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‘Tis the season.
Something to smile about in this plague-infected year is the outpouring of bike love we’re seeing, with groups all over the country giving their time, skills and money to make sure countless kids will have a bike under the tree this year.
A group of Ojai organizations donated 42 new and refurbished bicycles, along with helmets and bike locks, to local kids.
A kindhearted Sacramento CHP officer bought a new bike for a young boy after a driver ran over his bike and his family couldn’t afford to buy him a new one; fortunately, the boy wasn’t injured in the crash.
In addition to donating 420 bicycles to local kids, a Boise, Idaho nonprofit is delivering 100 bicycles to a pair of Indian reservations.
A Bozeman, Montana bike shop that refurbishes and resells bicycles most of the year allows kids to come in and pick a free bike every December, giving away 75 to 100 bicycles every year.
A Syracuse NY program gave away a remarkable 2,300 bicycles to kids in need despite the pandemic, while teaching kids to give as well as receive.
Thanks to a donation from a secret Santa, a Pennsylvania nonprofit was able to give 100 bicycles and helmets to kids in need.
Thanks to two Florida men, 25 local kids received newly refurbished bicycles reclaimed from the scrap heap.
A Florida sheriff teamed with a local group to give away 13 refurbished bicycles.
For the fifth year in a row, a retired NFL player is giving over 80 bicycles to kids in need at the Florida high school he attended.
On the other hand, Fayetteville, Arkansas’ annual Bicycle Man giveaway, which normally hands out up to 1,200 bikes each year, was cancelled due to the pandemic.
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What do you call a Los Angeles-area bike lane filled with delivery vehicles?
An illegal parking lot. And dangerous as hell.
did i miss the mandate where it's now OK for #deliveryvehicles to stop and wait in #bikelanes while they conduct their business?? they don't realize the danger they subject cyclists to when we have to veer around them! 😡 #CulverCity #figueroa #dtla pic.twitter.com/o2xIkTZ7pO
— joni (@abikeist) December 20, 2020
— Sean Meredith (@seanmeredith) December 20, 2020
— Sean Meredith (@seanmeredith) December 20, 2020
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An effective new video calls for the removal of dangerous rumble strips along an already dangerous stretch of PCH in Orange County.
A Facebook post from the Riverside Bicycle Club explains the problem in more detail, as well as proposing specific actions to fix it.
Seriously, when will Caltrans finally learn that rumble strips should never be used on any roadway used by bicyclists.
Which is pretty much all of them.
Thanks to Victor Bale for the heads-up.
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Maybe there’s hope yet.
True story: 1st time I met @PeteButtigieg it was in Copenhagen in 2016. Part of a delegation of Mayors with Sec of Transportation to study Danish bike culture in hopes of bringing it home.
He’s our next Sec of Transportation. Let’s get Americans cycling. 🇺🇸🇩🇰🚴 pic.twitter.com/QkfxO624Ky
— Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) December 19, 2020
Meanwhile, Bicycling considers what his nomination will mean for people who ride bikes. As usual, you can read the story on Yahoo if you get blocked out of the Bicycling site.
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This is why you should never rely on a cable lock to secure your bike.
Because chances are, there was a bike connected to this that someone is missing now.
It’s also a reminder to register your bike before this happens to you.
Because even the best bike lock can be defeated by a determined thief with the right tools.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes keeps going on.
A London man with a potentially life-threatening condition is suing to remove a bike lane in front of a hospital, claiming that potential congestion could delay his arrival at the hospital, and the removal of parking spaces means that his friend couldn’t park to bring him in. Never mind that his friend could always drop him off, and the bike lane could help countless others improve their health. For that matter, I have a potentially life-threatening condition too, as do countless other people who ride bicycles.
A British truck driver will spend nearly four years behind bars for killing a bike rider, despite losing his license three months earlier due to diabetes and poor eyesore.
But sometimes it’s the people on to wheels behaving badly.
A 32-year old man was stabbed by someone on a bicycle in an apparent random attack while he was standing with friends on a bridge in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood; fortunately, he’s expected to survive.
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Local
This is who we share the bike path with. The LA Times remembers one of the many men and women who live along the banks of the LA River in the shadow of the bike path, who, unlike most, was neither unknown or alone.
State
About damn time. A new bill under consideration at the state legislature could provide financial incentives to purchase ebikes, most likely in the form of rebates.
San Dieguito River Park near Del Mar received a $1.39 million grant to fill a gap in the planned 71-mile-long Coast to Crest Trail.
Construction workers lifted an arched bike and pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks in Emeryville.
National
Outside considers how much you should spend on a gravel bike, noting that higher cost doesn’t always translate to higher value.
Wired says learn to fix and upgrade your bike instead of buying a new one.
Cycling News looks at their favorite new bike tech of the year.
The Verge considers how to keep the pandemic-inspire bike boom from fizzling out. Which it will, unless our leaders take steps to encourage riding and improve safety.
Consumer Reports explores whether an ebike is right for you, while a writer for Forbes says that’s all she wants for Christmas.
More than a thousand people took part in a virtual bike ride to honor the victims of the Las Vegas bicycle massacre that killed five experienced riders; the Zwift ride raised $15,000 for the victims.
Boston removed the concrete barriers protecting a bike lane, blaming them for causing drivers to crash. Evidently, the barriers must have jumped out in front of people in cars without warning; otherwise, the blame should go to all those people who couldn’t manage to drive safely next to them.
New York’s least bike-friendly newspaper shows a little sympathy for winter bike riders blocked from bike lanes that weren’t plowed after a heavy snowstorm, unlike the streets next to them.
Six people are suing New York’s Citi Bike bikeshare, alleging they were injured when the brakes locked on the ped-assist bikes they were renting, throwing them off their bikes.
International
Two English men will spend the rest of their lives behind bars for beating a recent college graduate to death after he pushed a boy off his bike for riding directly at him on a sidewalk.
An English driver continued to claim a bicyclist somehow rode into his truck, despite video showing he plowed right into the young woman who was wrapped in hi-viz bikewear, while making no effort to go around her.
The Scottish bicyclist who nearly got killed on a Texas highway just miles from the end of his round-the-world bike ride has bounced back to have a record-setting year, and announced he’ll return to Texas for a group ride to raise funds for the two hospitals that saved his life. And this time, he’ll have a police escort to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Kenya’s second lady rode 90 miles to mark 100 days since she established the Mama Cycling club to encourage people to become more physically active and call attention to the need to prioritize road safety to protect people on bicycles.
A Manilla op-ed warns about the risk of wearing a face shield when you ride a bike, despite a new nationwide mandate; a Philippine advocacy group doesn’t like the mandate, either.
A Kiwi city became the canvas for a New Zealand man’s bicycle Strava reindeer art.
An Australian judge rejected a truck driver’s claim that he didn’t know he hit and killed a man riding a bicycle because his music was cranked up too loud.
Competitive Cycling
The L39ION of Los Angeles cycling team — pronounced Legion — unveiled their roster for the upcoming racing season.
Finally…
If you’re going to shoplift a shitload of toys, try not to ride over a police bike making your getaway. Try not to break anyone’s leg when you’re biking under the influence.
And this is just what I feel like on a trainer.
This never gets old 😂 pic.twitter.com/jwbnjH7M6x
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) December 18, 2020
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And wear a damn mask, already.
