No Carmegeddon or bikes racing jets this weekend. But there’s still a lot going on in the world of bikes.
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Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.
Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.
Join the newly formed West San Gabriel Valley Bicycle Coalition, Rx for Health and Rails-to-Trails for a Fun Summer Bike Ride down the Rio Hondo Trail on Saturday, July 23rd, from 3 to 5:30 pm. The ride is open to everyone, including all ages and beginners, with prizes and giveaways for participants. Meet at Lashbrook Park, 3141 Lashbrook Ave, El Monte. Helmet required.
Also on Saturday the 23rd, the Lancaster Bicycle John’s hosts the Caffe Racers Saturday Night Ride from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Riders meet in the Bicycle John’s parking lot at Avenue K at 17th Street West, rolling at 7 pm and riding approximately 18 miles to the Barnes & Noble in Palmdale and back; ride will be a comfortable, social pace with no one left behind. Helmet and lights required.
Flying Pigeon hosts their monthly Get Sum Dim Sum Ride on Sunday, July 17th at 10 am; the ride meets at Flying Pigeon Bike Shop, 3714 North Figueroa Street in Highland Park.
Tuesday, July 26th, Santa Monica’s Cynergy Cycles offers a free lecture on Climbing Like the Pros: The Scientific Approach. The lecture takes place at 7 pm at 2300 Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monica; don’t forget to bring your LACBC membership card to get a discount on bikes and supplies while you’re there.
The Bike Plan Implementation Team meets on the first Tuesday of every month to provide input and guidance on implementing the new L.A Bike Plan; the next meeting is scheduled for 2 pm Tuesday, August 2nd in Room 721 of Downtown City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street.
The Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee holds it’s bimonthly on Wednesday, August 3rd at 7 pm at the Hollywood Neighborhood City Hall Community Room, 6501 Fountain Ave.
West L.A.’s annual Brentwood Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, August 7th on San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood; races start at 7 am and run through 4 pm.
Tuesday, August 30th, Santa Monica’s Library Alehouse will host a benefit night for Streetsblog LA; 5% of all food and drink purchases will benefit Streetsblog; 2911 Main Street.
Mark your calendar for L.A.’s Ultimate Bike Weekend, as the 2011 L.A. edition of the Tour de Fat comes to town on Saturday, October 8th, followed by the next CicLAvia on Sunday, October 9th, offering an expanded route taking participants another 2.5 miles into Boyle Heights.
Finally, the LACBC’s award-winning City of Lights program will host their 2nd Annual City of Lights Awards/Fundraising Dinner on Thursday, October 27th from 6 to 11 pm at CARECEN HQ, 2845 W 7th Street. Tickets will be available for $45 later this year.
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In case you missed it, the best bike story of the year — aside from the passage of L.A.’s Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance — was Anthony Converse of the Santa Monica Airlines skateboarding company making good on a bet to donate $100 to the Los Angeles County Bicycling Coalition for every minute the Wolfpack Hustle cyclists beat a flight from Burbank to Long Beach.
Like most of us, he thought the cyclists might win a close race, costing him just a few hundred dollars. What he didn’t count on was a 70 minute margin of victory and a $7,000 tab.
Yet even though the Coalition was willing to accept far less than the full amount, Converse demonstrated real class by selling his own car to raise money to donate the full amount.
Personally, I don’t know a damn thing about skateboarding. But I know who I’d do business with if I did.
If you ride a skateboard, or have kids, friends or relatives that do, visit their site and buy a board to let Converse know that you appreciate his incredibly generous gesture.
And that there are rewards for doing the right thing.
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Finally, a story too bizarre to save for another post, as a man was arrested for stealing a bike on his way out of the El Monte courthouse.
