How Valerie Topete has survived as a Bike Courier

Valerie Topete of all people understands that the job of being a bike courier can be challenging, whether it is freelance or with a company. The work hours can be long and physically exhausting, especially if one is not familiar with the best routes or rush hours. On top of physical exertion, time is of the essence, and a late or missed delivery can spell disaster for a courier’s reputation. While all of this is much to consider, there is even more to worry about. Simply surviving the job can be a challenge in itself.

 

The dangers facing a bike courier while they are on the job are numerous, and everywhere. People, vehicles, and weather, all present constant dangers to be watched out for. In order to avoid becoming involved in an accident, or at least take precaution against one, a courier must be prepared.

A basic precaution is to simply wear a helmet. While this may seem simple, many do not adhere to it. It could prevent serious injury in the event of a collision. Another way to make the job easier and less hazardous is the use of navigation. A better route can be mapped out based on external factors, such as traffic or an event. Lastly, the signals on the bike can prevent an accident, as this gives others notice of your intent.

All of these seem extremely simple, and they truly are. Valerie Topete has used these simple procedures to ensure her own safety and success.
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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 - Photography Developer

Valerie Topete is a very skilled rider for a top New York City courier company called Mercury Rises. She started as a freelance courier and for three years she pushed herself to create a reputation that suited her drive and dedication to the job. It was that dedication and competitive nature that led her to Mercury Rises and top rider for her new company. Topete credits her success with her ability to multi-task.

 

Bicycling around the Big Apple everyday gives her the perfect opportunity to search for new and unique viewpoints for her photography. Always quick with at least her smartphone, she is always ready to capture the perfect image. Her fascination with everything New York City inspired her to start taking pictures of the architecture and people that she would see each day. As she became more versed in the layout of the city and began exploring parks and gardens with her two boys, Topete has more recently taken an interest in botanical images. 

Topete started off by just posting her favorite images to her personal social media site. The albums that she would upload of her treks around the city were so popular and the overwhelming support from her friends and family encouraged her to go professional. After conferring with some friends that already had online stores for their craft goods, Topete took their advice and created her own website. After launching her online business, Topete saw great sales and the demand for her work is skyrocketing. She continues to produce new images and uses her time at work and with the family to look for inspiration across the city. 

Her interest in photography has grown and she has recently taken an interest in the process of developing her own photos. While Topete took photography classes in high school, the actual development of film was never something that was covered. After researching different local options, she found a four-week class at her local junior college that would introduce her to the process. Now educated in basic techniques, Topete spends her evenings after the boys are in bed in her makeshift darkroom in the basement. 

The project of developing her own photos has been a long endeavor, but one that has renewed Valerie Topete’s dedication to her art. She has been able to explore different exposures and enjoys being able to develop her own photos. While the process is time consuming and the chemicals can be expensive, she believes that the fact she is processing her photos herself makes her photography more of an art form. In addition, the new development styles that she has been playing with have sold very well on her website in addition to the traditional prints.

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.

Blog | Valerie Topete

Blog | Valerie Topete

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.