Dre

When I first started as a messenger in 2005 it was at a company with an impeccable knack for over-hiring and turning employees over. I was a rookie that could be seen from a mile away. A nickel/dozen type. "Summer help". I wore a fresh crease in my clean pants and bag, a bright yellow shirt, this overly confused expression below my spotless yellow helmet but above my brand new reflective vest (which had plenty of velcro left on it.) A true leper for any old schooler. Except Dre. Dre was the nicest, most open person to me and made me feel so special and welcome on first sight. He told me stories with references that went way over my head and he actually asked me questions to get to know me better and see what I was about...

Every opportunity I got, I would introduce Dre with that story.  I must have explained that whole story at length in his presence at least 20 (thousand) times. Most of the time he would contain the rolling of his eyes ever so subtly and smile his big, polite smile as if it was the first time he heard it.

His laugh was so deep and joyful, he was always an attentive listener and you could count on him being on your side for every story of every situation. There really, truly is nothing bad to say about Andre Gordon. Just through his good nature, this man was an absolute inspiration to find and bring out the best in everyone. If you would have just met the guy you'd have considered him a friend and he would share the label. He's someone you'd wish the whole world could know.

Word is all over the place but apparently Dre was found lifeless at his home on the weekend of Sunday, November 14 presumably due to a cardiac arrest that occurred a couple days prior. He was only 53 years old. My heart goes out to those closest to him. Details on services will be up as soon as we can get them.

Here we go!

First and foremost our hearts go out to the friends and family of Jeff Littman. It's really very tragic news for all parties involved. A rough reminder to make the most of what you have going on and appreciate the moments and people that make your day special.

That said, we want to celebrate a few special moments coming up yet again for our Chicago messenger contingent.

Number 1 is the good ol' Messenger Appreciation Day which is rapidly approaching as with this coming Saturday, October 9th (10/9). If you don't remember we wrote a little glimpse into what it means to us to be a messenger and part of this community through a tribute to the start of Dr. Morell's 10th year.

Thanks to everyone's friends at the Active Transportation Alliance, there will be a rather generous happy hour going on at Mother Hubbard's bar on Wednesday, October 6th. It's become a wonderful tradition they've started over there and it really most certainly is appreciated.

Number 2 is the big event coming up that will be surrounding Appreciation day - the North American Cycle Courier Championships! Last year, in Boston, there was one helluva show with Christina cleaning up in the commission department and taking 1st place overall while Nico took 2nd place overall and 1st m-m-m-male! Certainly a proud moment for this team and this city!

This year the ruckus finds its way to Atlanta. Our defending champs won't be travelling alone either. If my math is right you can count on there being a Chicago group numbering near a dozen. Chicago rolls deep! Good luck to everyone headed down there and be sure to party hard and ride harder! (or just party really hard)

8/13/2007

Ryan Boudreau

All the beautiful (and exceptional) people...

"Best mechanic in Chicago" (Chicago Magazine poll)

She rides them bikes and cuts them hairs with the best! (Credit 1 & Credit 2)

"Prettiest biker in Chicago" (missed connections poll... probably)

Multiple updates

First things first. If things have gone as planned, Brean should be out of ICU and in a regular hospital room by now and fit to stay through the weekend. Home care is in his future and undoubtedly some rehabilitation. He is one tough dude and I'm sure we'll be seeing him up soon. We'll try to keep the updates coming as we get them. His body still has a lot of resting and fixing to do. On to more good news. JANNETTE! She did it again. The women's 3/4 field at the Lakefront road race at Superweek got Rho-sted! First place for the dear lady of the dairyland. It came down to a sprint and she went for a long one and got it. Goes to show all those gutless "sprinters" (*ahem* jeff*) out there how to really stamp your authority on a bike race. Great stuff. We'll keep you posted on whether the check clears.

Finally we've got a little teaser to let everyone know there is a big few days of track bicycle racing coming up. The ALLVOI Cup Pursuit Series is this weekend (7/23-25) at Northbrook. Should have at least 4 pairs of thunder thighs up there representing in the women's open, the men's 3's and the men's 4/5's fields. Jamie is coming in HOT after her big performance that garnered her a 2nd place in last week's 1/2/3/4 keirin. Teeners is skipping a commercial making gig to do it so you know she won't be playin' around. Avi is ready to rock with his newly upgraded status, and hopefully Jeff will be ready to give 'er. Jannette might even throw her helmet into the mix and be a sport to give this track thing a try. Am I missing anyone? The bus is coming and going so hit us up if you need a ride.

Hey! Next Tuesday (7/27) is the Bob Pfarr Classic in Kenosha. A guaranteed great night of merciless track racing that brings out the pillow talk (wink to CJ) from the heroes of superweek and puts most trackies to their limit being an hour long, 31 mile points race. It is guaranteed to be quite a sight for all spectators and all are welcome to join us on the Cruiser for our typical 4 PM Tuesday departure.

Sorry, no photos... well. OK. Here's a warning as to why you should root against Jeff if you're a podium girl... thanks to Jason Edward Photo.

To the weekend!

Pedal to the People!

UPDATE: Here's the video!

Adam Clark is doin' it big! We're proud of the world's most incredible person as he stays on the grind and gets his business up and running. It's called Pedal to the People (773.355.0882) and, if you're fortunate enough to be by a television tonight, check out Fox Chicago around 9:30. Sir Clark will be making an appearance.

Don't forget to support the man as he makes a go at it. Quick tune ups and tweaks are no problem for the certified mechanic with eons of experience. He also does great metal work and frame repairs. Do you like your road bike and want to get on the cyclocross bandwagon? Adam can put some canti guides on that bad boy for ya, no prob. Snapped that dropout? Let Adam get you back up and rolling. (He also built that trailer in these photos.)

Keep up the good work, buddy! We'll be digging up the video and re-posting it sometime soon, hopefully!

Throwback Thursdays

Throwback Thursday

by jeff Velocity 1 - 2006 This is clearly when color coordination was my top priority.

First and foremost, thanks to Amy Bolger for the awesome photos. What you don't see in my photo are the PONY'S with mountain bike pedals and straps for the feet. I borrowed that jersey and those bike shorts were in the collection since I was 12.

That was my first draw to the track and I have been hooked ever since. The beautiful thing about VeloCity is the nature of the event. It's designed to get them messengers and commuters that ride them track bikes to and fro or even the Kings of Milwaukee Ave who just have that urge to hawk people on the way in to work. We want to get ya'll out there and learn some appreciation for the sport and try the velodrome out.

Intimidation and judgment are not in the cards. Razzing and a little ball busting might be but that's what it's all about. And there is certainly more swag and prizes than you will EVER see for racing at the track. Oh. And it's free. No excuses.

If you think of it as intimidating, I'll be more than happy to share my fears from 2006 when I've been a messer for over a year and these badass lookin dudes from NYC come in with a corporate sponsor and throwdown crazy events I've never even seen before. I only made it to the opening night and the 1st day of races. I was pretty bummed to miss out on day 2 but I'm glad as hell that I went up there and gave 'er a shot.

Please feel free to join us this Saturday, May 22 at Kenosha Velodrome in Washington Park. It will be fun to spectate and certainly a good time to participate. Regrettably, I will not be in attendance but Ben will run the show. The event starts at 1. Bus is leaving from Green & Kinzie around 11. 11:30 wheels rolling. Racing is free to everyone and be sure to bring a helmet and some drop bars.

Stay curious my friends. Special thanks to teeners for the Chicago flier work and julio for coordinating like mad. And, of course, Squid.

Photoshoot Shoutout

You might have noticed our wonderful team photo. Well, natural beauty only gets these people so far. The rest of the journey to awesomeness has to be completed with the help of Christopher Dilts (http://www.christopherdilts.com) and CCC's own Ben Fietz (http://www.benfietz.com). Good looks aren't required but highly recommended. These guys have been handling cameras and bikes longer than the calendar had 20's up front. Don't believe they know how to bring out the classy ass bike racer in you? Exhibit A:

CCC v3

Perhaps you've noticed the Crew stepping out at 2010 races in Tron Blue. We've been putting the finishing touches on a few things, and better late than never, we'll be out racing this weekend in our new kits, codenamed: Thunder Thighs. More importantly, we want to make some introductions. If you take a look over on the left hand side of your page, you'll see some old names and some new ones. These are the folks that support the local racing scene, and despite the rollercoaster ride our economy has been taking, they are still in the game.First things first, unless you crawled out from under a rock, you know that Marcus over at Yojimbo's Garage has been down since day one. He may not be racing wheels these days, but he's still lacing 'em. So get yourself over there already and shop local.Next up, Bari is back in our corner. As if you need an excuse to find the best deal in town for a sandwich the size of your arm, think about this: these guys have been sponsoring Chicago bike racing for years, well before we came along. So after a long day in the saddle, hustle over there cuz they close at 6:30. Fraaaaaaaaank! We've got a new name on the totem pole over there: GK Snacks. This time of year, we put the Bears/Packers rivalry aside and head north for some of the best road racing in these parts, not to mention everyone's favorite 333M track in Kenosha. Sure, the hills beat most of us flatlanders up, but on the way home, you can get some good calories at every turn. Up in Waukesha, these guys have been at it since 1921, so I think they can handle a bus full of bike racers. Stop by the bus, we got yer snacks!

It happens all the time: You need an architect, and the first thing you think is "Where can I find a firm that's bike friendly and supports racing?" Wonder no more, Architrave has you covered.

As if you had to ask, everyone's favorite employee-owned messenger collective is back. Four Star Courier Collective, for all your delivery needs.

...and in the spirit of friendly competition, we've got another local courier shop on board. Apex Courier, for all your other delivery needs. Supporting local racing in more ways than one.

You've probably pulled up to a race and seen the pro-looking guys warming up on rollers, but you found yourself thinking "Man, I'd love some of those, but the carbon footprint to ship a set from Germany is pretty hard to offset. If only I could find some made in the good old U.S. of A?" Look no further, as just across the Indiana border, SportCrafters has your number. (Stay tuned, they are also big fans of our cyclocross scene, and we're going to help them spread the love in NW Indiana and Michigan in the fall.)

A couple more names to throw at you: Pickens-Kane for helping us keep the bus downtown and ready to roll, and our friends at Blue, just because.

Big thanks to all of our 2010 sponsors, new and old. Now back to racing! See you somewhere this weekend...Monsters? Fox River Grove? LDL?

Last, but certainly not least, we'd like to thank the talented Christopher Dilts and Ben Fietz  for their efforts, equipment, and brand-new studio space in putting together our team photo. Sadly, a few of us couldn't make it into the shot, but they'll be out rocking the new kits somewhere.