Championship Hype: The Robin
From ab330@torfree.net Wed Aug 23 08:44:28 EDT 1995
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 . Transmission over.
TheRobinLocalEventsTheRobinLocalEventsTheRobinLocalEventsTheRobin