PAIR BREAK AWAY FROM S.T.S. FORM RIVAL BIKE COURIER FIRM
Milwaukee Courier Company
Commences Operations Today
Surprise Move Revealed at
Milwaukee Messenger Invitational VIII Saturday
Special to the Readers of Milwaukeeworld.com
By Michael Horne
And The Milwaukee World Hound Dog Team Velocipede Unit
The profession of bicycle messenger began in 1891 at the Western Union office in Milwaukee, and soon spread to the rest of the country. Accordingly, it is altogether fitting that Milwaukee be the site of an annual courier race. This event, the Milwaukee Messenger Invitational VIII , took place Saturday, March 28th, 2009, on 27 miles of Milwaukee streets under a miserable overcast sky.
Over 100 bicyclists and urban adventurers gathered at the dock of Breakaway Bicycle Couriers, in the alley of the 200 block of W. Wells St. at 1 p.m. to register for the race. Some of the more serious cyclists sipped coffee, while the more realistic ones downed beer. Everybody had a backpack, or sling pack, the best of which were the colorful and versatile Shag Bags, made in the same building by bike messenger Shaggy, who incorporates old seatbelts and buckles most stylishly and ingeniously in his designs.
Inside the office, Nicole LaBrie was briefing volunteers who would man the checkpoints along the way. She had spent hours the night before slipping copies of the route into envelopes for the racers while at the Swingin' Door Saloon , 219 E. Michigan St. The "Door" is a popular hangout for messengers, and, in fact, occupies the very space where 14-year old Edward Steichen invented the job of Western Union bicycle messenger in 1891. [See my Milwaukee Magazine article on the subject --Ed.]
At 2:30 p.m., LaBrie told the assembled crowd the time for the race had come, and the herded swarm of anarchists gathered their bikes and headed for the lakefront, where they were to open their manifests, and bike like hell.
A few hours later, a hundred exhausted bicyclists converged at the Hi Hat Garage for the after-party. Photographs of the earlier gathering and of the race were broadcast on the huge screen in the back of the room, while a tangle of bicycles of every imaginable hue and configuration were nested outside. LaBrie handed out prizes to the winners in various categories. (Some lucky biker from Minneapolis will now cycle through the streets of his city with a bag emblazoned with "MILWAUKEE" in huge script). Others won rims, tires and other accessories. Lights and reflectors were tossed into the crowd like candy from a congressman at a Fourth of July parade.
Among the revelers were two veterans who had quit their jobs the day before. Flynn Meyer and Steven Feih, formerly of STS, decided to branch off on their own, and have founded a new service called Milwaukee Courier Company Delivery, LLC. The website, http://www.mkecourier.com/, offers on-line ordering and order tracking, among other features. They rented a small dockside space in the Historic Third Ward at 338 N. Milwaukee St., (414 273-9810), bought a used Ford F250 cargo van for use as needed and launched their business today, Monday, March 30th 2009.
Right now Flynn and Steven are coursing through the streets of Milwaukee dropping off their cards with the hundreds of legal secretaries, clerks, attorneys and business owners who have relied on the duo for delivery of documents for years. But now it's their business, you see, and a great adventure to share. Give them a call, and tell 'em Milwaukeeworld sent you.
Commences Operations Today
Surprise Move Revealed at
Milwaukee Messenger Invitational VIII Saturday
Special to the Readers of Milwaukeeworld.com
By Michael Horne
And The Milwaukee World Hound Dog Team Velocipede Unit
The profession of bicycle messenger began in 1891 at the Western Union office in Milwaukee, and soon spread to the rest of the country. Accordingly, it is altogether fitting that Milwaukee be the site of an annual courier race. This event, the Milwaukee Messenger Invitational VIII , took place Saturday, March 28th, 2009, on 27 miles of Milwaukee streets under a miserable overcast sky.
Over 100 bicyclists and urban adventurers gathered at the dock of Breakaway Bicycle Couriers, in the alley of the 200 block of W. Wells St. at 1 p.m. to register for the race. Some of the more serious cyclists sipped coffee, while the more realistic ones downed beer. Everybody had a backpack, or sling pack, the best of which were the colorful and versatile Shag Bags, made in the same building by bike messenger Shaggy, who incorporates old seatbelts and buckles most stylishly and ingeniously in his designs.
Inside the office, Nicole LaBrie was briefing volunteers who would man the checkpoints along the way. She had spent hours the night before slipping copies of the route into envelopes for the racers while at the Swingin' Door Saloon , 219 E. Michigan St. The "Door" is a popular hangout for messengers, and, in fact, occupies the very space where 14-year old Edward Steichen invented the job of Western Union bicycle messenger in 1891. [See my Milwaukee Magazine article on the subject --Ed.]
At 2:30 p.m., LaBrie told the assembled crowd the time for the race had come, and the herded swarm of anarchists gathered their bikes and headed for the lakefront, where they were to open their manifests, and bike like hell.
A few hours later, a hundred exhausted bicyclists converged at the Hi Hat Garage for the after-party. Photographs of the earlier gathering and of the race were broadcast on the huge screen in the back of the room, while a tangle of bicycles of every imaginable hue and configuration were nested outside. LaBrie handed out prizes to the winners in various categories. (Some lucky biker from Minneapolis will now cycle through the streets of his city with a bag emblazoned with "MILWAUKEE" in huge script). Others won rims, tires and other accessories. Lights and reflectors were tossed into the crowd like candy from a congressman at a Fourth of July parade.
Among the revelers were two veterans who had quit their jobs the day before. Flynn Meyer and Steven Feih, formerly of STS, decided to branch off on their own, and have founded a new service called Milwaukee Courier Company Delivery, LLC. The website, http://www.mkecourier.com/, offers on-line ordering and order tracking, among other features. They rented a small dockside space in the Historic Third Ward at 338 N. Milwaukee St., (414 273-9810), bought a used Ford F250 cargo van for use as needed and launched their business today, Monday, March 30th 2009.
Right now Flynn and Steven are coursing through the streets of Milwaukee dropping off their cards with the hundreds of legal secretaries, clerks, attorneys and business owners who have relied on the duo for delivery of documents for years. But now it's their business, you see, and a great adventure to share. Give them a call, and tell 'em Milwaukeeworld sent you.
posted by Michael Horne @ 12:33 PM
5 comments
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5 Comments:
A bronze plaque embedded in a sidewalk at Second Avenue and Main Street in Seattle, Washington, commemorates the birthplace of the American Messenger Company. The name is appropriate for the kind of business started by a few messenger boys using bicycles and streetcars to run errands, carry notes, handbaggage, trays of food from restaurants, and deliver packages. The date was Aug. 28, 1907. Today you know it as UPS.
Why would they plan a bike race in Milwaukee before May?
Because they're tough as nails and dumb as logs, wooden you know.
Horne
I wouldn't call them Veterans. With maybe 2 years under their belt they are just above rookie status.
Those are my boys! Go get 'em!
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