Brian Smith
07-09-2005, 02:31 PM
There was a great participant turnout and a series of very fun events last weekend in New York City. Cool, sunny weather, and decent organization on the part of the NYBMA made for a pleasant weekend. I decided that if I was going to attend, and there was no admission fee to pay to help support it, then I should pay to enter at least one of the competitions. I was a little hindered by my chosen bike for the weekend, my fixie, but I reckoned the main race to be my best event to attempt. Most of the serious competitors in that event bring nice racy road bikes, but I hoped to make it through the qualification round on Saturday anyway and be able to race the final on Sunday. The main race seeks to simulate actual work as a bike messenger, and I think that despite closed roads and outdoor "offices," it is a good quality simulation. I had my bike "stolen" by make believe thieves once each day... I did manage to qualify pretty well ( http://www.nybma.com/cmwc2005/qualifiers_byTime.htm ) but ended up blowing up, messing up, and finishing somewhere in the back during the final ( http://www.nybma.com/cmwc2005/results_finals.htm )
One of the required stops during the qualification round was a "flat fix" stop, wherein you had to deflate a tire and remove a valve stem from a rim, show it to an official, then reinstall, reinflate, etc. Here is a photo of me at that stop, shots of me racing, the lone Serotta I saw there, and maybe some shots of the skid for distance competition open only to brakeless fixed gear bikes. A new record was set during that event; a skid of 509 feet! Next year's event is in Sydney, Australia, but if this show comes to a town near you at anytime in your riding future, I can recommend it as a fun time, especially if you ever engage in competition on a bike of any sort. It is (obviously in my case) open to non-couriers, and nobody thinks you're stealing their spotlight or not worthy of entering if you're not a messenger. It's a great piece of urban bike culture to experience.
One of the required stops during the qualification round was a "flat fix" stop, wherein you had to deflate a tire and remove a valve stem from a rim, show it to an official, then reinstall, reinflate, etc. Here is a photo of me at that stop, shots of me racing, the lone Serotta I saw there, and maybe some shots of the skid for distance competition open only to brakeless fixed gear bikes. A new record was set during that event; a skid of 509 feet! Next year's event is in Sydney, Australia, but if this show comes to a town near you at anytime in your riding future, I can recommend it as a fun time, especially if you ever engage in competition on a bike of any sort. It is (obviously in my case) open to non-couriers, and nobody thinks you're stealing their spotlight or not worthy of entering if you're not a messenger. It's a great piece of urban bike culture to experience.