Yesterday was Biker Bob Memorial Day.

“Who the heck is Biker Bob and why are we supposed to remember him?” I hear you ask.

Well, Biker Bob was a rowdy, drunken, belligerent, and often smelly old bike messenger who used to work in the downtown core here in Toronto.  He also had a huge heart, which gave out on him one day at work, after a particularly nasty heat wave brought the smog and humidity to ridiculous levels.

Bob was, for all his faults, a kind and generous man, and an inspiration to many of us who worked out on the road with him.  He knew a thing or two about people, the way they tick, and he was a soft touch with the ladies and the young fresh faced kids just learning the ropes.  He didn’t care where you came from, who your folks were or what kind of a bike you rode; if you were good people, he was your buddy, and if you weren’t, well, he’d buy you a beer just the same.  He died doing what he loved, and he’s going to be missed down here for a long time.

Whether you knew him or not, tip a beer to him and all the ornery old buggers out there who bring a little honest good humour to the world.

Sometimes I miss being a bike messenger.  There’s a kind of giddy freedom in it that’s difficult to resist.  I don’t have as much time as I’d sometimes like to hang out with some of my old friends, but once in a while there’s an event that is simply unmissable, and I have to drop everything and go.  The ice race is probably my favourite.

I met up with Anaïs and Sam at the Linux Caffe before the race, so we could walk there together.  They have the best damned hot chocolate in the world.  It was a perfect night - mild and still, with a gentle snowfall.  We arrived at the ice rink just as the racing began:

There were a number of heats, though I confess I have no idea how the selection worked.  I’m sure Derek knew what was going on, but I suspect most of the racers didn’t care much - they were just there to hang out and to ride:

This stuff is always pretty fun to watch.  Despite the metal studs in the tires, a few guys did go down, but most of them were surprisingly fast and steady.  Jim went down later in the evening, but was looking good during this race:

The best part was that I got to see so many old friends

There are a bunch more photos and a couple of videos here, so go check em out!