Today’s common theme is bad guys on bikes.
Social media helps flush out a repeat shoplifter who tried to make his getaway by bicycle after stealing a number of U-locks from a San Pedro hardware store, and getting in a fight with the owner.
An attentive neighbor scares off a bike-riding package thief in San Diego.
It takes a seriously sick schmuck to stick a gun in the face of a nine-year old boy to steal his bicycle, then ride it to rob a Connecticut store.
A Florida man rode his bike to a local hospital, walked in through the emergency room, then wandered up to the third floor and fatally shot two people at random.
The Baton Rouge gunman was one of us, as a neighbor says there was nothing unusual about him, other than tearing through the neighborhood on a mountain bike.
………
The peloton and staff of the Tour de France pay tribute to the great Fabian Cancellara in his final Tour. Peter Sagan may not win every race, but the Associated Press says he can win any way he wants to. Like this, for instance.
Bon Appetit explains, in case you’ve ever wondered, what pro cyclists eat on the bike to get them through each stage.
Boise’s Kristin Armstrong is in the running for her third gold medal at the Rio Olympics next month.
A new report shows Russia covered up 580 positive dope tests, including 26 involving cyclists. That’s all?
………
Local
Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman and Malcolm Harris of TRUST South LA discuss what bike advocates need to understand about South Central LA.
CiclaValley gets down and dirty at the LA Roubaix. And likes it.
State
Riverside is asking the public what they think about the 2.5 mile Brockton Ave bike lanes. Be sure to give your input if you ride in the area, because you know the bike haters will.
A San Bernardino man is in critical condition after being shot in a drive-by while riding his bike.
A new San Francisco study shows both drivers and cyclists prefer streets with separated bike lanes.
Sudwerk Brewing names their latest beer after the monthly Davis Bike Party.
National
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is considering joining their colleagues at NACTO by supporting protected bike lanes in less urban areas.
Utah’s two senators introduce legislation that would allow local managers to determine whether to allow bicycling in Federal wilderness areas, which was the policy prior to 1984.
A man from my hometown modified his cargo bike, which is built to carry up to 500 pounds of beer kegs, to give a lifelong cyclist suffering from ALS a chance to enjoy one last 232-mile ride across the Rockies.
A Cincinnati woman faces up to 17 years in jail after pleading no contest in the drug-fueled death of a bike rider while driving with a suspended license; she reportedly shoved bottles of pills in her bra as she tried to make her getaway.
A bighearted Maine boy is inspiring others by donating a bicycle he won in a reading contest.
A Boston letter writer acknowledges the need for protected bike lanes, but says there’s also a place for non-protected lanes, and too many places with no bike lanes.
A pair of cyclists ride nearly 900 miles, planting trees and raising funds for cancer research in honor of Massachusetts native Johnny Appleseed.
WaPo says stricter driving laws really do work. As long as they’re enforced, anyway.
A New York writer says bicycling infrastructure fails because local community boards have the power to veto lanes in their neighborhoods, resulting in an incomplete network. And police fail to keep the lanes safe.
International
Vancouver businesses embrace bicycling, six years after fighting bike lanes tooth-and-nail to preserve on-street parking.
Canadian lawyers complain about the lack of criminal penalties for killer drivers in Quebec.
Caught on video: An East London bike rider was subjected an obscenity-laced tirade from a carful of road raging motorists at 3 am.
Cyclist and royal-in-law Pippa Middleton is getting married. Your invitation probably be coming in the mail.
British cyclists complain about a pointless, six-foot long bike lane.
Once again, anti-bike terrorists have put the lives of others at risk by throwing tacks onto the route of a charity ride. Riders in similar attacks have suffered serious injuries after getting sudden flats while riding at speed.
A US Army reservist will ride 150 miles through Germany to raise funds and awareness for STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — education.
Now that’s more like it. Israel’s legislature considers a law that would require communities to build bike paths for commuters, and require buses and trains to accommodate bicycles.
Caught on video, too: Family members say a 92-year old Australian woman was lucky to survive after a cyclist plowed into her as she stepped into the street. The rider appears distracted, with no hands on the handlebars, but it also looks like the woman may have stepped out into the rider’s path.
Finally…
That’s not riot gear at the GOP convention, it’s mountain bike equipment. It could be open season on bike riders, with plans for a rail-to-trail conversion running right through a shooting range.
And caught on video 3: If you’re going to walk in the crosswalk, try not to do it when a bike race is going by.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbFy_cDBNEA
The guy with ALS in the article you linked to is my friend Mike Cimbura. We raced on the UCSB cycling team together and were close friends for many years before he and his wife Nicole moved to Colorado and we lost touch.
It’s been heartbreaking to watch the decline this horrible disease has brought down on him. I was out there last June for his 50th birthday party and he was still able to walk and talk. A year later he’s completely confined to a chair and cannot speak or eat.
So sorry to hear about your friend. I lost a friend last year from the same disease. Let’s hope Mike does as well as possible.
I tell people I think mountain bike riding is more dangerous than riding on the road. The body armor adds to my perception.