"In time, I too would learn that an experienced messenger can see anywhere from five to thirty seconds into the future. The traffic can be read so closely that he is rarely caught off guard. Most people think this comes from having good reflexes, but who needs reflexes when you can actually see the future?"
immortal class? i fucking wish. i've known too many couriers die and i've had to many visits to casualty to stomach that sort of 6-weeks-in-the-summer-break-from-uni tempenger spout of shit. if your shins don't look like tenderized steak i don't want to hear your recollections of any cycling scene.
I read Travis' book - didn't buy it - and there were a lot of things I didn't like about it, it had little perspective on messengers, glorified messengering, and even included a description of an alleycat win - something I would never dream of doing, I mean, you have to have a REALLY big head to do that.
But, as John Kenda said to me, he really has riding through traffic nailed.
FWIW, I don't think he got rich, and he regularly gets massive amounts of stick from people within the US messenger scene.
I'm reading an essay by Ben Fincham at the moment and it's spot on.You know his stuff Bill but dunno if you've read this one yet.I can pass it on to you if you like.
@Bill. I seem to remember one of the early LBMA meetings or maybe even the inaugural ride to Brighton (what a disaster. 7 hours?) when an alleycat won was mentioned. In fact it was repeated more than once. There was also this one instance at the then Duke when the same subject was raised by.... Bill Chidley. Alleycat winner.
You slacker. It was a comedy of errors. People getting lost and having to be retrieved. OJ on a heavy mountain bike with knobblies sound system on board. Two cans of stella and a spliff under Waterloo bridge before we set off didn't help him much Nellie getting increasingly peeved off (rightly so) as we were chasing daylight in to Brighton. This German bird talking utter shite on a hill not far off that made me want to turn around. Eventually got there and had one pint on a cold windswept beach and got on the train back. Good times!
Respect to OJ for riding back on the hard shoulder of the A23 then the M23 where he got pulled by police and driven to the nearest train station. Or so the story goes.
If he's Joe the dentist's mate it could be true, won the London-Brighton charity ride innit. Working on the olympics looking at where Eastway used to be Joe... velodrome looks like it'll be alright though.
He started the London-Brighton charity ride as soon as they shut the roads 6am before the crowds and was fast racer at the time, got to Brighton first of how many thousands (OK 98% bumblers). So he said at the time anyway.. 25mph is very possible especially if there was a group racing together.
He says he was alone. Didn't realize that was the way he did it. Yeah maybe. Still rather tasty. By the way, I thought it was Joe himself that did that.