Jon Day Cyclogeography: Journeys of a London Bicycle Courier: Journeys of a London Bicycle Courier

"An essay about the bicycle in the cultural imagination and a portrait of London written from the saddle. Informed by his years spent as a bicycle courier, Jon Day reflects on the way bicycles connect people with places. Parasitic on the city, couriers have an intimate knowledge of London, and for those that survive the grinding toughness of the job, the bicycle can become the only thing holding them together"--Publisher's description.
Cyclogeography lifts the lid on the hidden world of Cycle Couriers, the 'solitary creatures of the underworld', and the strange or illicit contents of the parcels they deliver. Here Jon Day explores the extraordinary subculture of courier bicycle races including the Cycle Messenger World Championships and the Alleycat races.
Cyclogeography is about the bicycle in the cultural imagination and also a portrait of London as seen from the saddle. In the great tradition of the psychogeographers, Jon Day attempts to depart from the map and reclaim the streets of the city. Informed by several grinding years spent as a bicycle courier, he lifts the lid on the solitary life of the courier. Traveling the unmapped byways, shortcuts, and urban edgelands, couriers are the declining, invisible workforce of the city. The parcels they deliver keep things running. For those who survive the crushing toughness of the job, the bicycle can become what holds them together.