really

It really doesn't sound like he has anything against messengers. I don't think anyone I work with would be offended by what he says. We might point out that we're fairly well conditioned by work, so I don't know what he means by physically untrained. Our work isn't the same as a structured training program and the nature of it does limit our ability to progress as cyclists(nine hours of start stop cycling isn't the best training for say, racing, I guess) but we are pretty much all in very good shape. Not professional athlete shape, but pretty good shape.
Not using the best gear available? We don't really need "the best gear". Any bike that you can average 25kmh on all day will probably do. It really just depends on what you can afford to keep on the road or what you personally feel like riding. Still we aren't running Di2, so I guess we aren't using the "best" gear. We're just running what gets the job done.
I know a guy who seriously rides a mountain bike with an integrated carbon fiber bar/stem, rigid carbon fiber forks and disc brakes. I don't know what the deal is with that but he's a strong rider and a better messenger than I am so I don't question it.

His jealousy at not being the center of attention is evident. He projects that on messengers and this thread. He really should take his whine to the track forum and out of this thread.

I dunno, I thought he had a point. This whole entire messenger thing is a bit ridiculous.

2nd day on the job I was sitting around talking to one of the older guys... "Really the whole myth of the messenger is a bit over the top, our work is hard, sure, but compared to competitive amateur cyclists we don't ride that much, 80ks a day is fairly doable" and he says "shhhh, don't shatter the illusion"

Do messengers really ride only 80 Km/day? That's actually rather little, especially when broken down in 10-50 periods. It's still hard job, doing that in traffic, but not physically (if the 80 Km/day figure is true).

Honestly, I think a lot the guy's I work with ride less. Im doing around 80, sometimes more, sometimes less, and I'm doing the big suburb to suburb runs because I'm new. But if you really wan't to see what it's like, get on a bike and ride for ten minutes. Then sit still for ten, then ride for ten minutes, and keep doing that for about nine hours. Your legs will probably be pretty shot. Before I was doing the messenger work I was doing 40-60k every morning and then an 80 k once a week or so. That 80k never wore me out nearly as much as my job does. You're inside just long enough to cool down and for your legs to get heavy every time you deliver or pick up. So I would say that it's quite physically demanding. Most of the time I'm not even riding that fast and I'm still exhausted at the end of the day.

Less myth and more of a dream for some who enjoy cycling. Some see their dream of making a living cycling as a messenger and others in pro racing. I am sure there are myths about track cycling as well.

Certainly no reason to hijack a messenger video thread.

Also, I should note, that while doing it it doesnt seem so hard. It's as soon as I get home at the end of the day that it really hits me. I mean, my last hour of work is a bit harder then the rest of the day and my legs are getting weaker, but basically I don't feel the exhaustion till I get home and sit down. I don't ever feel that burning pain in my lungs that comes from really riding hard and my legs generally don't feel like their gonna explode. When I used to go out on good hard recreational rides I would push myself so much more. Still untill I started couriering I've never had my legs jackknife on me while I was lying in bed. My legs at the end of a day are pretty messed up. I'm pretty sure it's all of the start stop that's causing it. I'm sure eventually my legs will be used to it but right now it's killing me. It's sunday and my legs finally feel normal again, and tomorrow its back to the grind.

I think you are thinking about Nelson Vails from years ago or Marius Farioletti more recently. Vails won an Olympic Silver medal. Farioletti was on the Gatorade "Quest for G" athletic reality show.

Yeah, main reason I took the job was I'm 24 years old, love riding a bike and I can certainly pay the bills on a messenger salary. Figured I might as well have a fun job before I have kids and a mortgage.

I dunno... 80 Km divided in 10 minute stints interspersed by 10 minute walks doesn't seem something that would require humongous amounts of conditioning. Hard, yes, likely, but not herculean.

jesus, that article about nelson vails claims he would ride 40 miles before working as a messenger everyday. That can't be real! What a beast.

I am curious, just how long do you think track cyclist ride at a time?

Well no, not remotely herculean. But somehow the 10 minute breaks do make it harder than just riding 80ks. When I tour I do 100-120 per dat or maybe more depending on terrain. And when I'm touring my bike is much heavier. Messenger work wears me out much more than touring did. But no, not herculean. The fact that I'm able to do it pretty much proves its not herculean. I've got a pretty big gut and weigh about 115kg.

I have no idea how track cyclists train. But I do imagine they do lots of roadwork for base miles and then probably train for their individual events in ways that mimic those events. I don't think they spend 9 hours a day doing 10 minutes on 10 minutes off. All I'm saying is that messengers are in pretty good shape but that the nature of their work means that they can't condition as well as people who just put in 4 straight hours every morning.

oh man...look what i did.
i just thought it was cool that cnn had a bicycle related story on their home page.
didn't mean to

Training for Track Cycling is quite similar to training for Track & Field or Speed Skating, which are also divided into Sprint and Endurance events.

And what does that mean exactly? I've certainly never done track and field.

As someone who trains for track racing, I can tell you that it's very different from riding a bicycle to earn a living as you do. I have the luxury of determining when I ride, how long I ride and how hard I ride. I also have days that I don't ride at all, and maybe instead go to the gym. You do not have this luxury, which is why it is so tiring for you. Also, you are right that the constant getting on and off is a problem, because 10 minutes of riding is not long enough to fully warm up, so you shouldn't stand around when you are off the bike and maybe jog in place to avoid cooling down. I believe you would actually get less tired this way. As far as your night leg cramps are concerned that could be a diet thing, insufficient hydrating and loss of electrolytes.

I do think it might be a diet thing as well, I know that when I eat a banana or two every day it doesn't happen. Also, if I take a long shower as soon as I get off work it doesn't happen either. Jogging in place isn't really gonna happen, I get glared at enough when I'm in the elevator, Im not gonna jog in place and piss everyone off even more. I actually jog in place in the shower, im not sure if it really helps but I think it helps me move the blood outa my legs at the end of the day. If anything it feels good.

see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodi...7Jimmy_legs.27

Yeah, whether you use your legs for sport or business, you have to treat them the same way. Maybe use your ride into work as your warmup. Don't hammer too hard untill you feel warmed up. This just causes muscle strain for me.

You need fuel for your engine. So, eat throughout the day and yeah, you need electrolytes. Gatorade or whatever will help a lot.

Recovery drinks really work. I use Endurox R4, but I'm sure you can find something cheaper. Or maybe just use it on particularly hard days.

Peanut butter sandwiches are cheap and good fuel. Maybe drink Gatorade with your lunch/snacks instead of just water or soda. There are lots of inexpensive nutrition options.

Eat breakfast before you start and eat a good calorie-rich dinner so that you can recharge. Lots of protein to help with rebuilding the muscle that you tear-down daily.

Learn to listen to your body and feed and hydrate it BEFORE you are hungry or thirsty. If you actually get hungry or thirsty it's too late, and you are toast.

EDIT: Get a water bottle, fill it with Gatorade*, and take sips throughout the day. ESPECIALLY during the summer. Stopping by water fountains as you pass them while in buildings isn't enough.

*Consider Gatorade part of your business overhead expense. Like buying tires or tubes.

Yeah, bananas are great, contain lots of potassium and are super cheap. I eat 2 to 3 a day easily. At the end of the day, put your legs up and give them a massage, stroking from your ankles upward.

Oh I carry a water bottle, I've found that I'm quite capable of drinking half a water bottle in one gulp though. Filling up my water bottle at water fountains as I pass by doesn't even seem to be enough! I also buy 2-3 sodas a day from vending machines on loading docks, I find the sugar helps me keep going. I also tend to drink a gatorade once a day, about halfway through, as well.
I can't always warm up before I start working but even then I'll softpedal my first run or two if I can. Some days I get to where I'm supposed to log on and theres no work for close to an hour, I usually just do slow circles in a park then. I find myself to lazy to cook at the end of the day and so I do eat a lot of fast food as a result, which probably doesn't help. Also, as a member of the mcdonalds generation I find that no matter what I can always stomach mcdonalds. Some days I get home from work and other foods just don't seem appetising at all. I feel bad that I'm eating such crap, but I can hold it down, which counts for something.
I make food on sundays, I might make a big veggie lasagne tonight for the rest of the week or something similar to that.



MASSIVE THREADJACK. haha