Anyone looking to improve their diet — or performance on their bike — could do a lot worse than the new plant-based sports nutrition book co-written by Los Angeles nutritionist and enduro-cyclist Matt Ruscigno.
Longtime BikinginLA readers will know Ruscigno as founder of LA’s legendary Feel My Legs, I’m a Racer hillclimb competition.
Correction: I originally identified this as a cookbook; thanks to Matt Ruscigno for setting me straight.
………
A frightening assault in New York was compounded by an apparently uncaring cop.
A small, older woman on a bikeshare bike was physically detained, despite her repeated screams for help, by two large men in a massive black SUV who claimed she had somehow scratched it.
https://twitter.com/Tellythecairn/status/1151142869664768005
And the New York traffic officer who finally arrived was apparently fine with the vigilante detention. Even though the men could have been charged with kidnapping and assault.
And probably should have been.
………
In what’s becoming an annual event, yet another mountain biker has jumped over the Tour de France peloton.
………
The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes goes on… and on…and on…
A Seattle bicyclist posted a photo of the mark left on his thigh left by the driver who deliberately ran him off the road.
https://twitter.com/sejdevries/status/1151299527111917568
A road-raging British driver has been convicted assault by dangerous driving after getting out of his car to threaten a bicyclist, which was followed by a brake check, followed by slamming into the victim, breaking his pelvis, all despite the bike rider’s repeated attempts to get away.
Sometimes, though, it’s the people on bikes behaving badly.
Illinois police are looking for the adult male bike rider who stopped kids on a bike path, dropped his pants, and offered them money to change his diaper. Twice.
A bike-riding man stole a New Jersey boy’s unattended backpack while the kid was fishing a short distance away.
Former New York Rangers hockey player Sean Avery is continuing his one-man defense of the city’s bike lanes, posting obscenity-laced videos on Instagram that deservedly, but rudely, call out the delivery people who block them; he’s currently facing charges for smashing his scooter into a driver’s car.
A bike-raging Montreal rider is expected to face charges for smashing the windows of a bus with his bike lock because the driver was following his bicycle too closely.
Police in Halifax, Nova Scotia, are looking for a pair of men who yelled at a woman and slapped her in the face after catching up to her car at a stop sign, shortly after she had passed their bikes. Something tells me there’s more to this story. But still, just…don’t.
………
Local
Streetsblog looks at the new traffic diverters on Rosewood Ave that allow bike riders and pedestrians to cross La Brea Ave, while forcing drivers on Rosewood to turn right.
Officials responsible for revitalizing the upper part of the Los Angeles River went fishing for feedback on a proposal to connect the Verdugo Mountains and San Rafael Hills in Glendale in some vague, undefined way that could possibly involve a bike path or some other type of trail. Or not.
Google Maps will soon be able to show you, not only where bikeshare docks are located, but how many bikes are there, in 24 cities around the world — including Los Angeles.
UCLA parking meister Donald Shoup talks micromobility and e-scooter parking.
Mavic, the French bike component and equipment maker, is now owned by a Beverly Hills private equity firm.
Santa Monica has clipped Bird’s wings, cutting the number of scooters they’re allowed to deploy on the streets by a third in response to continued complaints and data anomalies.
One of the counter protesters at the recent small demonstration demanding the removal of the Broadway road diet in Long Beach was the CEO of the company hired to manage the city’s bikeshare program, who carried a sign saying road diets save lives — even though his car’s mirror was knocked off by a passing driver while parked on the street.
State
The OC Register profiles Tustin’s Geoff Frost, a butterfly gardener, pine cone jewelry designer, didgeridoo craftsman, and now, beekeeper. And when he’s not doing all that, he sidelines as the manager of the Path Bike Shop.
Santa Barbara police released photos of an alleged hit-and-run driver who injured a bike rider last month.
A Frazier Park woman suffered major injuries in a crash police are investigating as a hit-and-run, after she somehow came off her bike and crashed into a railing or the pavement.
A new study has identified San Jose’s most dangerous neighborhoods and intersections for car crashes.
Atlas Obscura offers an appreciation of San Francisco’s 400-foot Duboce Parkway Mural, an “ode to bicycling” painted by volunteers with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
National
Now you, too, can buy a numbered, limited edition version of Specialized’s new e-roadie for the low, low price of just $17,000. But at least it’s pretty, right?
Bicycling talks with YouTube’s bike pump playing musician.
People for Bikes announced the recipients of their latest round of small grants, most of which went to organizations in the South and Midwest; only one went to a group west of the Mississippi — and none in California.
A 69-year old Portland man had his $11,000 Colnago stolen in a strong-arm robbery when a pair of young men knocked him off his bike and into some bushes and made off with his bicycle; one of the alleged thieves was later caught on video riding it.
Colorado bike riders will face a 1.6-mile detour after a separated bikeway between Denver and Boulder was closed when a bridge collapsed due to the ground subsiding beneath it.
A San Antonio TX driver learns the hard way that it’s probably not the best idea to run over a bike cop’s bicycle while fleeing a simple traffic stop.
Yes, it really does happen. A Brooklyn bike rider was seriously injured when he suddenly cut across both lanes of traffic, and was hit by a driver traveling in the opposite direction in a crash caught on security cam.
Good question. Gothamist examines the psychology behind the hatred New York drivers and pedestrians have for bike riders, noting that despite the perceived danger, bike riders were involved in just 2% of pedestrian injuries and only one death in 2017, while New York drivers killed 106 people on foot.
New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare finally makes its way the Bronx, following years of criticism for catering to more upscale neighborhoods.
Bicycling injuries are up in eight of New York’s ten “safety priority” districts, sometimes by double digits.
There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a Pennsylvania combat vet’s bicycle on his first day of work at a pizza joint; it was his only form of transportation. He turned down an offer of a car to replace it because he just doesn’t want one. Now that’s my kind of guy.
An Alabama bike co-op placed a ghost bike for a homeless man who may have been one of their customers.
An Atlanta woman and her husband have raised funds for a $5,000 reward after a hit-and-run driver ran her down from behind as they were riding their bikes in a marked bike lane, in a crash that was also caught on a security camera.
International
Another reminder that people in more enlightened countries can buy insurance to cover them and their bikes when they ride. Unlike the US, where you can only get collision insurance if you own a car. The main reason I’ve held onto my car this long is my reluctance to give up uninsured motorist coverage, which protects you on your bike, as well as your car.
Britain’s Countess of Wessex confessed to giving a male rider a complex about his butt, after she and another woman spent the better part of an hour staring at it on a 445-mile charity ride.
If you want to try riding your bike up the world’s steepest street, you’ll have to travel to Wales, where you’ll find a roadway offering a breathtaking 37.45% grade.
A new Aussie study confirms that active commutes like bicycling or walking can make you happier, and more productive at work.
Competitive Cycling
Cyclist looks at who are the winners and losers in the Tour de France so far.
It will cost you to watch the token women’s La Course by le Tour de France, which offers just a single day of circuit racing compared to three weeks for the men. But at least they offer matching prize money. Pro tip: Save your money and catch the free online streaming of next month’s Colorado Classic, which is now a top tier, four stage women’s race.
One of the champions at the recent USA Cycling Track National Championships in Carson once again was Cal Berkeley law professor Molly Van Houweling, who won the Elite Women’s Individual Pursuit.
Finally…
Seriously, don’t drop your bike to chase down an escaped goat. Your shredded bike tubes could come back as a fanny pack…uh, hip pack.
And the latest bike-themed music video goes a bit goth.
And strange.
This is day eight of the 3rd Annual BikinginLA Holiday Fund Drive. 
