BikinginLA

CBS News provides more information about the Georgia mountain biker who rescued an injured dog, carrying the pup on his back as he rode back into town.

“We stopped to regroup and he came out of the woods to greet us. He was really thin, ribs showing and had a lot of road rash and a broken leg,” Little told CBS News. He says he and the other cyclists fed the dog and gave him water, but knew they couldn’t leave the dog in the woods. Little didn’t have a car to transport him, just a bike. So he hoisted the pup onto his back, and rode into town looking for help.

“Right when we returned to my local bike shop to get him some more water and food, we instantly ran into Mrs. Andrea who was in town from Maine,” Little said. “She decided to keep him and get him checked out medically.” Little says Shaw took the dog off his hands, and not only got him medical help, but a new home.

And if you look closely, you can see the dog’s feet inside his jersey pocket, answering the question of how he did it.

Thanks to Jeff Vaughn for the link.

………

World champ Peter Sagan isn’t used to losing. Especially not to a grandmother with a pacemaker.

………

A nice spot promoting women’s cycling is actually an ad for European carmaker Škoda, which claims their cars are designed for cyclists.

………

Local

Metro has released the new Metro Vision 2028, their 10-year plan to reshape how we get around in LA County, including by bicycle.

LA’s failure to build a safe bike network gets a national stage, as NPR follows-up on the LA Times recent attempt to ride one of LeBron James’ possible routes from his Brentwood home to Staples Center. And suggests he may be better off sticking to an elliptical. Thanks to Evan Burbridge for the heads-up.

Speaking of LA’s failure to fix the streets, the city is hiring a $250,000 consultant to suggest fixes to gridlock and the embarrassment of seeing homeless people that could keep tourists away. I could do that for half the price, since we already know the solutions — house the homeless, and build out the bike plan and improve bus service to give people safe alternatives to driving. 

Monterey Park will consider approving the city’s first bikeway since it adopted a bike plan in 2014 at tonight’s city council meeting.

Malibu Magazine examines the coast’s killer highway, as PCH cuts a swath of destruction through the city that effects everyone, regardless of how they travel.

 

State

The brother-in-law of the bike rider killed on a Santa Cruz bridge last week says experienced bicyclists are afraid to ride in the city, despite the presence of several bike companies.

San Francisco reverses plans to delay badly needed safety improvements on one of the city’s most dangerous corridors.

Yosemite struggles with how to manage the daily crush of cars choking the nation’s premier national park. The obvious solution is to ban private vehicles entirely, which don’t belong in a natural setting like that in the first place.

 

National

Bike Snob tells motorists not to talk to him when he’s riding a bike.

Seattle is struggling to become more bike-friendly as the cost of projects soar. Meanwhile, the reason more people don’t bike in Seattle’s Chinatown is the lack of infrastructure makes them feel unsafe. In other words, pretty much like everywhere else.

How to tour Seattle by bikeshare.

Let’s conclude our visit to Seattle with a letter from a Lycra-wearing menace who says don’t honk and yell if you’re angry at bicyclists, demand contiguous, protected bicycle lanes instead.

A couple on an Alaskan fat bike and rafting tour discover that you can, in fact, have too much adventure.

This is why people continue to die on our streets. An Idaho man was sentenced to up to 30 year behind bars for his sixth DUI offense, while he was still on probation for his fifth violation. Seriously, it shouldn’t take six strikes and you’re out before the courts finally decide to do something. A second offense should result in jail time and a lifetime driving ban.

You can now get your kicks on Bike Route 66 through Missouri and Kansas.

Chicago police are criticized for continuing to ticket black bicyclists at a higher rate than white riders.

Bicycling can be a pain in the butt. Fortunately, the famed Cleveland Clinic offers advice on how to avoid saddle sores.

The family of a Minnesota man killed in a Kansas collision while competing in this year’s cross-country Trans Am Bike Race asks drivers to pay attention to the road.

A Rochester, New York public safety campaign currently under production swathed a pedestrian in bubble wrap and wrapped a bicyclist in Christmas lights to show how far vulnerable road users have to go to be noticed.

Baltimore uses water-filled K-rails to create an instant road diet and barrier-protected bike lane across a dangerous bridge. Proving that it is possible to create an inexpensive temporary, removable pilot project without going through the endless public meetings required for a permanent installation. Then making it permanent once it proves successful.

 

International

Vancouver Island declares war on fun, banning children’s bike riding and other outdoor activities from the streets, and decreeing that they should only be used for motor vehicles. Although the wording of the law would appear to prohibit transportation riding by adults, as well.

Yorkshire, England, is considering banning bike riders from the routes used in the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France, after bicyclists are accused of fueling road rage by anti-social behavior and hogging the narrow roads. Although needless to say, the real conflict is carried out in the comment section of the local paper.

The Telegraph recommends the best bicycling vacations in France.

A New Zealand website talks with The Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan about his documentary retracing the route of the first English-speaking team to compete in the Tour de France, in 1924

 

Competitive Cycling

Google’s doodle honored the legendary Gino Bartali on what would have been his 104th birthday.

No, Toms Skujins was not caught motor doping in the Tour de France.

Vincenzo Nibali says the reason modern bike racing looks boring boils down to the specialized training of the riders. And because it often is.

Rouleur remembers Fabio Casartelli, the last cyclist to die in the Tour de France, killed by crashing head-first into a concrete barrier while descending the Col de Portet d’Aspet in 1995.

Britain’s Cyclist asks a reasonable question — is it time to regulate doping rather than ban it?

Tuesday’s stage of the Tour de France may have been boring, but the one-day women’s Le Course was anything but; the BBC offers a play-by-play recap of the race.

 

Finally…

Always wait for the drawbridge to finish opening before trying to ride across. When a car blocks your path, just walk over it; bonus points if you can bunny hop it.

And sometimes, the real action is above, not in, the peloton.

Do *NOT* try this at home… #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/8lgr6MBh92

— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) July 17, 2018

………

Thanks to John Hall for his continued support of this site. It’s the ongoing generosity of readers like him that allows me to bring you SoCal’s best bike news every morning.