Hugo works as a bike mechanic in Long Island City. Before that, he worked as a messenger for a few years. He lives in the Bronx near Fordham University and the Bronx Zoo, so we shot this bike portrait in front of the Rainey Memorial Gates. He built this internally-geared bike by hand and uses it to commute down to Queens. His route goes through Randall’s Island and over the Triborough Bridge (now the RFK Bridge), and takes him about 45 minutes (35 if he’s late). Not a short trip, but he loves it. 3rd Ave in the Bronx is surprisingly empty much of the time, and the views from the bridge are spectacular.
As for the lettering on the bike: The large letters read Guzman – his last name. The small letters read “Piojo“, his school nickname, apparently earned by his erstwhile tenacity in courting the ladies :).
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