Who is Valerie Topete?

Sometimes the hassle of getting a package or documents through the city that never sleeps can be a real chore. When delivery is urgent, often people look to bike couriers to carry out this difficult and occasionally dangerous job. One such bike courier is Valerie Topete.

She has been a bike courier for seven years, and has not once been late or missed a single delivery in this impressive span. The trick to really succeeding as a bike courier is knowing the safest and fastest routes through the maze of New York City, and she knows all of these like the back of her hand. This has greatly contributed to her success and reputation as reliable and dedicated to her work.

While an excellent record and work ethic are impressive alone, Topete is also a loving and dedicated mother of two beautiful children. Balancing the hectic work of a bike courier with the responsibilities of a mom, requires extreme discipline and patience. Topete has these in abundance, as she always strives to serve her clients, and provide for her family.

Her dedication is exemplified in her first few years in New York, where she worked freelance as a bike courier to support her children. It takes true love and dedication to take on the dual roles of mother and freelance bike courier. After some time, Valerie Topete joined Mercury Rises as a paid bike courier, and has been successfully serving her clients ever since. Truly she has exemplified being dependable.
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Valerie Topete - A Changing Photographer

As a successful bike courier in New York, Valerie Topete has seen her fair share of the city. Working full time for one the most competitive courier businesses out there, Topete spends her days weaving through the city, racing to deliver her parcels, packages and letters. Her dedication to her job has led her to become the most well-known and successful couriers at her company. Working for Mercury Rises for the past four years, and as a freelance courier for three years before that, Topete knows her way around and excels at navigating the blocks between deliveries.

For several years she had enjoyed the architecture and people that she observes every day so much that she took up photography as a way of capturing the sights. Her unique photos of the city, from angles and spots that most tourists never see, became so popular that she turned a hobby into another part-time career.

Topete began as an amateur photographer snapping photos from her smartphone as she biked around for work. She stands by her advice to always be ready to take a photo, and while she uses her SLR camera as much as she can, more often than not, her smartphone is what she has available. Regardless of the type of device, the most important factors to Topete when it comes to photography are the lighting and subject matter.
As each courier assignment takes her to a new part of the city she has never seen, Topete had the opportunity to observe the assortment of gardens and parks scattered about. Designed by some of the best in the business, the garden displays nestled between skyscrapers and the shadows of monuments always intrigued Topete. The more she traveled, the more she started to notice the varieties and intricacies of the plants that made up these gardens. Soon, Topete found herself planning her courier routes past these gardens or through Central Park. Now, as her eye for photography focused on the beauty of the gardens, Topete shifted her subject matter from architecture and people to high resolution, up-close botanical photography.

With all of the hidden garden gems tucked away throughout the city, Valerie Topete is never at a loss for subject matter and quite enjoys the hunt for new and interesting locations. During the workday, Topete scopes out previously unknown gardens, and during the evenings or weekends, her and her family picnic in the parks. The hobby really has turned into a family affair, as the children run around hunting for pretty flowers and plants, and Topete follows with the camera to capture their finds. Whether the shots are professional quality or just family memories doesn’t matter, but combining passion and family does.

Valerie Topete - Choosing The Right Bike

Valerie Topete is a bike courier in New York. She delivers special documents and other items to various people and companies. Working as a bike courier means that she spends a lot of time on her bike. She carefully chose it and if you plan on riding your bike a lot you should use these tips to help you choose the bike that is right for you.

Size
You want your bike to be a good size. It should be easy for you to reach the pedals without stretching and should be easy to control and steer. If a bike is too big or too small, it may be harder to control and pedal and will make your job as a courier harder.

Equipment
There are certain things you may want to add to your bike to make your job easier or to carry on you. Think of backpacks, baskets, and attachments that can hold documents and packages while you transport them to their destinations.

Cost
When you buy a bike you have a lot of options but you likely have a budget as well. You want to choose a bike that is not necessarily the most expensive or the cheapest, but the best value. A bike that is designed for courier services may be more expensive than a traditional bike

If you are going to be riding your bike a lot like Valerie Topete, you need to make sure you choose a bike that is made for you. The above tips can help you choose a bike that you can enjoy riding.

Valerie Topete - Tips For Being Successful As A Bike Courier

Valerie Topete has been a bike courier for several years. She started out as a freelancer but now works for a company called Mercury Rising. If you enjoy riding bikes and want to make a living doing so, these tips can show you how to become a successful bike courier.

Be On Time

You won’t be able to keep a job if you can’t deliver packages on time. You need to be fast and efficient at what you do and give the employers a reason to choose you over other couriers or people offering similar services.

Have A Good Bike

Your bike can determine how fast you are able to perform your duties and how comfortable you are while doing them. You can’t use a regular bike for courier services you need to choose one that is modified for the job. You may also choose to modify your bike yourself.

Be Dedicated

Being a bike courier isn’t an easy job. You have to be able to deliver various documents and packages and often have short deadlines to meet. You may also have to go out and find the jobs you want. Many bike couriers are freelancers and spend a lot of time hunting jobs.

If you are or want to be a bike courier, there are several things you can do to make your business successful. Valerie Topete has been working as a bike courier for several years and loves what she does. The tips above can help you become successful as a bicycle courier too.

Valerie Topete - Tips For Freelance Bike Couriers

Valerie Topete is a bike courier in New York. She currently works with a company called Mercury Rising but worked as a freelancer for many years. Being a freelancer means you have to find your own clients and sometimes work harder at your job. If you are a freelance bike courier, these tips can help make you more successful

Choose The Right Bike
When you decide to become a bike courier, you should have a good bike that can help you get the job done. Not every bike can be used for a courier bike so you need to choose one that is durable and comfortable. You should also keep in mind that you will be using your bike every day and it will need repairs done regularly. There are certain bikes that are designed to be used for courier services or you can have your own bike modified.

Become Familiar With The Area
You need to be able to deliver your packages and documents quickly and that means you should know the delivery area well. You won’t be able to ride a bike and look at a map so it is a good idea to study maps and become familiar with the area before you start working. If you don’t make your deliveries on time, you may not get paid for them.

Stay Safe
Being a bicycle courier can be a dangerous job, especially if you are working in a big city. You always need to be safe while doing your deliveries. You should carry pepper spray with you in case you run into trouble and be aware of your surroundings at all time. If you do not feel safe in a certain area, you should avoid going there. Trust your gut instinct and if you do not feel comfortable delivering to a certain area, speak up and let the company you work for know how you feel.

Finding Jobs
It can be hard to find a job as a bike carrier. Many businesses and companies do not use bicycle couriers and it can be a competitive job market. If you cannot find a job as a bicycle courier you can offer your services to different companies. You never know who will take you up on your offer and help you start your career as a courier. Many couriers are freelancers who work on different projects and with different clients throughout their careers.

Valerie Topete knows that being a freelance bike courier can be difficult, but it can also be a successful career. If you want to be a freelance bike courier or already are and want to be more successful, these tips can help.

Valerie Topete - Essential Tips For Road Cycling Safety

As a bike courier for Mercury Rising, Valerie Topete has an exceptional safety record and has never been involved in any traffic collisions, barring the occasional small scrape with taxis. To maintain this record for safety, she makes sure to refresh her knowledge of security while road cycling on a regular basis, which is particularly important given that she works in New York. These pointers will prove useful for anybody who is wary of cycling on the road, particularly in built-up areas that are often congested with traffic.

Avoid The Sidewalk

A lot of new cyclists try to ride on the sidewalk, rather than the road, in an effort to avoid collisions with vehicles. This is not only dangerous to yourself and pedestrians, but may also lead to you breaking the law in some states. Avoid the sidewalk whenever you can and make sure to get off the bike if you have to use the it. Remember that trying to weave in and out of groups of pedestrians is extremely difficult at the best of times, but is much more so when doing it at high speed on a bicycle.

Make Eye Contact

One of the key challenges that faces cyclists is ensuring that other road users recognize their presence so that potential accidents can be avoided before they happen. Though you may find it a little uncomfortable at first, by making eye contact with drivers, especially when at stop signs or traffic lights, you make sure that they are aware of your presence. You don’t need to get into a staring match, as a look and a smile should be more than enough to suffice and keep you in their minds as they pull away.

Always Wear A Helmet

One of the first safety tips that any cyclist will be given is to always wear a helmet, even on the shortest rides. This is particularly important for road users and may save your life if you are involved in a collision. Hard concrete hurts and hitting it at speed can lead to traumatic injuries that, in the worst case scenario, could have a dramatic impact on the way that you live your life. Always be sure to invest in a quality bike helmet and make sure that it fits before taking it out on the road.

Wear Light Clothing

Valerie Topete points out that cycling at night presents a range of challenges that you won’t face during the day, the biggest of which is maintaining visibility. Always make sure to wear light-colored clothing when you are out on the road so that drivers can easily see where you are. Reflective stripes and other high-visibility clothing will also be able to offer additional protection.
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Valerie Topete - Things To Consider Before Becoming a Bike Courier

Valerie Topete became a bike courier after she moved to New York, following the completion of her studies at UCLA. She started out as a freelancer, taking jobs from Craigslist and online forums before she came to the attention of Mercury Rising in 2011. She has since developed into one of the top bike couriers in New York and was recognized as the Top Rider for the company in 2015. There are a number of things that people need to consider if they are interested in following in her footsteps and becoming bike couriers themselves.

                                     

How Well Do You Know Your City?

Before you start making deliveries, it is important that you develop an almost-encyclopedic knowledge of the area where you will be operating in. This can be a challenge, especially in built-up areas that can often feel somewhat maze-like when you are out on the road, but it is going to prove essential if you are to make fast deliveries and stay safe while doing so. Pay special attention to designated cycling routes and take full advantage of them, as they may allow you to cut out large parts of journeys if used well.

Is Your Bike Up To Task?

As surprising as it may seem, speed is not always going to be the top priority when working as a bike courier, as it will often be the case that you can’t get up to top-speed due to traffic or the winding nature of a journey. Instead, you need to have a bike that is reliable and capable of handling long distances without causing you any issues. Invest in a bike that has a strong frame and do your research before committing to a purchase. Your reputation could end up being ruined by a poor bike that breaks down at an inopportune moment.

Learn To Handle Stress

Remember that every single package or document that you carry is very important to the person asking you to make the delivery and should be treated with the utmost respect. This can become very stressful, especially if you have taken on a number of jobs for the day that all require very speedy deliveries. You need to be able to handle the often-frenetic nature of life as a bike courier when riding, plus it is crucial that you take advantage of your time away from the road to unwind.

You Have To Love It

Valerie Topete has been a successful bike courier because she has a passion for cycling. If you don’t share this passion, it may be worth reconsidering the career choice as you are going to end up spending long days on a bike, every single week. A lack of passion leads to missed deliveries, which often means that you don’t get paid for your work.

Valerie Topete - An Intro to Mercury Rises

Valerie Topete has been working as a bike messenger in the New York City area for many years. As a freelancer, she overcame many challenges to iron out a good living for herself, and her family. After working on her own for three years, fate intervened, and she met John Tudebaker, CEO of Mercury Rises, a hyper-competitive bike courier service operating in New York City.


Topete had no idea what she was getting into when she accepted a test interview from Mr. Tudebaker. Tudebaker had found her based on her reputation as an excellent freelance courier with no traffic incidents on her record. It was based on that information he thought Topete may have what it takes to compete in Mercury Rises.

One thing that became apparent for Topete when she officially started at Mercury Rises, is their spirit of competition. Tudebaker has every employee of his company in direct competition with each other. The company is all about skill and precision, speed and accuracy.

Mercury Rises has a standard that does not compromise. Tudebaker simply wanted the best couriers that New York City had to offer, and Valerie Topete found herself on that list.

Valerie Topete has now found herself immersed in the competitive culture of the company. Though at first glance the competitiveness may seem strange to outsiders, Topete has developed a kind of bond and comradery with her fellow couriers based upon mutual respect. Topete continue to perform at her best, as working for Mercury Rises offers little alternative.