"He was probably the best, nicest bicycle messenger I've had the pleasure of working with, and I've been doing this my entire adult life," he said.



He described Klingenberg as a "cautious" worker. "There's a difference between fast and being cautious," he said.



Blaine was scheduled to start a new job Thursday with U.S. Messenger, according to the company president, Ron Libman.



"We're devastated," Libman said.



In Blaine's honor, all the company's messengers wore a single white rose with a black ribbon around it on their uniform or bag.



"We were super-excited to have him, to have him on our radar. He was really well-respected. Our people really liked him,'' Libman said. "We are very sorry and our community, the bike messenger community, has been hit very hard.''



Blaine was hired to be a "cargo biker," which is more unusual than a regular bike messenger and requires more experience. Their bikes have a platform in front of it designed to carry boxes.



"We're shaken up over here,'' he said.



His sister, Kendal Klingenberg, 34, said her brother was a "loving person" who helped raise her 9-year-old daughter and taught her how to ride a bike.



"He was a loving person, a person who always welcomed everyone in,'' said Klingenberg, 34, who last saw her brother in March when he came back to Bakersfield, Calif. with his girlfriend to attend a wedding. They were serious but they had made no wedding plans, she said.



"It's hard," she added. "He was really wonderful."



Blaine played soccer as a kid but "always loved riding bikes. It was his life,'' his sister said. He moved to Chicago about a year ago.



"It's going to be very tough without him. I was always there for him. If he needed something, he would call me,'' Klingenberg said. "I am happy that he passed away doing what he loved."