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Alfred Bobé. Riding with the wolves

Speaking seriously, some people are born with a special gift. People in his destiny have the mission to write chapters of history.

If Michael Jordan defied the force of gravity, the “shake” of Elvis revolutionized the rock’n roll, and Jimi H. to scream his Fender Stratocaster as anyone, the person that we have the pleasure to present in this interview has the power of taking your bike like no other, like an extension of your body. “The fucking boss” of urban cycling in the last twenty years, and at least for us, one of the best riders in the world. Ladies and gentlemans: Mr. Alfred Bobé!

We do a little trip with Alfredo through his twenty years in the bicycle and in the street through BMX, the first bike-messengers, velodrome sessions, tours, monstertracks, criteriums; and everything always “over the limit”, pure Alfred Style.

 

1. Young Alfred

I started very soon, with the bicycles, when I was a child in Puerto Rico. My first bike was a scrap and I converted it to BMX and used to go to school and to the beach. At that time I loved the surf and living in Puerto Rico is inevitable. With 16 years when my mother kicked me out of Puerto Rico, I moved to NYC, the Bronx with my grandfather and my father. My father was a taxi driver, and I already had to make a living. It was there that my father told me: “Alfredo if you like bikes, find a job as a messenger.” I knew nothing of that world. I could spend all day on the bike and also they paid me! For me it was the best!

2. Bike messenger

At that time the world of bike messenger was a little different from what it is now. The messengers were with road bikes or mountain bikes. To work as a messenger in those years was amazing, the riders, who were rolling really fast are four or five people, to name a few, remember much of Fast Harry Williams, Squid Kevin Bolger and his brother and another who called Jack, who is the rider who won the first edition of Monstertrack.

At first I was a mountain bike, then eventually the “fixed” became very popular and started to roll in fixed and rolling strong! One of the first brands that propelled much all movement fixed in NYC was Puma. They organized a Velodrome championship in the city, the top five finishers had been part of the Puma team on a tour around the United States and Candada. I won the championship! The tour was so cool. We traveled through many cities, people were surprised when we saw these bikes without brakes and our look of “Mensaka”. All the team were messengers, and we organize alleycats in all cities but out of the program of Puma Tour. There were many people involved, in fact I think that this tour was a little the beginning of everything. We planted many “seeds” throughout the country and soon the fixed movement and bike messenger started spreading to each side of the country. The beginning of everything.

3. Alleycats

The alleycat then they became very fashionable,many people are pointing and born what is called fixed street riding, it can almost be considered an extreme sport, and “the danger” It’s probably what keeps these races “of the street” underground! And the truth is that we like that!

4. Monstertrack

Aaaaah! Monstertrack is an amazing race through the streets of the best city in the world for the street people, the most important race of the year.It’s not easy to win a race like that, it’s not a race like others, always going to the limit and to the end did not really know what will happen.Furthermore, the level of the riders is very high. It’s an adrenaline rush.

I won the title several times, and each time has been different from the other.It’s an awesome feeling, go out with 200 other riders more and bet your life between cars, pedestrians, traffic lights and buses to prove you’re the best.That emotion was almost like a drug for a time, each time I needed more and more.

I won two consecutive years the Monstertrack of NY. After, for several reasons, I wanted to disconnect for a time what they were alleycats, and of course, soon reached some critical and rumors fomented by gossips or some friends who wanted me “itch” to come back. It was rumored that Alfred was no longer the same as before and blah blah blah … I prefer prove things on the bike and not talking nonsense, so I went back to teach all who was the “mero-mero” (in Puerto Rico “the boss”). It was the Monstertrack XI, Lucas Brunelle he recorded a part of “Line of sight” following us around the city. That was my race, I had the devil inside I wanted to prove to myself who I was, again, and had only one thing in mind, winning! And so I did.

In the last edition of this legendary race, I participated with my son, who was ranked 60, a great satisfaction.

5. The danger

In urban cycling lived to the extreme like in the urban races the danger is much, and it’s inevitable that sooner or later have a fault, and most times the mistakes are expensive.

I have lived through many years on the street as a messenger and as street rider situations very very very ugly. Some hit I have taken! Hahaha. Every fall or every accident, as I am, I tried to analyze my mistakes and learn to improve where I was wrong.

6. Red Hook Crit

David Trimble has achieved something very big with Red Hook Crit, has managed to bring fixed gear bikes to a more professional level. Has managed to create an event for urban cycling in which brands can gamble and, year after year, is gaining popularity, fans and sponsors.

Nowadays is like a global “championship” of fixed gear.

At first, I’m honest, there were some “friction” between what the world was purely “street” of the messengers and the Red Hook Crit.David invited me a few times, but I said no, because I saw that world so different from what was my way of interpreting and living the bike,I didn’t like.

Some years later, I decided to take the bike differently from what was accustomed,something much more serious, and finally I decided to participate.

My first Red Hook was horrible, had a very strong conjunctivitis, toward an exaggerated cold, I endured as I could in the first group but around 8th I retired. The year after I got involvedin a fall and I broke two fingers of one hand. For getting run with the “wolves” I costed a little bit, but not demotivate me for it and, at the end, I got it.

Now I am in a great team, the Team Cinelli Chrome, getting better and rolling in the leading group.

7. Cinellil

My adventure with Cinelli started many years ago in Las Vegas,and I’m very proud to represent this great brand.

I’m rider of the team Cinelli, tester of prototypes and new projects. We have an amazing relationship, andfor me is an honorwork and collaborate with one of the most recognized and prestigious brandsworldwide. Antonio Colombo is one of the most brilliant and intelligent gentlemen that I know and really I consider him a great friend, beyond our professional collaboration.

8. Family

It is certainly the most important thing to me. Without family and your loved onesyou don’t go anywhere.

9. A phrase that expresses your passion for cycling.

Riding with the wolves.

10. Thanks to…

Thanks to my wife Laura, put up with me and support me in everything.

My children are the future, the biggest is already competing on velodrome with his Cinelli Vigorell and I can say that is really good, it’s a little champion. The youngest already has his bike… the team Bobé is coming!

Bonus track:

 

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