BikinginLA

It’s here.

Coming soon, my first ever product review.

………

Phillippe Gilbert holds off Tyler Farrar to win stage 19 of the Vuelta; Cavendish looks to cement his points victory over the American sprinter. Fabian Cancellara drops out of the Vuelta just days before the finish, claiming he’s exhausted, and may not compete in next month’s World Championships. The legendary Eagle of Toledo says Gilbert is the one to watch in the Worlds.

………

Here’s your chance to make a real difference on local streets as West Hollywood is looking for volunteers to join their new Bicycle Task Force. If you’re looking for a less demanding option, Glendale needs volunteers for next week’s bike count, while Long Beach needs volunteers for their bike count next month.

………

Looks like a very busy week in the local bike world:

Bike Talk airs Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.

Saturday, September 18th, decorate your bike for the Bicycle Beauty Pageant, 8 pm to midnight, at 3191 Casitas in Atwater Village; $10 admission benefits CicLAvia and includes one free beer, free admission and one beer if you enter the pageant.

Also on Saturday the 18th, join the LACBC and Bicidigna for a Vuelta de la Bici Digna, a free ride with the Bicidignarias from MacArthur Park to Pan Pacific Park from noon to three, followed by food and soccer.

Flying Pigeon hosts a fundraiser for bike activist and CD 4 City Council candidate Stephen Box on Saturday the 18th from 7 – 9 pm at 3714 N. Figueroa Street in Highland Park.

Celebrate the third anniversary of C.R.A.N.K. MOB at C.R.A.N.K.MAS III, 9 pm on Saturday, September 18th and 7 am Sunday, September 19th; costumes mandatory.

On Sunday the 19th, the Los Angeles Wheelmen celebrate their 65th anniversary with century and half-century rides; $5 of the $30 ride fee will go to the LACBC.

LACBC Planning and Advocacy Committee discusses the bike plan on Tuesday, September 21st at Downtown’s Pitfire Pizza.

Hearings for the proposed bike are scheduled for September 29, 30 and October 2, with a noontime Webinar scheduled for Wednesday the 29th; click here for times and locations.

………

A look at the invisible riders of Los Angeles. The L.A. bike community’s new BFF hosts a press conference on Wednesday to promote CicLAvia. More on the lawsuit against the Expo Line Bikeway from USC’s Neon Tommy. LABC calls for cyclists to attend the November 3rd sentencing of Angelina Everett in the Ed Magos hit-and-run. Bikeside looks at the upcoming hearings for the new bike plan. UCLA looks to replace their balky bike lockers. Green LA Girl visits the Santa Monica Spoke’s Park(ing) Day park. Even experienced riders can be dangerous idiots. Metro honors Caltech’s bike-to-work and bike-to-school programs. Biking DJ Benny Benassi tours the West Coast on two wheels.

According to a bike-riding member of Fresno’s finest, bike riders are almost always at fault in collisions; yeah, no hint of bias there. Bicycling says American cyclocross is at a crossroads. An angry driver admits he didn’t know the law and apologizes to a cyclist, but won’t shake her hand. Tall girls need cute bikes, too. It only takes a driver two seconds to turn off a cell phone. Changing the lives of addicts and ex-cons through bike therapy; link courtesy of San Diego cyclist and attorney Amanda Benedict.

A Fairbanks AK driver faces felony manslaughter and first-degree assault charges for hitting three teenage cyclists, killing one, after running a red light. An AK college student starts his own campus bike lending program. It might be Kansas, but it looks a lot like the roads I used to ride through the farmlands of Eastern Colorado; maybe now you know why I miss it so much. An Atlanta woman says she’s terrified of her bike, or more precisely, riding it in city traffic. Another day, another case of bike rage as an angry cyclist pulls a knife on driver who cut him off. Did Janette Sadik-Khan’s NYDOT really call cyclists jerks or are they just being overly sensitive?

Not surprisingly, British ORUs — aka, other road users — don’t think highly of bike riders; like “Oi! Cyclist! Get off the road!” for instance. Bikes Belong goes riding bikes with the Dutch. A teenage prison break by bike. More lust-inducing high-end bike porn from Eurobike, along with the new bikes from Cinelli. Coming soon, new ways to be seen on your bike. A British court awards a record-breaking £14 million — $21 million U.S. — to a cyclist permanently injured in a collision. A Zimbabwe boy and his new bicycle, courtesy of World Bicycle Relief. A new world record for circumnavigating the Earth by bike. China’s formerly bike friendly roads take a turn for the worse. Nicosia, Cyprus celebrates No Car Day.

Finally, the best line I’ve seen in months: Q. What’s the difference between an arrogant jerk in an SUV and an arrogant jerk on a bicycle?

A. 4,000 pounds, and not a damn thing else.

Speaking of which, you gotta watch out for those dangerous bicycle gangs.

Best wishes for a blessed Yom Kippur, g’mar chatimah tovah.