BikinginLA

LA sheriff’s deputies are on the lookout for a bike-riding South Gate slasher.

According to reports, the man attacked at least three people in the South Gate area Wednesday morning, apparently at random. One women was slashed in the face, while another woman and a man escaped with scratches.

He’s described as a dark-skinned Hispanic man in his 30s with a shaved head, and wearing black clothing. He was last seen riding a black bike with mountain bike frame and oversized wheels.

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San Francisco police are looking for a bike-riding man who ripped down a banner at an anti-abortion protest, then physically assaulted an 85-year man who tried to stop him.

Seriously, regardless of your beliefs and politics, violence is never the answer.

Especially when it comes to older people who break easily, and can’t defend themselves.

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Maybe those hips lie, after all.

Shakira and Carlos Vives denied allegations that they plagiarized their international hit La Bicicleta from a Cuban singer, who insisted it was too similar to his number from couple decades back.

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Olympic cyclist and Bicycling test editor Bobby Lea tries out a $28 bike trainer from discount grocer Aldi. And finds it doesn’t suck.

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A new video from Team LACBC says this is how we roll. But you’ll have to click the link, because the video wouldn’t embed for some reason.

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Local

Singer Hailey Reinhart is one of us, saying she does some of her best songwriting while riding on the bike path on Playa del Rey.

Cement maker CEMEX USA parked a cement truck outside the Rose Bowl for last weekend’s Bike MS to call attention to road safety, saying drivers, bike riders and pedestrians all need to look out for each other. Although only one of those actually poses a significant risk to those around them.

The mayor of Santa Clarita says the city is working to improve traffic safety, despite the deaths of a bike rider and a pedestrian just blocks apart this year.

Santa Clarita’s recent crackdown on traffic safety violations resulted in 34 citations; no word on how they were distributed between drivers, bike riders and pedestrians.

State

Spin is just the latest company to enter the scooter wars in San Diego, joining Bird, Lime and Razor.

Fremont drivers are tired of a 15-month construction project to create an elevated, protected bike and pedestrian lane, with six months left to go.

Sad news from Sacramento, where a 73-year old pedestrian who was struck by a man on a motorized bicycle has died.

A 24-year old Marin County woman has been charged with vehicular homicide, drunk driving, and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol for the October crash that killed an elementary school teacher as she was riding her bicycle.

National

Turns out Millennials are driving as much as other generations, after all. No surprise when you consider most of our cities are designed to force people to drive, for lack of any other safe, viable options.

A neighborhood greenway — aka bike boulevard — through a historically black Portland neighborhood has been moved over two blocks to appease residents who want to keep driving to local businesses.

Good question. Seattle Bike advocates are worried about the mayor’s retreat on bike lanes, while a local writer wants to know how killing the planned bike lane squares with the city’s climate goals. Probably the same way not building them in Los Angeles fits with ours.

Think of it as the ultimate open streets event. Starting tomorrow, Yellowstone National Park will be open to people on bicycles for the next three weeks; motor vehicles won’t be allowed in until April 19th. But if you want to see Old Faithful or Yellowstone Canyon during that period, you’re out of luck.

There’s a special place in hell for whoever stole a bicycle from the yard of an Ohio couple, who had kept it there as a memorial to their late son for the last 15 years; the world-class cyclist and nuclear engineer was killed in a collision 25 years ago.

Talk about victim blaming. After the NYPD charged the driver of an oil tanker who killed a bicyclist with a pair of misdemeanors — even though he drove off after the crash, which is a felony — the company he works for said it was the victim’s fault for wearing dark clothes and riding after dark. Neither of which are against the law.

Speaking of the NYPD, their officers ignored the mayor’s orders and the department’s own policies to ticket delivery riders for using illegal ebikes, rather than the companies they worked for.

An Atlanta writer says yes, it’s possible to live carfree in the city and love it.

Now that’s more like it. A New Orleans man got ten years for the hit-and-run death of a man riding his bicycle. Meanwhile, the city’s police department has agreed to increase enforcement around bike lanes, including drivers who park in them.

After New Orleans bike advocates installed temporary protected bike lanes to connect segments of the city’s bike network, traffic speeds dropped 26%, while ridership nearly doubled. And 87% of local residents wanted to make them permanent.

International

Bike helmet materials maker Koroyd says not so fast on those Trek/Bontrager WaveCel helmets. And give us our color back.

Cycling Tips looks at the best pocket locks to briefly protect your bike when you park in public.

National Geographic visits the original ciclovia in Bogata, Columbia.

A Toronto physician says a proposed protected bike lane is the key to a safer, more prosperous city.

The European Union is taking serious steps to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, requiring a number changes to all cars, trucks and vans sold on the continent, including speed controls, emergency braking and black boxes. Too bad we can’t expect to see something like that over here anytime soon.

Scottish stunt rider Danny MacAskill now has his own YouTube channel.

Curbed’s Alissa Walker says Copenhagen will be the first city to eliminate fossil fuels, on track to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and carbon neutrality by 2025. And US cities need to do the same, fast.

It’s true. Like Dylan at Newport, famed Italian bikemaker Colnago has gone electric.

Aussie researchers call for banning the word cyclist so drivers will think we’re human.

Shocking story from Taiwan, where a man riding a bicycle and playing Pokemon Go discovered a baby abandoned by migrant workers. The shocking part isn’t the abandoned baby; it’s that anyone is still playing Pokemon Go.

Competitive Cycling

British pro Mark Cavendish is within reach of Eddy Merckx record 34 Tour de France stage wins, if he can overcome the effects of the Epstein Barr Virus.

Former Olympic and pro cyclist Jonathan Bellis was lucky to get off with a fine for attacking his girlfriend in a drunken rage; his lawyer said he suffered a brain injury in a moped crash that causes aggression when he drinks. Which begs the question of why he drinks when he knows he has a problem.

Finally…

Your next bike could be a unicorn. If you have to steal a bike, bring it back later with a note saying you’re sorry.

And if you’re going to cheat in a marathon by riding a bike, at least try to finish in under five hours.