empire. Now all that
 shit is dead and done. The factories are stilled, quiet and
 occupied by painters and sculptors, dancers and bands, pit bull
 freak anti-racist skins, ACTORS and the assorted high and mighty
 riffraff that makes a society worth living in. Heavan in Hell.
 
 The buildings cast long tall big black shadows were the sun does
 not shine and the blue skies cast that odd light all over every-
 one. Beautiful days, Mongolian blue bowl above, wild and wicked
 perforations of colour below all on a street constant that gives
 it all a percolating weirdness.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  

     Excerpted from the CMWC race info sheet:

     IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT RUN OVER
     ANY SPECTATORS BIKES MUST BE LOCKED UP
     WHEN DELIVERING PACKAGES. WHEN A DELIVERY
     IS MADE YOU MUST GET YOUR TIME SHEET (WHICH
     WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
     RACE) STAMPED. PACKAGE MUST BE DELIVERED 
     INTACT. NO BENDING, NO CRUSHING, NO STICKING
     IT UP YOUR SHIRT OR DOWN YOUR PANTS. IF PACK-
     AGES ARE DAMAGED THEY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED
     FROM FINAL RESULTS. DISQUALIFICATIONS ARE
     FINAL, NO APPEALS. THERE HAS BEEN NO
     ATTEMPT TO MAKE THIS RACE FAIR. STREET
     JUSTICE IS ARBITRARY. RACE CAPTAIN HAS THE
     FINAL SAY.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

  C Y C L E    M E S S E N G E R    C O M P E T I T I O N 

   Here's how it works... all the people start together.
   on a closed track of city streets. The messengers 
   have a map of so many locations where they will be
   delivering parcels as fast as they can.

   They get so many packages that have to be delivered
   to the locations throughout the course. The fastest
   three or four make it through to the finals.

   The finals start with seven packages each person
   delivers to the various locations on the course. More
   and more packages are delivered and those falling
   behind the leaders are yanked from the race. Until
   there are just two left. And they fight it out to a
   final delivery lap when only one person wins.
 
  C Y C L E    M E S S E N G E R    C O M P E T I T I O N 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

                      T R I A L S

        Trials this year involved riding a bike over
        a Renault Le Car.  This is accomplished by
        bumping, jumping, trick wheelies and fancy
        spinning.  It happened late Saturday night 
        in front of the other couriers and a few 
        spectators.  Late Nite, uncut, fans only...
 
                      T R I A L S
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
  THE RACE the race THE RACE the race THE RACE the race
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

 Words of wisdom
 from the bikers
 at the start....          

   
  :: ...Five double capachinos.

  ;; ...We're couriers. 
  ;; ...We don't have wisdom.
 
  >> ...I'm gonna whip this fucker!
  >> ...I'm gonna whip some Deutsch ass!

  -> ...Don't crash. Focus.

  <> ...eat fuck kill

  ## ...Don't get cool.

  !< ...Let's not crash.

  %% ...Ride fast, think straight.

  ** ...Drive fast, safety last.

  -= ...Don't fall in front of the pack.

  }} ...Wisdom? Keep in the shade.

    _____________________________________

       day                    sun
       shining      blue barriers 
       looking at the sky
       it all doesn't exist
       look down
       it still does not exist
       look around
       look all around
       look around and around
       and it's real enough
       walk away
       and it's real enough
       close your eyes
       and it's real enough
       open your eyes
       and it's all a fucking unreality
       un
       re
       al 
       it
       tee
      there are video cameras all around and photographers
      at the start. The bike guy with the blow horn is telling
      the finalists in English and German what's up and I wander
      away to the ramps to wait for the bikes to come.


            There's nobody in the world
            that will do anything for you
            but yourself


     they're bitching about how long it takes for the race to start
     I tune out and play games in my mind about stones and what it
     would be like to live in the abandoned warehouses, what it is
     like to live in the occupied ones. Games about riding my bike
     in the race or just dreamings about the sights.

    There is a stirring far off and the first bikes go by the 
      space between the building where we can see them. 
     they ride around red brick ex-factory and down
   a street to reappear up
  between two more buildings where
   the people have to ride up one ramp
      and down another onto a gravel alley where one of
     pick-ups/drops are.... in a coffee shop
   round and round the course they go
      racing to the finish.
        finish? - of what?
          the big yellow banner flaps

                       I
               can read the words

                       I
              can't read the words

                       I 
          don't want to read the words
                   
           words mingling with the bikes
         pink  polka dot  violet  blue                      
        amber yellow radioactive green
          skin brown  skin bloody  skin
              finish? of what?
                 we wait and wait and wait
                   and the people get restless  
                     to see the event
                       starting and finishing
  but all I can think is why come if it's just to see a winner
   to spectate and not to participate together in something
      I guess that's why everyone went home last night
                  and missed the trials
               it's all like day and night
                  where's there
      a beginning or an end to it?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

       The Boston Nudie Boys...

 The Boys from Boston peel down and do the race buck darned
 naked, wheeling around the track balls jangling, people
 laughing and cheering, cocks slapping in the breeze.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
                      ODE TO MY BIKE
                 ODE TO BIKES COLLECTIVELY
                  ODE TO THE BIKE CONCEPT
                   ODE TO BIKE UNIVERSAL
                        ODE TO BIKE
 
                            BIKE

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
                                  Guido. With a 'd'...
                                 Guido... purple hair,
    o<                          smiles and talks while
     Robin                     smoking and looks you
      interviews              straight in the eye. 
       Guido                 Bike courier in Frankfurt
        from                and has riden here in
         Frankfurt,         Toronto. Knocked out in
          Germany...      first heats. We talked
                         sitting beside the track
                        before the finals began.  
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
          o< You enjoying yourself?

    Guido - Lots of fun.

      
          o< And how 'bout the competition?

    Guido - I fucked up yesterday.


          o< Why do you come?

    Guido - I worked here for two and a half months.
            I came back to see all my friends.

            
          o< What's the difference for bike couriers?
 
    Guido - Way bigger. Way more higher buildings. 
            Differant. More dangerous especially 
            Friday afternoons. We have lots of bike
            trails so we don't have to ride on the 
            street... bike trails all through the
            city.

 
          o< Everywhere?
 
    Guido - No, not everywhere. Especially on the
            main streets.

           
          o< And do people use them?
 
    Guido - People use it. The problem is if you go
            over 30 miles per hour you have to leave
            them. If the cops catch you you will get
            a ticket. I didn't know that 'til three
            years!

 
          o< Here bikes are toys. There?
 
    Guido - More cyclists.More couriers. Faster, more
            clean...


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
          o<         He's going to take a picture.
         Robin        Peppe has a camera.
        interviews     Peppe's a tall nice person
       Peppe            tells me all about 
      from               things sitting on
     Oslo,                the curb at the
    Norway...              finish line
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
        o< You been having a good time here?

    Peppe - It's been great. I made a lot of new friends.

        o< How was the course?

    Peppe - I like the course. They had all the elements, the
            ramps and streets. I liked the combination of the
            route and the streets. It's great for people to look
            as well.

        o< Do you love your bike?

    Peppe - Yea - I'm almost living on it so I have to. It like
            becomes a part of me. I have to take care of it and
            look after it - and it pays back when you look after
            it.

        o< Give me five words - five words that tell me about this
           event...

    Peppe - Bike. Friends.

        o< That's says it all. Thank you Peppe.

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
        Peppe is with 1-BUD Couriers in Oslo... 
        1 BUD means first Bike couriers in Oslo
        and the first in terms of commitment ... 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

                         Results
                         *******

1995 Cycle Messenger Trial Champions     Next year the event
 1st.....Jag.........Tubourg, Germany       will be held in
 2nd.....Joe Dias.....Toronto, Canada        SaN FrAncisCo
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

 1995 Womens Cycle Messenger World Champions    Bike Name

 1st....Ivonne Kraft.......Karlsruhe, Germany . . Jumpy
 2nd....Andrea Hilken......Bremen, Germany. . . . what?
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

 1995 Mens Cycle Messenger World Champions      Bike Name

 1st....Lars Urban.........Nuremburg, Germany . . Larsov
 2nd....Thomas Saurwein....Karlsruhe, Germany . . Eddie Herza
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

           The FINISH spray painted on the road
       was passed over by many bikes more than these...
            it was the others who made the race
    without them no parties no race no fun no sex no noise
                 Who gives a fuck who wins?
                     Everyone and no-one.

 TheRobinLocalEventsTheRobinLocalEventsTheRobinLocalEventsTheRobin
 
 The Robin is an E-Journal following local events in the West End
 of Toronto, Canada. Please look for the next edition of The Robin
 in tor.general, ont.general or can.general. The Robin is published
 by Bob Allisat & is happy to get submissions about any Local news.
 Send Submissions/comments to  The Robin,  PO Box 191 Station E,
 Toronto, Canada M5H 4E2  or to <robin@non.com>. Transmission over.
 
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