Valerie Topete - Top Bike Messenger for Mercury Rises Valerie Topete is currently living and working in New York City. She is an artist at heart, and originally moved to New York in order to start her career as a photographer or singer. Although she has had some success in the field, she has found her calling elsewhere, and primarily makes her money through her position as a bike courier for Mercury Rises. Due to the density of the city, and how many people try to drive at all hours of the day, sending parcels via bike messenger is the fastest way to get things delivered locally. When Valerie Topete first moved to the city, she found it difficult to cope with the constant gridlock. She has never experienced anything like it before, and was amazed how people got around on a daily basis. However, this was before she realized that riding her bike was the most ideal way to get around. Since bicycles don’t have a motor, they aren’t restricted by the same laws that cars or motorcycles are; they don’t even have to use the roads in order to get from place to place. As she began to become more familiar with the area, she realized that she could get around extremely fast, which launched her career in the bike courier industry. She is now the top messenger for the company, Mercury Rises. Becoming a bike messenger takes time. Not only do you have to have the right bike, equipment, and know how in order to be successful, you have to have an intimate knowledge of the city itself in order to get around quickly. Bikes are faster than cars, but only if you know how to get from point A to point B. Take the time to understand your surroundings, research frequent delivery locations, and always have your GPS handy in case you take a wrong turn. The industry is extremely competitive, even within companies themselves; you will be replaced if you can’t handle the rate at which you need to work. Valerie Topete is currently taking business classes at the local college in order to operate her own bike courier business in the city one day. She believes that she has the skills necessary to make that dream a reality, and combined with her new education, she should have no problem becoming a leader in the industry. She is the top messenger for Mercury Rises, and she plans on continuing to succeed at her job.