10.19.16. East Williamsburg.
“It is a men-dominated business. But we’re trying to be diverse,“ said Justin Messina. “It’s really for everybody. You just have to know how to ride a bike.“
Under steady rain and wind, scores of bicycle messengers from all over gathered in East Williamsburg for the 2016 Cycle Courier Championship, to find out who would be crowned North America’s fastest. Competitors steer through a closed course on streets just east of the Montrose Avenue L train stop, simulating a shift of delivery work, including envelopes, packages, and even the surprise bike theft. About 400 people registered, half of whom turned out in the rainy conditions, and about 70 made the cut for Sunday’s finals, where seven-time women’s champion and two-time overall winner Christina Peck of San Francisco nabbed her third gold. While organizers set everything up outside, the Voice caught up with racers and supporters at The Anchored Inn on Waterbury Street.
Text by Stephen Miller; Photography by Amy Lombard for the Village Voice