News & Notes

Our Denver Office Has Moved!

Winter 2004-05

Denver-Due to steadily growing business and a corresponding increase in deliveries, Denver Boulder Couriers (DBC) has moved its Denver office to 1701 Wynkoop, Suite 246, Denver, Colorado 80202, at the Union Station complex in the heart of Lower Downtown.

DBC now offers rush deliveries, more economically priced same-day pick-up and drop-off, online ordering, and will soon expand its bicycle coverage range to include Longmont. From single envelopes to truck-sized mountains of product, DBC delivers Front Range business, from Cheyenne to Pueblo. Despite the growth, the company hasn't abandoned its roots. Bicycle messengers still form the core of DBC's delivery capability.

Denver Boulder Couriers is already up and riding at its new Denver office-same great service, but more centrally located. "We think we're the industry standard. We only hire people who've been couriers. We've got a waiting list of guys who are with other companies. We pay better, treat our employees better. It's more of a team," Grealish explains.

The Boulder base has not moved and the phone number remains the same. For more information on the DenverBoulder Couriers team, contact Chris Grealish at 303-571-5719.

Denver Athletes Deliver Big Results at 11th Annual Cycle Messenger World Championships

San Fransico-Denver Boulder Couriers established themselves among the world's best bike couriers at the Cycle Messenger World Championships, held September 13-14 in Seattle, Washington. Five messengers qualified for Sunday's main race where they secured first place in the team classification. Boulder's Ben Seltzer placed 17th in the men's main race followed closely by Ryan Hamity in 21st, Mark Jones in 35th and Eric Kuo and Russell Ouellett also finishing within the top 50. In the sprint competition Boulder bike messenger Hamity donned his courier bag and blazed uphill in the dark to earn silver medal.

Denver Boulder Couriers spent Saturday racing their bikes up and down hilly central Seattle in order to qualify for the main race. Messengers are required to pick up, drop, and verify their deliveries as quickly as possible in order to be among the 80 finalists. The couriers must navigate around hundreds of other messengers on the streets while riding over sidewalks, down and across train tracks, through paved, gravel and dirt alleys. Couriers who did not complete their deliveries correctly or fast enough retired to the sidelines to cheer or heckle couriers from as far away as Japan, Denmark, Switzerland and England.

After a few hours of recovery the BDC riders lined up to qualify for the sprint finals. Couriers raced elbow to elbow in the dark towards a nearly invisble finish line. Ryan Hamity proceeded to dominate his first two heats and came within inches of taking the sprint gold in the final. Says Hamity of his silver medal, "I'm not disappointed with silver but when first means Cycle Messenger World Sprint Champion you can't help but feel a little unsatisfied."

Sunday's main race began with a Le Mans style start. Riders lock their bikes in rows on the ground, the seeding determined by their qualifying times. When the word is given a chaotic foot race to their machines starts 3 hours of racing. Messengers decide whether they want to make long deliveries worth more money or more frequent, shorter deliveries of less value. Used to riding long distances around Boulder the BDC riders opted for the longer deliveries. "Having trained in the Front Range's high altitude," says Mark Jones, "I felt confident I could bang out the long drops and rack up as many points as possible."

Messengers not-so-quietly waited until results were posted at 2:00a.m. When the beer spray finally cleared, it was revealed that Denver Boulder Couriers narrowly missed finishing within the top 10. But no other city, team or company had 5 riders within the top 50 in addition to a silver in the sprint competition. Entirely pleased with their results, the team rode off towards the Space Needle with plans already forming for next years competition in Edmonton, Canada.

Sponsorship from these companies ensured the success of Denver Boulder Couriers: Cain Travel, Podium Footwear, Smartwool, Clif Bar, Vittoria and Cateye.

Denver Boulder Couriers Owner Ready to Conquer 750-mile French Classic

Boulder-Chris Grealish is used to hard work. He built Denver Boulder Couriers from a two man operation to a fifty employee crew covering the entire Front Range. This time though, he's striving towards an altogether different goal: a 750-mile ultramarathon bike race, the Paris-Brest-Paris. The event takes place August 18, 2003.

The PBP predates the Tour de France, and is equally daunting. Not just anyone can enter this "randonée." Professional cyclists are now excluded but riders must complete a series of "monster" rides covering hundreds of miles before being allowed to ride the event. Top riders rest only a few minutes every few hours to refuel or change clothes. They will ride through the night with bike lights illuminating the endless miles of French roads.

Chris Grealish is no stranger to grueling endurance events. Last August Chris was the first finisher in the Boston-Montreal-Boston randonée, also 750 miles in length, with a time of 53 hours and 48 minutes. The course wound through the mountains of New England into Canada, and then back. Total elevation gain was 35,000 vertical feet.

The PBP will feature a similar amount of climbing and the competition will be fierce, but Chris has high hopes for a high finish. "If I'm feeling good at the last checkpoint with 88 miles to go," Chris says, "then I'm going for it."

Denver Boulder Couriers Owner Wins Ultra-Marathon Cycling Event

Denver-On Saturday, August 24, 2002 at 11:45am, after 53 hours, and 48 minutes on his bike, Chris Grealish, local owner of Denver Boulder Couriers won Boston-Montreal-Boston, a grueling 750-mile contest, spanning through Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Canada and then . . . back, again!

Those who know Grealish were not surprised to learn that he rode alone, leaving the pack behind him only 50 miles into the race. In addition, Grealish slept for only one-hour after 579 miles of riding before pedaling the remaining 171 miles to his winning finish. In addition to overcoming the course’s 35,000 vertical feet of climbing, Grealish rode through the pouring rain for roughly 155-miles, from Ludlow, Vermont to Rouse’s Point, New York. "It was like being on a stationary bike and having a garden hose spraying right in your face . . . for 9 hours! I’m not used to that!" Although Grealish knew he was in the lead, it was not until twenty miles from the finish line, about mile 730, when he realized that he was definitely winning the race.

He completed the ride more than two hours ahead of the next riders. "At this point, I’m not planning on doing the BMB again. I plan to ride the Paris-Brest-Paris next August. The Paris-Brest-Paris is the Original 750-mile Ultra-Marathon Cycling event, dating back to before the Tour de France." And without any rest days.

For more information, call Chris Grealish at (303) 571-5719. Sponsors include: Clif Bar, Lust Shoes, Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, Moots, Cateye Lights, Smartwool and Pedros, or the event website: www.bmb1200k.com.