by Erik Zo
Reprinted from In Traffic via Mercury Rising #8 , August1993
Hanging at the Star ferry terminal in Hong Kong last summer, I say aguy on a bike that I pegged as a messenger. So I asked him and of coursehe said yes, but he looked surprised and asked me how I knew I told himwe look the same everywhere, which is my personal pet theory. Now the guyis even more clued out. You mean the have bicycle messengers in other cities?he asked. Whoaaa - man. I hope he shows up in Berlin this August.
That’s where the first-ever World Cycle Messenger Championships willbe held from the 27th to the 29th, the largest ever gathering of bicyclemessengers and the perfect place to put my theory to the test. Alreadyover 400 couriers from 30 countries have entered. This guy will bug, hangingout with riders from over 40 cities around the world, swapping the standbytalk that brings us together under the guild of the wheel.
How can you swing this? Here’s the setup: you get a plane ticket, andyou fill out a registration form, and the promoter hooks you up with ahost messenger who puts you up for three days. Because of the potentialmedia exposure, including possible coverage by ESPN and CNN, the organizerssuggests suggest you approach sponsors. They might help pay for your mainexpense, which will be transportation, in exchange for an ad on your...messenger bag! (Gee, does this make us professionals?)
Besides a nominal entry fee, you need to bring your bicycle. You shouldalso bring along some memento of your messenger Suggested items are tagsbooks, T-shirts other similar objects. These will be placed in a museumdisplay.
The competition is open to anyone is a messenger, and has been one forsix months. There are prizes for the best-placed team, the best individual(both men and women) and for the wildest outfits and equipment. Those notinto the competition aspect are encouraged to take part in the fancy dresscategory.
The event is not a straight forward race. Races will be run in heatsover short courses designed to stress skill and cleverness as well as speed.There will be simulated pick-ups and deliveries, a traffic jam, and elevatorsto contend with. At one checkpoint, contestants will be required to changea tube. Delivery mistakes will bring time penalties. The pick-up and dropsegments will be language neutral, so no is at a disadvantage.
The city of Berlin is going all out for this event. There will be festivaltents set in a major downtown public space. On Saturday night, the tentswill be the site of a major party, with messenger bands and a and entertainmentfrom around the world During the entire festival, the tents will be theinformation, meeting and hang-out center.
The courses are to be staged in downtown Berlin with start/finish areasat the Brandenburg Gate.
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If you have comments or suggestions, email me at messvilleto@yahoo.com