Okay, so maybe it’s been awhile since I’ve updated my Events list; the last time I got around to it, I think the fixie riders may have been on Penny Farthings.
Be that as it may, I’ve finally found a little time to catch up on the latest happenings. And it’s a hell of a list, encompassing everything from the first candidate forum co-sponsored by the LACBC to the city’s first CicLAvia-to-the-Sea.
And just about everything in between. Like a bike prom, tweed ride, workshops and classes, a ride for justice and early registration for the River Ride.
Seriously, what more could you want?
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In case you missed it — which is entirely possible, since I didn’t manage to get a new post online yesterday to tell you about it — my latest guest post for Streetsblog discusses the problem of blocked bike lanes in Santa Monica.
Because it doesn’t matter how many bike lanes they build if they keep using them as delivery truck parking lots.
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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.
A new support group is forming for people who have been involved in a bicycle collision. Everyone is welcome to share your experiences, gain insight and understanding into your emotional state and develop new coping strategies. The group will meet Saturdays from 11:30 am to 1 pm at 6310 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 401. Current LACBC members receive a discount. To learn more, contact Aurisha Smolarski at 323/203-1526 or email aurisha.smolarski@gmail.com.
The East Side Riders are joining with the step-daughters of fallen cyclist Benjamin Torres to host a Bike Ride for Safety and Justice in honor of their step-father, who was killed in a hit-and-run last October; his killer still hasn’t been apprehended. The ride takes place at 3:30 pm today, January 12th, at Rowley Memorial Park in Gardena.
Also today, Flying Pigeon will host the monthly Spoke(n) Art Ride, meeting at 6 pm at 3404 N. Figueroa St, and rolling for a tour of NELA art galleries at 6:30 pm; the popular Get Sum Dim Sum ride rolls on Sunday, January 20th.
This Sunday, SeriousCycling Agoura Hills is hosting a free Mountain Bike Demo & Family Picnic from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at the Salvation Army Camp Mt. Crags, 26801 Dorothy Drive in Calabasas.
C.I.C.L.E. holds their annual Tweed, Moxie and Moustaches Ride from 10 am to 1:30 pm on Saturday, January 19th, starting at 200 Westpark Drive in North Hollywood; the popular event has already seen over 200 people promise to attend on Facebook.
SCAG invites you to participate in a Bicycle Planning and Facilities Implementation training session as part of their Toolbox Tuesdays, from 10 am to 1 pm on Tuesday, January 22nd at multiple locations throughout the Southern California area.
Also on the 22nd, the LACBC teams with LA Streetsblog, Los Angeles Walks and the Bikerowave to host a forum for the candidates for L.A City Council District 11, to replace retiring Councilmember Bill Rosendahl. So far, three of the four candidates on the ballot have agreed to participate; the event takes place at St. Andrews West LA Church’s Nolte Hall, 11555 National Blvd, starting at 7 pm, with light refreshments to follow. This election really matters, as Rosendahl has been the bicycling community’s biggest friend at City Hall for the past several years, and will be very missed — especially if we don’t elect a bike supporter to replace him.
Caltech Bike Lab teams with C.I.C.L.E. to offer a series of free defensive cycling classes; the first takes place on Saturday, January 26th from 11 am to 12:30 pm at Caltech Y, 505 S. Wilson Ave in Pasadena. Subsequent classes will take place on Sunday, April 7th and Saturday, June 8th; RSVP to bike@cicle.org with the date you want to attend.
Bicycle Kitchen is holding a fix-a-flat workshop from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm on Sunday, January 27th, 4429 Fountain Ave; RSVP to bkworshops@gmail.com.
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Civic Engagement Committee meets at 6:45 pm on the last Tuesday of each month. This month’s meeting will take place at the Pitfire Pizza on Second and Main in Downtown L.A. on Tuesday, January 29th, focusing on the upcoming March elections. Email bikinginla at hotmail dot com to be added to the email list.
LACBC will host the city’s first Bike Prom from 8 pm to one minute before midnight on Saturday, February 23rd, at the American legion Hall Post 206, 227 N. Ave 55 in Los Angeles. Similar events have been very popular in other cities, so this could be the bike social event of the year — get your tickets early.
Registration is open for the 2013 UCLA Complete Streets Conference on Thursday, February 28th at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 120 South Los Angeles Street Downtown.
Make your plans for the Malibu 7-Canyon Ride on Saturday, March 23rd with rides of 100 mile, 100 kilometers and 50 miles. The fully supported ride will begin at Zuma Beach, and pass through Latigo, Encinal, Decker, Mulholland, Little Sycamore, Yerba Buena and Deer Creek Canyons, with over 9,000 feet of climbing on the century ride.
The next CicLAvia rolls out on Sunday, April 21st from 10 am to 3 pm, following a new route from Downtown to Venice Beach — or as Yo! Venice! puts it, from Dogtown to Downtown — along Venice Blvd. Future events will follow Wilshire Blvd from Downtown to Fairfax on Sunday, June 23rd, before returning to an extended Downtown route on Sunday, October 6th.
Registration has opened for this year’s LA River Ride, to be held Sunday, June 9th, starting and ending in Griffith Park. If you haven’t done the River Ride, I highly recommend it; if you have, then what are you waiting for?
