The hero mountain biker who apparently sacrificed his own life to help save stranded hikers from the intense heat east of San Diego has been identified.
Twenty-four-year old Kai Torres Bronson was with three other riders when they encountered four hikers who had run out of food and water, and were suffering the effects of temperatures up to 110 degrees in the Carrizo Gorge east of San Diego.
He then succumbed himself as he rode to the trailhead with a companion following their rescue, after the group had separated to guide the Cal fire rescue crew.
A crowdfunding campaign to pay for his funeral expenses has raised over $14,000 of the $35,000 goal.
Services for Torres Bronson will be held from 4 pm to 8 pm on July 29th at the Community Mortuary in Chula Vista.
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels.
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Seems like we’ve been talking a lot about 77th District Assemblymember Tasha Boerner from Encinitas lately.
Then again, it’s only been every day this week, and part of last week.
Most of the conversation has been about her apparently well-intentioned, if misguided bill to create a working group with a goal of establishing an ebike licensing program.
Which I might support if it’s amended to exempt ped-assist ebikes, and only apply to high speed throttle-controlled bicycles, which could be included under motorcycle licensing rather than create another expensive and unsustainable state program.
The law would also require anyone riding any type of ebike to carry some form of photo ID, and ban anyone under 12 from riding one, period.
But today’s topic is the other subject we’ve been mentioning, about her previously unexplained decision to pull AB 73, the Safety Stop or Stop As Yield bill, as she somehow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
At least now we have an explanation.
But as the late, great Dale Carnegie once wrote, there are two reasons for anything a person does. A reason that sounds good, and the real reason.
I’m not sure we’ve heard that last one yet.
Maybe another state legislator can do what she did with the ebike licensing bill, and cannibalize another bill that’s already been introduced and replace it with a Stop As Yield law.
Because it’s been repeatedly shown to improve safety in cities and states across the US in recent years.
And quite frankly, we’ve waited long enough.
Meanwhile, Momentum Magazine says Stop As Yield is now law in Minnesota, and asks why it isn’t everywhere else.
Good question.
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No bias here. God forbid they should inconvenience drivers a tiny bit when there’s a nice bike lane to put the sign in.
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If Zachary Rynew, aka the force behind Gravel Bike California, recommends it, that’s good enough for me.
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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.
An angry Vail, Colorado bike rider addresses an open letter to the bike-riding man who forced him off a local trail.
No bias here. A Michigan country music DJ says Kalamazoo residents are livid over plans for an advisory bike lane, citing comments from just 92 of the city’s nearly 80,000 residents. Never mind that the city is trying to improve safety after five bike riders were killed, and four injured, by an extremely stoned driver in 2016.
Sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.
A British woman was repeatedly punched in the head by male bike rider while riding her bike on a local tow path; no reason was given for the violent assault.
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Local
Authorities have named the suspect who brutally attacked a 67-year old woman as she was working in her East Los Angeles garden; 21-year-old Sergio Andrew Garcia allegedly punched the victim repeatedly in the face before pulling down her pants and underwear. He fled on foot before riding off on a fixie he’d apparently left nearby.
State
Stacker ranks all the counties in California for the worst commutes; shockingly, Los Angeles County was only number 12 on the list, while bucolic Calaveras County came in number one for leaving drivers feeling like number two.
An Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy gave a 12-year old boy a customized bike helmet after the boy crashed his ebike, noting that he’d seen the kid following the rules when he rides.
A Montecito op-ed explains why Strong Towns Santa Barbara supports the “Flat and Flexible” plan for Santa Barbara’s State Street, which they say is the option that is “most focused on the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists.”
Even the trees are out to get us. A 65-year old Gilroy woman was killed when she was struck by a large tree branch while riding her bike.
Police in San Jose released video of a hit-and-run driver who killed bike riding woman last month; Hoodline gets it right by calling the driver a heartless hit-and-run menace.
Streetsblog’s Roger Ruddick calls out the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for supporting the Valencia Street centerline protected bike lane, arguing the organization’s “credibility is on the line along with the lives and limbs of people walking and biking.”
A Sacramento TV station talks with the Executive Director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates about how the city and local groups are “catering” to bicyclists. Although something tells she might dispute that the city caters to anyone on two wheels.
National
A Florida car dealer polled over 3,000 people to find the most feared roads in America; New Mexico’s US Route 285 came in first, while California’s Death Valley Road was number two, in more ways than one.
Bend, Oregon teamed with a local state representative to host a discussion of ebike safety, prompted by the death of a 15-year old boy killed in a collision while riding one last month.
A Durango, Colorado bike shop worker offers tips on bike commuting on roads clogged with highway construction and summer tourists.
The Detroit man who allegedly pushed a young kid off his bike to steal it has been charged with unarmed robbery; he was being held on $50,000 bond after turning himself in.
A Michigan man is making the first known attempt to trace the state’s borders on a bicycle, with a 22-day, 2,400-mile ride to benefit a nonprofit helping formerly incarcerated people readjust to life outside prison walls.
A 32-year old hit-and-run driver is being tried for second-degree murder for killing a Wyoming, Michigan bike rider while driving under the influence at speeds up to 90 mph.
A 61-year old Florida man urges everyone who operates a motor vehicle to carry insurance, after he suffered life-altering injuries when he was struck by an uninsured motorcyclist while riding his bicycle; the Insurance Information Institute estimates that as many as 25% of the state’s drivers are uninsured.
This is who we share the road with. A three-year old driving a golf cart on private property in Florida struck and killed a seven-year old kid standing in the yard. Unbelievably, three-year olds driving golf carts is perfectly legal in the state; a bill banning anyone under 18 from driving one without a license or learner’s permit won’t go into effect until October.
International
Seriously? The US edition of Britain’s Sun tabloid considers what to do if a bike rider crashes into your car. Because evidently, that’s the real problem, not the other way around. And hint to The Sun — in this country, it’s 911, not 999.
A travel website ranks the “ten toughest mountain biking destinations that will make your stomach drop.”
There’s a special place in hell for the Niagara, Ontario hit-and-run driver who left an 82-year old bike rider fighting for his life in a drainage ditch. Seriously, anyone who can ride a bike at that age deserves better. Then again, so do the rest of us.
High-flying Dutch ebike maker VanMoof is officially belly-up, after the Amsterdam District Court declared the company bankrupt; administrators will explore whether the brand can be saved in another form.
Turkish bike riders told police they got the wrong man, after police arrested someone for fleeing on foot following the crash that killed a man taking part in a group ride; his fellow bicyclists accused the hit-and-run driver of murder after finding drug paraphernalia in his car.
Competitive Cycling
Barring any major disasters, defending Tour de France champ Jonas Vingegaard should be able to cruise into Paris wearing the yellow jersey, after putting nearly two minutes between himself and his nearest competitors during yesterday’s time trial.
Rouleur questions whether there’s any way back for two-time tour champ Tadej Pogačar and his UAE Team Emirates, after losing over a minute and a half in yesterday’s time trial.
Cycling Weekly calls out 18 things you didn’t know about Nielsen Powless, who is fighting to hold onto his polka dot jersey and become the first American to be crowned the Tour’s King of the Mountain.
Finally…
Now you, too, can tow your every own electric catamaran with your very now electric bicycle. That feeling when transportation officials engage in a little turd polishing.
And when Twitter users second guess the courts, the law and bike safety.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin.
