Next weekend marks the LACBC’s first ever Tour de Taste.
And even though I’ll be working the event as a volunteer, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. So I reached out to JJ Hoffman, the mastermind behind the growing popularity of the River Ride, as well as the planner behind Tour de Taste, for a little more information.
I’ll let her explain what we can expect to experience on Sunday, March 4th.
Tour de Taste is a biking and eating adventure unlike any other!
Participants will gather at 9300 Culver Blvd, which is adjacent to the Historic Culver Hotel, the official hotel of the Tour de Taste, at 9:00am. At 9:30am those who wish may enjoy a pre-ride stretch courtesy of Goda Yoga. A light breakfast will be served courtesy of the Culver Hotel.
Riders will then be guided down the beautiful and newly revitalized Ballona Creek path in small groups. At the halfway point, riders will enjoy a snack then head on back to downtown Culver City to really indulge!
Back at Culver City, LACBC will watch your bike at our bike valet and all participants will be given a passport to all the restaurants.
Some delights will be enjoyed at the site; our sponsors on site are some of the best in town and known for their fresh organic food and cozy atmosphere. They include Pace, an OpenTable Award winner, as well as Larchmont Grill, Pete’s Cafe and AMMO.
In Culver City, explore the local eateries such as Roccos Tavern, Sake House by Hikari, Rush Street, Chipotle and LaRoccos Pizza.
New Belgium beer and multiple Gold winning winery Rosenthal and Surfrider will be there — taste wine made from grapes grown here in Malibu!
There will be plenty of choices for vegetarians and vegans. It really will be a great day of cycling and eating.
Space is limited. Get your ticket now www.la-bike.org.
My understanding is only a few hundred tickets will be sold — and a lot of those are already gone.
So order your tickets today while there are still some left.
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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.
The Culver City Bicycle Coalition invites you for an easy ride with the city’s mayor at 8 am every Monday, starting at Syd Kronenthal Park, 3459 McManus Ave, at the east end of the Ballona Creek bike path.
Discover your local Bike Co-Op with an open house at Bici Libre this Saturday, February 25th, from 2 – 5 pm at 1205 W. 6th Street.
The City of Los Angeles will be hosting a series of four Mobility Think Lab Workshops to help solve the city’s mobility problems, on Saturday, February 25th and Saturday, March 3rd in Van Nuys, L.A. and Pacoima.
If you find yourself in San Diego this weekend, it sounds like you could do a lot worse than attending Bike the Boulevard starting at noon on Saturday, February 24th, with seven full hours of food and drink specials, games, art and music for cyclists on the city’s El Cajon Blvd.
The draft bike plan for the County of Los Angeles will face a hearing by the county Board of Supervisors in a public session at 9:30 am on February 28th, in Room 381B of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street Downtown.
Also on the 28th, The LA Chapter of Young Professionals in Transportation holds its kickoff event at 634 S. Spring Street, starting at 7 pm. Guest speaker Alexis Lantz of the LACBC will discuss bike and pedestrian advocacy in Los Angeles — and few know the topic better — followed by an informal reception at Spring Street Bar.
UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability invites you to participate in Creating a Bikeable UCLA: A Vision for a Healthy & Vibrant Future on Wednesday, February 29th from noon to 2:00 pm at the California NanoSystems Institute Auditorium on the UCLA campus. Registration is free, but limited to people affiliated with the University, and space is limited.
You’re invited to train with the Wonderful Pistachios Pro Cycling team at their official winter training camp March 2nd through 4th in Paso Robles; the cost is a mere $3,000.
Sunday, March 4th, the LACBC rolls out it’s first Tour de Taste, offering an easy, guided 12 mile bike ride along Ballona Creek, as well as food and drinks from some of the area’s best restaurants. The event kicks off at Media Park at the corner of Culver and Venice Blvds starting at 10 am, with rides departing every hour. Cost is $65 for LACBC members and $95 for non-members, with discounted membership and ticket available for $120 (pro tip — become an LACBC member before the 4th and save $20); all proceeds go to create a more bikable Los Angeles. But don’t wait to register, because only 200 tickets will be sold.
Also on the 4th, the OC to LA Dream Ride 2012 will roll from El Centro Cultural de Mexico in Santa Ana to Lincoln Heights, with a welcoming celebration at Solidarity Ink. The ride celebrates the passage of the California Dream Act while connecting the immigration rights movement with the cycling community.
Friday, March 9th, the recently reinvigorated C.I.C.L.E. sponsors its free ArtNight Ride, including visits to the Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Side Street Projects, Pasadena Museum of History and the Armory for the Arts. Meet at Memorial Park Pasadena at the intersection of Raymond Ave and Holly Street at 6:30 pm, with the ride leaving promptly at 7 pm.
Thursday, March 15th, support cycling on the Westside with Bikes – Ballads – Beers: A Benefit for the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition from 7 pm to midnight at the Little Bar, 757 S. La Brea.
The 28th Annual Redlands Bicycle Classic will take place on March 22nd through 25th in Redlands, offering one of the state’s most intense cycling competitions, as well as a joyful celebration of bicycling for cyclists of all ages.
If you’re looking for a serious challenge, consider the CORPScamp Death Valley, five days of biking in Death Valley National Park featuring 300 miles or more of riding, including the Hell’s Gate Hundred, March 27th through 31st.
If you enjoyed the last CicLAvia, you’ll love the next one on Tax Day, April 15th from 10 am to 3 pm; the route will follow the same expanded course as last October’s.
It might be worth the long drive to Davis CA for the first ever Legends Gran Fondo sponsored by the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame on May 6th, featuring America’s first Tour de France winner Greg LeMond — the man whose name is on my bike — as well as former World Champion Ruthie Mathes, Olympic silver medalist Nelson Vails, and other members of the Hall of Fame.
May is Bike Month. The first National Bike to School Day is scheduled for May 9th, with National Bike to Work Week taking place on May 14th through 18th, and National Bike to Work Day on Friday the 18th.
L.A.’s favorite fundraising bike ride rolls out on Sunday, June 10th with the 12th Annual L.A. River Ride; this one just keeps getting bigger and better every year. Six different rides, from an easy family ride to a fast, flat century. Funds go to support the LACBC in building a better, more bikeable L.A. County; save $10 if you register by May 15th.
Bikes are normally banned from the famed San Diego – Coronado Bay Bridge, but you can ride it on Sunday, August 26th, during the 5th Annual Bike the Bay, to benefit the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. Get an early registration discount through April 30th.
