Long before the current courier competitions and other Bike Messengers World Championships, Parisians had organised bicycle delivery races, such as the "Brassard des Estafettes" in 1897, the Criterium des Messageries Hachette or the Paris-Versailles races in tricycles.
But the most popular is the the Newspaper Carriers' Criterium which began in 1926, and the Tour de Paris or the Cyclo-Porters' Criterium in 1937
These races were organized with the help of newspaper publishing houses and courier companies
Each print media outlet assembled its own team by mixing their couriers with some former professional road champions and Belgian riders.
Many porters were amateur or semi-professional racers who used their jobs for training, so it was natural to organize a race of the porters every year.
Porters were paid per trip, and they rode so fast that they made more money than the board members of the newspapers for which they worked.
The race was a big deal, with the main roads of Paris closed off for the event. The newspapers reported in great detail, as they would of a Tour de France stage.
The course started in the newspaper quarter of Paris, on rue Montmartre, went around the Boulevards Extérieurs, passing through eight checkpoints, delivery and exchange of the 33 lb load of newspapers, before climbing the hill of Montmartre, and arrival at the top of rue Lepic.
At the half-way point, they had to exchange their load for another pack of newspapers. Much of the course went over cobblestones, and not all were as smooth as the ones in the photo above.
These races took place in the middle of winter - sometimes in the snow - in February, and later in November. Three main categories: Men, Women and Disabled, but also Veterans and also a team ranking.
These still exist in messenger circles although with fake packages.
Cycle Messenger World Champs, North American Cycle Courier Champs, European Cycle Messenger Champs, and the Cargobike Alleycat in Paris
https://velos-mont-valerien.over-blog.com/article-le-criterium-des-porteurs-de-journaux-1-episode-64984453.html
