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Getting
Your Bike Messenger Fix
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Posted by Scott Reitz in Observing
DC
DCist.com, June 2, 2006
http://www.dcist.com/archives/2006/06/02/getting_your_bi_1.php
At 8 a.m. on any given weekday, just around the corner from the
Foggy Bottom Metro station you'll likely spot four or five bike
messengers huddled around a red Ford Econoline van. Each morning they
meet with groggy eyes to rummage through wrapped packages like slightly
under-enthusiastic children on Christmas morning. Brought in via Dulles
International Airport, the packages are addressed to locations all over
the District. This is the first run of many for these couriers.
Blink and you'll miss them. Manifests are quickly stamped, packages
disappear into oversized messenger bags, and everyone moves out in a
matter of seconds. I'm trailing William Lorsen (who goes by Ian) to see
what its like to be a bike messenger for a day. Zipping by the White
House, down Pennsylvania Avenue and into Chinatown, we make three quick
drops before heading to the World Bank to start visa work at 9 a.m.
When a World Bank employee needs a visa to travel abroad quickly, the
documentation is shuffled between the H Street office and the many
embassies in the downtown area, all on the back of Ian's custom built
Soma fixie. Running visas represents one of the niches in courier
employment, which also includes legal filings, architectural drawings,
and Hill work.
The embassies of Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Pakistan, the Philippines
and many others are visited to drop off and pick up documentation. A
carefully planned route lends it self to short bursts of speed from one
embassy to another. In just over an hour I've locked and unlocked my
bike more than 10 times, and I soon begin to marvel at the subtle
efficiency employed by Ian and other messengers. Locks, phones, and
radios are all attached to a shoulder strap for easy access while
playing in traffic. Keys are worn around the wrist, identification
badges are clipped in visible holsters -- nearly everything has a
specific place. I begin to wonder how much of an idiot I look like,
fumbling around in my shoulder bag for my keys and ID. I finally
resolve to keep my lock on my belt instead of in my bag, before heading
to Thailand's embassy in Georgetown.
Many say that flat tires come in threes but do accidents as well?
Ranging from minor scuffs and scrapes to all out t-boned bike-totaling
crashes, injuries are a regular occurrence for messengers in any city,
though some say the District is relatively safe. Door surprises and
turning vehicles are common hazards, but potholes, slippery metal
street grates, and absent-minded pedestrians all make for a taxing day.
Intense summer heat, stinging cold, and precipitation in all forms can
further test one's resolve while miles easily add up in the hundreds
per week. Tack on your morning commute, ride home, and a trip to the
grocery store, and its easy to see why stamina is important and stress
can be high.
While the work itself is hard, getting a job as a courier can be much
more difficult than expected. Doing so without experience is near
impossible, as most companies are loath to trust their important cargo
on couriers who don't know the work like the back of their hand.
Smaller and less reputable services might be easier to score employment
with, but you'll likely forgo any medical insurance and have to accept
lesser pay. Other strategies for the new and eager include looking for
a company that is trying to get off the ground, soliciting offices that
need a dedicated courier, or picking up freelance work on your own.
What better way to blow off steam after a long week of cycling? Try
more cycling. Boasting names like Mayhem, Frostbite, and the Pervert
International, these semi-organized events draw 25-100 cyclists for
whom events like criteriums aren't quite gritty enough. Utilizing
themes, hunts for landmarks, and even bitter cold, these events test
endurance, knowledge, and even scruples in addition to raw speed. The
upcoming event lovingly entitled Cluster F*ck promises to test
participant's knowledge of the bike messenger subculture while
introducing hard core urban cyclists to -- gasp -- Virginia. Think you
have what it takes to hang with those who peddle daily for a living?
Head to Scott Circle Saturday June 10. Registration starts at 5:30 with
riders departing at 7:00.
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