BikinginLA

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a chance to catch up with the latest headlines.

So pop open a cold one, limber up your clicking finger and settle in for a little light reading. You’ve got to rest up for Sunday’s CicLAvia anyway, right?

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A memorial ride will be held at 8 am Saturday in Coronado for San Diego bike racer Jackie Dunn, and a second ride will be held in Rancho Cucamonga. Now if someone will just organize rides for the other six riders who’ve lost their lives in Southern California in the past week or so.

Meanwhile, Michael Wagner of CLR Effect writes movingly about the effect Dunn’s death, and that of Chris Cono, have had on the local bike racing family.

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KNBC-4 looks forward to Sunday’s Wilshire Blvd CicLAvia. LAist offers a guide to CicLAvia, which it calls the longest — in terms of hours, not distance — most walkable and event-filled; I prefer the jelly filled, myself. The Militant Angeleno offers his own great tour of CicLAvia sites, but  you can always settle for the official guide and/or podcast initiated by the Getty, whatever that means. One of those Wilshire Blvd sites is the famed Gaylord apartments, built by the boulevard’s socialist capitalist namesake. Take a bike train from the Tar Pits to the Wolfpack Crit. The Bikerowave will be closed for CicLAvia on Sunday.

And Forbes says CicLAvia is turning L.A. into a city of pedestrians.

As for me, I’ll be working the LACBC booth at the Downtown hub at One Wilshire from 10 am to noon on Sunday; stop by and say hi if you’re in the area.

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The LA Daily News declares this the summer of cycling, but not necessarily in a good way. But what’s with this whole “bike lobby” crap that’s suddenly popping up everywhere since the wicked witch of Wall Street’s mad rant? Thanks to LACBC board member April Economides for the link.

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It looks like West Hollywood is serious about updating its bicycle and pedestrian plan; the West Hollywood Bicycle Coalition says things are moving forward.

Seriously, the WHBC is an amazing group of bike advocates working hard to make WeHo a safer and more ridable city; if you live or bike in the city, you owe it to yourself to join.

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A bicyclist is looking for witnesses to a hit-and-run at Washington and Pacific in Venice this past Tuesday. Get a free peach if you bike valet today at the SaMo farmers market. If you’ve had a bike stolen in Santa Monica lately, the SMPD wants to get it back to you today. As Santa Monica police prepare to focus on ticketing bike riders, city officials focus on safety in the face of rising cycling rates; maybe they’re playing good cop, bad cop? The Times looks at outgoing city councilmember Bill Rosendahl; he’s been the role model for what an elected official should be. LACBC recounts the recent Climate Ride. LADOT welcomes two new assistant bike program coordinators. A new park opens along the L.A. River bike path. A new Watts bike co-op is put on hold until the owner gets back from his deployment in Afghanistan. In the wake of the collision that killed fallen bike rider Phillip O’Neill, Boyonabike examines the proposed Pasadena bike plan and finds it lacking. Santa Clarita is looking for artists to design new bike racks. Long Beach gets approval for separate bike and pedestrian paths on the beach.

San Diego will install sensors to lengthen red lights to give cyclists time to get across major intersections. Orange County’s cdmCyclist talks to two of my favorite people and bike advocates. A new Riverside bridge offers safe passage to bicyclists and pedestrians on the north side; on the south, not so much. Turns out bike lanes make things better for everyone; except Hollywood filmmakers, of course. SFist starts a — hopefully tongue-in-cheek — sidewalk riding offender registry. A Stockton rider is hit by a pickup, then beaten with baseball bats by the occupants. Watsonville wants to be the new Bike City USA. Now that’s a bad fall, as a Marin County man falls off a bike trail and lands butt first on a piece of rebar. When it comes to infrastructure, a little effective signage might help; personally, I want to post the last one facing against traffic all over L.A.

Elly Blue says the secret to riding in high heels is there is no secret. Lance wants the rest to the cycling world to come clean. A new record in the Race Across America (RAAM). The latest gear for bike cops. Seattle claims to have the world’s best naked bike ride. Skaters beat up a Seattle bike rider after making him fall. Bike to Work Day comes on Wednesday in my home town. A Colorado highway gets a $312 million upgrade, including a bike path. Kansas City Star says someone just needs to tell motorists bike lanes are a good thing. Minneapolis ridership is up, but crashes remain steady — there’s still room for improvement, though. Lady, if a Chicago bike rider travelling at world-class speed really ran right over your dog, he’d probably be dead — and so would the cyclist. A Maine bicyclist gets sucked under the wheels of a passing semi, and police fall over themselves to blame the victim. Leonardo DiCaprio and friend go riding in New York. Gothamist writes in defense of salmon cycling. AARP comes out strongly in support of a Federal Complete Streets bill. Businesses along a new bike trail in Greenville SC saw a 30-50% increase in sales. A Florida driver offers a bike rider $14 for a cab before fleeing the scene after running her down. Now that LeBron has a second ring, can the bike-riding NBA star fix the streets of Miami?

How to cycle up an impossibly high cliff to increase ridership. Guardian readers offer tips for touring France by bike. The New York Times complains Amsterdam suffers from too many bikes; nice problem to have. UK bike bloggers say the bike industry should spend less on press trips and more on advocacy. Bikes are making a comeback in traffic-clogged Bangladesh.

Finally, if you’re being attacked by buzzards, maybe you need to ride a little faster. A Virginia letter writer says I’m okay but you suck, as he draws an artificial distinction between bike riders like him and those damned cyclists. And if this reminder to get on your bike doesn’t make you smile, you may be beyond hope.

In the mad dash between various meetings, writing for Streetsblog and trying to keep up this site this week, I’m afraid I’ve lost track of who sent me what links this time.

So my apologies if I don’t give credit where it’s due for forwarding stories; trust me, I do appreciate it and I’ll try to do a better job next time.