BikinginLA

It was a slow weekend on the local front, but there’s plenty of bike news from around the world for your entertainment and edification.

But before we start, let’s take a moment to remember the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, with words as appropriate now as they were fifty years ago.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

A message as meaningful for our streets as for our nation, and our world.

………

Local

Once again, no news is good news. Right?

 

State

High desert cities are working to keep up with road repair on their crumbling streets; a new project in Victorville will add bike lanes along with pavement improvements — whatever that means — on La Mesa Road.

Santa Rosa lost its battle to allow people to ride their bikes on a popular pathway through a private subdivision.

 

National

Vogue discusses the joys of wintertime riding and the problems of dressing for it.

Bicycling introduces you to the only female mechanic on the US pro cycling tour.

An app website lists the three best cycling apps all cyclists must have on their iPhones. Assuming they have iPhones. And for some reason, they filed it under “Hobby.”

In an update to the story of the homeless man who rode his bike from California to Wichita to build planes, because he said God told him to, a local bike shop talked him into letting them fix his bike and gave him new tires so he can ride on ice this winter.

A Madison WI columnist is surprised that motorists accept pedestrian-crossing improvements, but get mad about improvements for bike riders.

Florida’s Space Coast is working to encourage bicycle tourism through the area.

 

International

How to throw a rooster dirt spray for the camera.

A former Canadian pro cyclist is lucky to be alive after suffering sudden paralysis from the neck down when a blood vessel burst between two vertebrae; he was able to drag himself to his phone using only his chin, then had Siri call 911.

A Vancouver letter writer says there’s no need for business owners to worry about the loss of parking spaces to make room for bike lanes, because people on bikes will more than make up for it.

Caught on video: Ottawa police say no charges will be filed after video surfaces of a bike rider using his bicycle as a shield to block the path of a driver, who continually lurches into it. No word on what triggered the confrontation.

London’s mayor clarifies his recent remarks, saying he didn’t mean cycle superhighways cause pollution, but that badly planned construction of them causes congestion, which does cause pollution. That clears up everything, right?

A London cyclist discovers the joys of track cycling.

Cardiff, Wales releases a plan to double the number of bike riders on the city’s streets.

Motor doping may get you disqualified, but it won’t get you thrown into a French jail.

Donations are pouring in to buy new hearing aids for 105-year old, age-group hour record holder Robert Marchand.

A group of 21 male and female randonneurs ride 900 miles across India in five days in a spirit of junoon, which translates to an all immersive passion. Which should be something most bike riders can relate to.

The state of South Australia will pick up the tab for medical expenses after a 15-year old cyclist hits a pothole caused by a leaky fire hydrant.

A Singapore cyclist says he actually wants to pay registration and display a set of license plates just so he can get a little respect on the roads — and so they’ll know who his is when he gets run over by a truck.

China’s ongoing app-based bikeshare boom may result in oversupply, as two leading companies battle for dominance. Not to mention the bikes are getting in the way.

 

Finally…

No, seriously. If you’re carrying a loaded handgun in your waistband, don’t ride recklessly — and put some damn lights on your bike. Don’t be surprised when a road bike website chooses a road bike as their commuter bike of the year.

And honestly, who doesn’t need a $150 Bluetooth-enabled coffee cup for your bike?