2011 NACCC

Earlier this month was the NACCC, or North American Cycle Courier Championships, which was held between October 7 - 9 in Austin, Texas. Cycle couriers, or more commonly known as "messengers", across the country were invited to hangout and compete in races and other events in Austin. The NACCC is an annual event held in a different city every year by messengers, for messengers. 

Events common to messengering competitions are goldsprints and alleycats. 

Goldsprints are a form of racing done on stationary bicycles. These bikes are docked onto bicycle rollers, which is a device that offers little resistance for a cyclist may train and develop form. Computers are connected to these rollers to collect data such as the speed and revolution of the rollers. This data is transferred to a "dial" chart that is projected onto a screen or a wall that can be seen by spectators. Whoever spins through the dial the fastest wins.

Alleycats are races that emulate the everyday job of a messenger. Several checkpoints are given and at each one, the messenger must present a manifest and have it signed. Some alleycats involve the actual carrying and delivering of items, just like a messenger would do at work. There is no fixed route, the messenger can go whichever way they want (or are forced) to go. 

Messengers form a tight-knit community around the world - when visiting another city, they have friends that have them stay at their place or show around the city. The most important part of these events are the connecting and networking aspects. People that ride bikes for a living, just having fun.

Great coverage and awesome photographs may be viewed from John "Prolly" Watson's Blog here.