As a Top Rider at Mercury Rises Bicycle Courier Service, Valerie Topete has learned a lot about the residents of New York City as she travels around. Seeing all the different neighborhoods, parks and people inspired her to start photographing the stories she saw. Not all the photographs showed the shiny, lucky folks. Some showed homeless men, women and children scraping by. Part of the series of photographs Topete was inspired by her photograph, “Dumpsters at Dawn.” She took this picture on her way to deliver architect drawings to a multi-millionaire. The photo shows a few homeless scavengers checking out the contents of the dumpster”. The girl staring at the pavement looks to be about eight,” Topete explained, “I thought of my eight-year-old and decided I needed to help those less fortunate.”

The result is the first ever “Bike Courier Olympics” - a charity event to raise money for homeless shelters. Events will be based on typical bike courier job duties. “Fastest Packing” is a timed event in which competitors pack a set of oddly shaped items for bike delivery. Then the package is handed off to a competitor to ride for 3 blocks. Points will be taken off if the items fall out. The “10 Block Sprint” and “2-Mile-Long Haul” will be straight forward timed races with riders carrying 15 pound loads. The most entertaining promises to be the “45 Minute Obstacle Course.” In that event, bikers will take sharp turns, dodging pedestrians, mini-coopers, other bikers, and some dogs or pigeons.

To compete, each entrant will need to raise at least two hundred dollars in pledges to donate. A person does not need to be a bike courier to compete. Topete is working with her employer, bike manufacturers, and companies that make bike accessories for sponsorships. A swag bag for competitors is in the works and she is close to signing a deal that would allow the event to provide portable bike tires pumps as a thank you gift. Valerie Topete also wants to teach her children compassion with this hands-on event for the homeless.

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