{"id":146662,"date":"2017-02-13T14:32:52","date_gmt":"2017-02-13T14:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=146662"},"modified":"2019-03-04T17:45:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-04T17:45:57","slug":"mumbai-mess-ultimate-bike-courier-race-indian-megalopolis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2017\/02\/13\/mumbai-mess-ultimate-bike-courier-race-indian-megalopolis\/","title":{"rendered":"Mumbai Mess: The Ultimate Bike Courier Race through Indian Megalopolis"},"content":{"rendered":"

What happens when three of the world\u2019s best bike messengers face-off in complete traffic chaos? Six kilometres\u00a0through rush hour madness is not a feat for the faint of heart in any city, but in Mumbai? Well that is a whole different story.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

Nevertheless, lunch is ready and hungry workers are expecting it to be served hot, so this crew has their work cut out for them. Taking on the century old tradition of the dabbawala, our contestants were faced with infiltrating the revered Indian food delivery system. Most are familiar with the infamous alley-cat races, that for decades have served as the benchmark for who is who within the world of bicycle messengers, but this challenge takes things to a whole new level.<\/p>\n

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VIDEO: Immerse Yourself in an Incredible 360\u00b0 First-Hand Mumbai Experience<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

The Mumbai traffic is so unpredictable and dense that even after finishing the race, safely nestled in \u0160koda YETI<\/a>, our three contenders\u00a0were all under a new threat \u2013 death by boredom because the traffic jam of a city seemed to produce virtually no movement.<\/p>\n

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Our dream team consisted of three fearless cyclists who have made a name for themselves on the international messenger radar. Austin Horse is a New York based courier, an ambassador for Red Bull, and regarded by many to be the undisputed king of the messengers who has two victories in Cycle Messenger World Championships under his belt. Allan Shaw, a Scottish rider, has worked all over the word and is a frequent participant and winner on the alley-cat circuit. The final contestant hails from Paris and took the title of the first female winner of the Messenger World Championship in 2016. C\u00e9cile Bloch is respected for her professional and friendly manner, but she\u2019s also been called \u2018an animal on a bicycle\u2019, meaning it is anyone\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

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Mumbai Mess: Meet Three Messengers Who Dared to Race Through Mumbai Traffic<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

Mumbai is a great example of how lacking infrastructure turns the urban environment into a battleground of cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. One of the main reasons behind this project was to show the stark contrast between such cluttered and busy city structure and the two cities, Seville<\/a> and Copenhagen<\/a>, we visited during our previous Bike Friendly Cities<\/em> series.<\/p>\n

More than just an organized street race though, this challenge also tapped into the honor of the dabbawala. A straightforward translation leaves us with lunch box (\u2018dabba\u2019) carrier (\u2018wala\u2019), and these folks get the job done. The dabbawala are an organization of over 5000 in Mumbai. They have developed a system that revolves around strong teamwork and strict time-management, with an efficiency rate that continues to fascinate experts of supply chain management.<\/p>\n

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