BikinginLA

Sometimes it’s not all about riding a bike.

We stopped by the LA Marathon Sunday morning to cheer on the runners, including Finish the Ride’s Damian Kevitt, who decided to run the race while he was still in his hospital bed after losing a leg in a horrific hit-and-run — and almost losing the other one.

Just two years later, he achieved what few would have thought possible at the time.

I’m told Kevitt finished the race roughly seven hours after the start, despite one missing leg and a painful, surgically repaired ankle on the other.

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Meanwhile, I was also pleased to see LA Fire Department paramedics ride — yes, ride — to the rescue of a runner in need.

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A Culver City man is under arrest for riding off with a high-end bike listed for sale on Craigslist.

He was also in possession of several other expensive bicycles that are presumed to be stolen, according to police.

So if you were the victim of a Westside bike theft, contact Culver City Police Detective Raya at 310-253-6318 or tobias.raya@culvercity.org to see if one of those very expensive bikes was yours.

Thanks to David and George Wolfberg for the heads-up.

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Evidently, a mandatory helmet law for adult bike riders doesn’t go far enough. Now you need a mouth guard, too; full body armor and bubble wrap remain optional. Thanks to Erik Griswold for the tip.

Meanwhile, a new study of Sweden’s law requiring helmets for children shows it hasn’t reduced head injuries, but has resulted in a drop in ridership among school children.

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Caught on video: A cyclist defies gravity to ride across the nearly sheer face of a Moab, Utah cliff.

Now that’s what I call a tough commute.

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Local

Good news from DTLA, as 7th Street is due to get an eight-block makeover paid for by Korean Air, which is developing the massive new Wilshire Grand project. All three options include bike lanes; personally, I’m all in on version three, which includes protected lanes.

The late Alex Baum will be honored with a memorial kid’s ride at the City of Angels Fun Ride on April 26th. Still waiting for the mayor’s office and LADOT to step up and hold a public memorial for one of the city’s leading citizens and a world-class bike advocate.

Compton wants your input on bicycling conditions in the city.

A Malibu restaurant owner builds a cycling community with the weekly Mangia ride.

Santa Clarita cyclists are invited to weigh in on proposed signage for bike and pedestrian paths.

 

State

A San Diego bike rider suffers a broken hip when he’s hit by a left-turning driver while riding in an unmarked crosswalk.

Thanks to efforts by the Chumash Indian tribe, the Solvang Century was intended to produce zero waste. Other than all those air cartridges, unpatched tubes, and energy gel containers cyclists always seem to leave in their wake, of course. Thanks to Megan Lynch for the link. And thanks to Charles for catching a number of errors in this link.

The latest roadblock to a proposed Palo Alto bike bridge may have feathers.

San Francisco cyclists bare all to protest oil dependence at the city’s edition of the World Naked Bike Ride; they were joined by a handful of Kiwi riders half a world away.

Harmony builds between bicyclists and other BART riders, according to a new survey.

Spinlister plans to go head-to-head with Bay Area bike shares using a smart bike version of the Car2Go model.

The directors responsible for managing the Golden Gate Bride want to reserve the right to charge bike riders and pedestrians a toll to cross the bridge. But isn’t that what trolls do?

Marin County officials consider lowering the speed limit for cyclists on a multi-use path to just 10 mph, bicyclists could also be required to ride single file.

A hero bike rider runs across a Petaluma parking lot to catch a purse thief; even more impressive, he returned to find strangers guarding his bike and laptop.

 

National

No bias here, as a misleading headline says Oregon bikes may be able to run red lights; you have to read to story to discover the proposed law only allows riders to go through a light if it doesn’t change.

Must be nice. Minnesota’s bike lobby enjoys support from political candidates, as well as in the halls of government.

Three Wisconsin teenager are credited with saving the life of a bike rider following a solo fall.

An Ohio bike rider is charged with inducing panic after riding around a barricade and having to be recused from rising flood waters. But how exactly did that cause screaming hordes to run away?

Massachusetts bicyclists ask the state legislature to ban motorists from blocking bikeways; that’s already illegal here, but seldom, if ever, enforced.

 

International

Lost in the uproar over the recent CIRC report on professional doping cycling is the news that women riders are being exploited, both financially and sexually.

An Ottawa cyclist describes the joy he gets from riding in the city; a sentiment most of us can probably relate to.

London’s Telegraph says Lance has been offered a deal to reduce his lifetime ban — if he comes clean. So that the lifetime ban isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

A teenage Scot cyclist pleads guilty to dangerous cycling for hitting a couple on a tandem after running a red light while pulling a wheelie.

Owen Wilson rides a folding bike in Rome.

 

Finally…

I thought I’d heard every possible excuse for hit-and-run; evidently, I was wrong. No matter how inviting the trail might be, it’s probably not the best idea to mountain bike on a marine base without permission.

And the day construction to build a green bike lane in Monterey Country was completed, plans are announced to rip the lane out and widen the road. But can someone explain how it could take nine months and $2.2 million just to paint a bike lane?