Alleycat

Not sure where to post this but The Times had a piece on Alley Cat races today.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4619984.ece
It's behind a pay wall so I've pasted it.

"Bike messengers risking lives with illegal ‘alleycat’ races on city streets"
A group of professional cyclists are risking their lives, and the lives of pedestrians and motorists, in illegal races on city streets, an investigation by The Times has found.
The competitions, known as alleycat races, involve a band of bicycle couriers weaving through tiny gaps in fast-moving traffic.
They run red lights, jump on to pavements and go the wrong way up one-way streets to claim victory.
Anyone who misjudges their move at a red light or while slicing through oncoming traffic could end up under the wheels of a car or crashing into a pedestrian.
Police know about the races but do not waste their time on them, the cyclists claim.
The races mirror the day jobs of the 500 couriers who work in the capital. They must weave through traffic to multiple delivery checkpoints before reaching a finishing line.
Each racer uses their knowledge of the city to decide which is the best route to take.
Robin, 42, who has the radio call sign “Super Kid”, is a veteran racer who admits that their sport is illegal and inherently dangerous.
“There are lots of crashes and injuries,” he said. “There was one where a guy followed me through a red light and got smashed into by a car.”
One former racer said that he had been forced to stop racing after being hit by a car. He broke several ribs, punctured his lung and was in a coma for four days.
The race meetings take place weekly on Friday nights, when riders gather outside a small cycle shop in central London in a haze of cannabis smoke and with cans of lager.
“To be a good racer you need speed, endurance and knowledge of the layout of London to get from one place to the other quickly,” Robin said.
“You have to constantly assess what is going on around you and look out for things that can potentially go wrong. The most unpredictable thing is other couriers.”
The highlight of the alleycat calendar is a 34-mile race through the capital visiting seven cemeteries. A £200 cash prize is claimed by the winner. The course record stands at 1hr 37min.
Alleycat races are part of an international underground scene that started in Toronto, Canada, in the early 1990s by a group of thrill-seeking bike messengers.
In the past 18 months it has enjoyed a resurgence among the couriers of London, as well as smaller groups in Manchester.
With a website promoting the races, the messengers say that the police know they are taking place but have not tried to shut them down.
Robin, who has raced in Europe, Guatemala and North America, said: “We did have a guy sniffing around here a while ago. A cycle cop was trying to make friends with people but nothing really came of it. He was aware of what was going on. He said the police just wanted to make sure it was all safe. But generally it is kind of ignored.”
“A couple of years ago the police came and tried to do stuff but it’s all died out. What can they do, we’re just hanging out.”
Carlos Osorio, 29, who has the call sign “Black Magic”, has been a courier for 14 years. Although he no longer races, he said that the loneliness of the day job led to the creation of regular race meetings.
“We spend the majority of the day on our own, so we get together,” he said. “Young people race because they are eager and want to make a name for themselves.”
Each racer pays a £5 entry fee, with the majority of the proceeds going towards the London Courier Emergency Fund, which helps injured messengers. As freelance contractors, they face months without pay if they become injured or ill.
“That is the main reason for the races,” Mr Osorio said. “There is always a party at the end and some food.”