Sport & Fitness

Courier Tofu on New Inn Street

The courier
Tofu, 25
I have been a courier for three-and-a-half years and am officially the fastest courier in London. I’m based in Soho. On an average day I work a ten-hour shift and ride between 60 and 80 miles around Zones 1 and 2, and I’m always rushing. A typical scenario is people waiting in a boardroom for a DVD for a presentation.

There are two types of courier. Some see it as a nine to five and some make it part of their life. We all meet after work; on Friday there can be up to 100 messengers on Vine Hill in Clerkenwell. Our nicknames make it easier to recognise each other. Feature continues

We call slow couriers ‘Donkeys’ and inefficient couriers ‘Muppets’, for instance if they leave a package in the toilet or forget their map. Courier DJs hold secret events, we run our own radio station and we hold scavenger events to raise money for the Bicycle Messenger Emergency Fund which helps out if you get hit. We are a very close community. We all operate within the margins of safety; obviously we do not stand a chance against 27 tonnes of bus, but we have to be aggressive not to let people cut you off or turn into you. You are always scanning ahead; it is a real survival skill. It’s all about the rider moving the bike – it’s not just metal and rubber. A courier can improve a bike but a bike cannot improve a courier.

Lizzie Gray on Hosier Street, Smithfield

The cycle squad
officer Lizzie Gray, 30
I’m attached to Snow Hill Police station and a member of the City of London Police. I first joined the City Police nearly three years ago and remember seeing cycle officers during the recruitment process and thinking that it looked like the perfect way to patrol an area such as the City, which is, after all, only a square mile.

On an average shift I will cycle about 15 miles. Our cycle squad shifts last nine hours and we work 7am-4pm, Monday to Friday. The City Police has two operative police stations – Bishopsgate and Snow Hill. Each station has 12 full-time cycle officers. We’re primarily a response unit and answer the same calls as motor vehicles, more often than not arriving first on scene. I also police the Critical Mass demonstations.

Much as I hate to admit it, cyclists are some of the worst offenders when it comes to offences on the City roads. They frequently jump red lights and ignore road signs. I don’t know why it is that certain cyclists (they are in the minority) think they are completely justified in ignoring ‘The Highway Code’, yet become utterly indignant when stopped and confronted with their offences.

Robert Smith 'all mountain' riding in Dorking

The extreme rider
Robert Smith, 29
I’m an ‘all mountain rider’ – one of those silly terms companies make up to help them sell specific kit to different types of riders, such as downhillers, cross-country riders, freeriders, dirt jumpers and so on. To my mind, ‘all mountain’ is about getting out on your bike and riding what you want and involving all types of terrain. I usually ride around Leith Hill and Pitch Hill near Dorking, in a group for safety reasons and for a bit of company. We do perhaps five to 15 miles in about two to five hours, taking in as much different terrain as we can, involving jumps (ramp-to-ramp or across gaps), downhills, drop-offs (dropping down off ledges). Unfortunately, it involves uphills too, but when you go up you must come down, and that’s the good bit! It can be dangerous, and you’ve got to remember that you’re not indestructible. But having said that, if you don’t fall off you’re not trying hard enough. I’ve had some big crashes but I’ve been lucky so far. Other guys I’ve been with have crushed their helmets and dislocated shoulders.

A good bike can cost anywhere from £500 to more than £3,000. My girlfriend’s pretty tolerant of my bikes in the flat. I’ve got a couple for all mountain riding, and a dirt jumper for big ramps which I’m trying to become good at. I’m a bit old for it, but who cares. The kids these days are wicked on bikes, they’ve got no fear.
Penshurst Off-Road Cycling, Grove Rd, Penshurst, Kent, TN11 (01892 870136/www.porc-online.co.uk).