Friday the 15th of October, A day I remember forever. For this was the day that I took part in my very first Alley cat.
To say I was nervous before would be an understatement. I arrived at the Clerk and Well at about 7 and registered to race with Overdrive. I began to feel the nerves raise a but more with every passing minute, that and the fact it was getting colder by the second, so I popped into the pub and got a pint of Kronenburg to warm me up and for a bit of Dutch courage. The Kronenburg and the half a pack of Marlboro lights that I smoked in the hour leading up to the race seemed to help.
Finally at about 8:30 we were called down to the start, I jumped on my bike and all I could feel was my knees locking up through the waiting around and the coldness. once I got moving though everything freed up.
We got to the start line on Warner street and was told to go to the viaduct above the road, so 29 of us pile up the steps and looked down to see our bikes being moved around, just to make it more interesting.
Finally we were almost ready to go. The first checkpoint destination was being held below us and all you could see was flashing red and white lights like a mass of Christmas trees brightly flashing in the cold night air.
Everyone was ready and pumped up, Adrenalin was beginning to kick in now and the nerves were slowly making their way out of my mind. Then the words everyone was waiting eagerly to hear were shouted.......
"GO"
Everyone rushed down the steps to find out where we had to go and to try and find our bikes.
The Renoir Cinema on Brunswick square was our first destination, Now I was more excited then nervous so much so I completely lost all sense of were I was heading. So the only logical thing to do was to follow the crowd, Thankfully it worked and I arrived at the first Checkpoint probably in about 15th place.
The next checkpoint was at Leicester Place, just off Leicester Square, again I think the excitement got the better of me. I knew where it was but as soon as I got to Leicester Square I took a wrong turn and ended up having to stop and have a look at my A-Z to regain my bearings, This cost me valuable time and probably dropped me down a few places. Finally I found it and was then sent to Charlie Chaplin Walk which is underneath the Imax.
Again I had no idea where this actual road was but I knew where the Imax was so it was only a matter of process of elimination. I make my way down the Strand and across Waterloo Bridge and proceeded down the path that leads to Upper ground then down the path at the side, where I realised that I had head down the underpass, Finally I had found a checkpoint with out to many problems or the use of my A-Z .
The Next Checkpoint I was sent to the Barbican, Finally somewhere I knew without any problems, thanks partly due to the fact that my office is 5 minutes away from the Barbican, So off I go heading back over the Waterloo Bridge around Aldwych and up Fetter lane, where I get to Holborn Circus and wait for a break in traffic and go for it. By this time I know have about 5 people following me. kind of Ironic seen as this is my first cat and Im a complete novice.
I get to the Barbican and get my next destination, the City sprint office on Scrutton Street, Now this is one of those places where you have been a million times bit in the heat of the moment you forget where it is. I knew it was off Paul Street but just couldn't remember where about it was. Finally I found it and get to the check point where we have to write a joke on the card for Seamus ( the injured courier for whom the Cat was arranged for) I went with the Classic and my all time favourite of " did you hear about the magic Tractor? it turned into a field"
By this point I'm beginning to feel it a bit and my legs are beginning to tire and I am in desperate need of a beer.
Thankfully I am informed that the next checkpoint is in fact the last one where there will be beer waiting for me.
So this is it the final leg of what has been a truly exhilarating experience, it didnt feel like I had been riding for probably close to an hour. The time had flown by.
So off to Acton Mews in search of beer and fellow racers, I still have one guy in tow as well, so I know as long as I can stay in front of him then I wont get the DFL- Dead Fucking Last.
I know that once i have reached the canal I am only yards away from finishing, I see the road rise and I know that I am almost there, I turn the corner and I see a mass of people and bikes I pedal that little bit harder to ensure that the guy behind me wont pass me and I'm there, I have finished, I have completed my first Alley Cat and I havent come last, my mission has been accomplished
I am greeted by Overdrive and all the other racers, at this point I have no idea where I finished in the race, I know I didnt win and I know I didnt come last. I grab a beer and try to work out where I finished, slowly but urely a few more riders turn up, In dribs and drabs some in two and threes and some on their own.
eventually I work out that there are at least 9 people that have come in behind me, so I work out that I must have finished about 20th, Im getting prouder and prouder with every rider that comes in behind me.
Finally the Last rider comes in and thats it the race is run and everyone is in a good mood, the beer is flowing and so are the stories, of close calls with cars, how a rider got a ticket by the cops in Leicester Square and feel off her bike and didnt make it to the other checkpoints.
The presentations are made and its announced that we made £130 for Seamus and it make you feel like you have done something special for someone.
I can safely say that was one of the most exhilarating experience of my life and that there will most definitely be more races to come, I had so much fun and I am really looking forward to the next race.
10-4
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Saturday, 9 October 2010
The story so far.................
Well seen as this is my first ever blog post I guess I better introduce myself, Im Gary and I am a bike messenger in London, England. I go by the name TO Messenger because that is where I discovered my love of Being a Bike messenger, In Toronto, Canada.
I went to Canada in February 0f 2008 looking for a change, I had grown tired of England, the way of life and everything that it stood for. A change was needed and fast. So I worked my ass off for 6 month doing two jobs working from 8 am until 5 doing my day job of being a builder/plumber and then from 6pm until midnight as a barman. I did this 3 or 4 times a week and most of the weekend.
Finally the day arrived, my visa had been granted, the money had been saved and the flight was booked. It had finally dawned on my friends and family that I was going, so one cold February morning my bags were packed and I was heading to Heathrow ready to catch my flight to the wonders of Canada. I went out there knowing no body, having nothing planned apart from a hotel booking for 3 nights.
When I arrived it was a shock to the system, it was -20 degrees and snowing. I had never seen that much snow in my life, let alone feel temperatures of that magnitude. 3 nights passed and I had to leave the hotel, so my next stop was Global village backpackers hostel, where I would spend the next 3 months.
2 weeks into my trip I began looking for work. Now in Canada they have a law that says that if a Canadian can do a job then they will get preference over anyone else, this proved to be a bit of a problem in finding work. So one night sitting in the hostel bar (yes they had a bar in the hostel, one of the main reasons I stayed so long) I was browsing the Internet with my new friend Hilary, both of us looking for work, when I stumbled across a ad on Craigslist, An ad for a bike messenger.
Now being a bike messenger was something that had crossed my mind before but like many previous thoughts on my dream job, it never really materialised, until now.
So the next morning I took a trip up to the office of Leader courier, where I met Rob, Anne and Brian, the controllers at leader. My interview lasted all of 30 seconds where at the end I was told to come back in the morning armed with a bike and a bag and a map and they would get me started.
So I finally had a job, now all I needed was a bike, a bag and a map. So out I went to the nearest second hand bike shop on Spadina Ave and bought myself a cheap bike. $120 later I was the proud owner of a piece of shit mountain bike, next stop was to find a bag..
I returned the next day where I meet my new work mates, Anthony "Harry Merkin" Le, Rudy, Adam or Church as he was known and Dave, the 65 year old alcoholic who would be showing me the ropes.
They started me off slowly on my first day seen as I had no idea where anything was, but within a week or two I felt like I had been living in Toronto for years.
After two weeks I decided that I really enjoyed the job and that I should invest in a new bike, so I went to a bike shop on Bathhurst St and invested in a brand new Giant track bike.
In between jobs we would hang out at 145 King Street, where I met Chris "rush" Peters, he worked for Rush international and after 3 months of working for Leader an opportunity came up at Rush, It was an offer that I couldn't refuse. Chris had put in a good word for me and had managed to convince his dispatcher to offer me the same money that he was on. I had gone from piece work to a $1000 guarantee every two weeks. It was a dream come true. I broke the bad news to Leader that I was leaving and they wished me well and told me that I would be welcome back any time. Its always good to leave on good terms, just in case.
During my time in Canada I had met a girl, it was kind of a whirlwind romance and I made a very hard decision in leaving Toronto and going to stay with this girl. So at the end of October I handed my radio in and moved to away from TO. This turned out to be a huge mistake and to cut a long story short, 1 Year 2 months, and one failed marriage later, I found myself on a plane to London.
When I arrived back in the UK I went back to working in the bar, this lasted for about 5 months until it finally drove me insane, It was time to get back on the bike and get back to doing something that I love.
So hear I am now back doing the thing I love. I am working at Scream couriers and have been since the beginning of August.
Its the best thing I have done in a very long time, they are a great bunch of people and I am loving being back on the road.
Its been a quite couple of months as im sure most couriers will tell you, but with they news last week that one of the other bikers is leaving for pastures new, im sure that the extra work that will be dished out to the rest of us will come in very handy.
So this is were you will be able to keep up with everything going on in my world. I have no doubt there will be some interesting stories of close shaves, idiot drivers and drunken escapades.
But for the time being I will leave you with the story so far.
10-4
TO-Messenger
I went to Canada in February 0f 2008 looking for a change, I had grown tired of England, the way of life and everything that it stood for. A change was needed and fast. So I worked my ass off for 6 month doing two jobs working from 8 am until 5 doing my day job of being a builder/plumber and then from 6pm until midnight as a barman. I did this 3 or 4 times a week and most of the weekend.
Finally the day arrived, my visa had been granted, the money had been saved and the flight was booked. It had finally dawned on my friends and family that I was going, so one cold February morning my bags were packed and I was heading to Heathrow ready to catch my flight to the wonders of Canada. I went out there knowing no body, having nothing planned apart from a hotel booking for 3 nights.
When I arrived it was a shock to the system, it was -20 degrees and snowing. I had never seen that much snow in my life, let alone feel temperatures of that magnitude. 3 nights passed and I had to leave the hotel, so my next stop was Global village backpackers hostel, where I would spend the next 3 months.
2 weeks into my trip I began looking for work. Now in Canada they have a law that says that if a Canadian can do a job then they will get preference over anyone else, this proved to be a bit of a problem in finding work. So one night sitting in the hostel bar (yes they had a bar in the hostel, one of the main reasons I stayed so long) I was browsing the Internet with my new friend Hilary, both of us looking for work, when I stumbled across a ad on Craigslist, An ad for a bike messenger.
Now being a bike messenger was something that had crossed my mind before but like many previous thoughts on my dream job, it never really materialised, until now.
So the next morning I took a trip up to the office of Leader courier, where I met Rob, Anne and Brian, the controllers at leader. My interview lasted all of 30 seconds where at the end I was told to come back in the morning armed with a bike and a bag and a map and they would get me started.
So I finally had a job, now all I needed was a bike, a bag and a map. So out I went to the nearest second hand bike shop on Spadina Ave and bought myself a cheap bike. $120 later I was the proud owner of a piece of shit mountain bike, next stop was to find a bag..
I returned the next day where I meet my new work mates, Anthony "Harry Merkin" Le, Rudy, Adam or Church as he was known and Dave, the 65 year old alcoholic who would be showing me the ropes.
They started me off slowly on my first day seen as I had no idea where anything was, but within a week or two I felt like I had been living in Toronto for years.
After two weeks I decided that I really enjoyed the job and that I should invest in a new bike, so I went to a bike shop on Bathhurst St and invested in a brand new Giant track bike.
In between jobs we would hang out at 145 King Street, where I met Chris "rush" Peters, he worked for Rush international and after 3 months of working for Leader an opportunity came up at Rush, It was an offer that I couldn't refuse. Chris had put in a good word for me and had managed to convince his dispatcher to offer me the same money that he was on. I had gone from piece work to a $1000 guarantee every two weeks. It was a dream come true. I broke the bad news to Leader that I was leaving and they wished me well and told me that I would be welcome back any time. Its always good to leave on good terms, just in case.
During my time in Canada I had met a girl, it was kind of a whirlwind romance and I made a very hard decision in leaving Toronto and going to stay with this girl. So at the end of October I handed my radio in and moved to away from TO. This turned out to be a huge mistake and to cut a long story short, 1 Year 2 months, and one failed marriage later, I found myself on a plane to London.
When I arrived back in the UK I went back to working in the bar, this lasted for about 5 months until it finally drove me insane, It was time to get back on the bike and get back to doing something that I love.
So hear I am now back doing the thing I love. I am working at Scream couriers and have been since the beginning of August.
Its the best thing I have done in a very long time, they are a great bunch of people and I am loving being back on the road.
Its been a quite couple of months as im sure most couriers will tell you, but with they news last week that one of the other bikers is leaving for pastures new, im sure that the extra work that will be dished out to the rest of us will come in very handy.
So this is were you will be able to keep up with everything going on in my world. I have no doubt there will be some interesting stories of close shaves, idiot drivers and drunken escapades.
But for the time being I will leave you with the story so far.
10-4
TO-Messenger
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