they originally were? Should the organizing move back to the underground, away from the web publicity that has come about to surround them? As a result, Monster Track organizers canceled the race last minute fearing safety issues with so many people, both messengers and non-messengers, coming out to race. A smaller secret-handshake Monster Track went on unannounced in the safe confines of a massive downpour.

Before this year’s Monster Track Ten I had a brief conversation with two of its veterans, NYC couriers Mike Dee and the aforementioned Squid Bolger. They reminisced about the first Monster Track back in 2000, organized during informal meetings at Sophie’s bar and Tompkins Square park, two hangouts of the courier crowd. Alleycat races had been going on strong since the first Cycle Messenger World Championships kicked off in Berlin, 1992, but there wasn’t one exclusive to the brakeless fixed gear crowd. Two couriers, Vlad and Snake, decided to throw the first race dedicated to this small group of riders and the first Monster Track was born. According to Squid there were about 30 riders who came out. “The brakeless crew was a proud bunch but definitely a minority. Most other messengers considered us crazy and maybe for good reason.” He mentioned the attraction to the brakeless fixed gear in those early days was about bikes with less maintenance and better control, especially in wet/snowy conditions, which also had to be why Monster Track takes place in the dead of winter. “The pride I felt when I mastered brakeless in NYC

traffic… It is something that has to be experienced to be understood.”
This year, for Monster Track 10, I decided to cover the race from the perspective of individual participants to find out their thoughts on this famous race.

The Rookie: Pavel Marosin, 22-years old, from Jackson Heights, Queens. Pavel represents the new generation of alleycat racers, he is not a messenger, but is envious and respectful of the courier lifestyle. “I mean, who doesn’t want to ride their bike around all day for a living?” He got into alleycat racing for its competitive nature and was excited to remove his brake for this race. Monster Track will be his third race but his first without brakes. Pavel is part of a new breed, the internet social networking crowd, who is attracted to the track bike for its simplicity and speed but also to the races for the interaction with a community of skilled outlaw bike riders.

The Out of Towner: Andrew Franciosa, 20-years old, from Albany. Andrew is involved in the scene and started www.bikealbany.com. He is a student up at this state capital and organizes races and events to unite the small but growing biker community. We talked a bit about safety

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