WEEKENDS OUT OF THE CITY

The life of most full time messengers is somewhat perilous. The life of most full time messengers is a life where you are the master of your daily choices, yet there is common threads linking each other and the down time is often spent together talking and waiting for work or just glad to be off work. The scene of many assembled for a sort of group therapy is somewhat routine. The routine becomes a problem in the eyes of "upstanding" citizens and a source of action for the police.

I am on this subject because I was wondering about the ultimate benefit of racing bicycles besides the ability to stave off aging phisically thru exercise. There is another benefit besides that of the dipping into the fountain of youth, and that is the benefit of staying out of trouble.

Trouble comes in many forms. The most common for messengers involve fights, disorderly conduct in general, and other infractions which are against the law. The recognition that it will hurt to participate in a race with only four hours of sleep will, or should, result in getting a more standard quantity of rest the night before; and maybe even a couple of nights in a row.

Mainstream racers with a career are somewhat the opposite in that for them it is their way to cut loose a little. The wife is nagging and the kids are wanting to get their demands fulfilled, but this is the career guys way to cut loose a little and take a chance. To live a little and take a risk in the pack. To go run wild some and then get back in the routine hopefully without the order being lost at home. All this breaking away done within legal parameters of course. The cost of the race and fuel is not really a concern.

In summary the career person and the messenger often have two large seperating factors. One is that for the messenger: the race itself does not really pose that much risk compared to the daily life in live traffic weekdays, but keeps the individual from possible negative consequences stemming from late nights. As opposed to the salary rider who is taking a risk leaving the nest and relative safety, to go carouse in a race. Secondly, the delivery person in the summer often gets less pay than other times of the year and spends it out and about, thus it does put a burden on the budget unless he or she is thrifty...soo the prize purse does matter and those pennies are very important to get back. ( I call them dollars but I guess it is a matter of perspective) OK ,..Soo out of trouble or in trouble. Worried about the gas and entry or simply aloof as far as those trivial matters go. Different strokes ..same race. ( PHOTO INFO )

Global Gutz was a time trial race in which every city in the world could hold their own race and the format was provided online...the race was to be as flat as possible and thirteen miles long. There was to be five checkpoints thru or along the course..the best time for each city gets posted and the best time among the worlds cities compared and a winner selected. 2002 there was somewhere only like 680 entries and I won by 45 seconds I believe. Flight money was given to go to Copenhagen and compete in another messenger race : the messenger world championships...another story spins off from there but anyway. the dupont circle scene of messengers is pretty old and couriers do not congregate there anymore bc Dupont Circle neighborhood assoc. cracked down and got the police to put the heat on. I guess most can recognize the furry freak as myself.