My apologies.
I’ve been dealing with major blood sugar swings this week. Wednesday’s post was canceled due to a major blood sugar crash, while today’s was due to a blood sugar spike.
Both knocked me out for several hours, making it impossible to get anything done.
So I’m going to take the rest of the week off, and try to get things back under control.
I’ll see you back her next week.
Just one — or two — reminders that diabetes sucks.
My apologies.
I’m dealing with a low blood sugar problem that’s knocked me on my ass tonight.
We’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed today.
Just another reminder that diabetes sucks.
My apologies.
I didn’t bounce back after a trip to the doctor in today’s heat and humidity, and wrangling the corgi for her first official outing as a diabetic alert dog.
Yet more of the myriad joys of diabetes — little things take a lot out of me, and it takes me longer to recover from a simple bus trip than it used to take for a century.
So get tested if you’re at risk or have a family history of diabetes, and do whatever it takes to avoid getting it, because diabetes sucks in more ways than you can count.
As usual, we’ll be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed today.
Tragic news from Ramona, California, where former BMX champ Pat Casey was killed performing a motocross stunt.
Multiple sources are reporting that Casey died after attempting a jump Tuesday afternoon at the Slayground Motocross Park in the San Diego County city.
The 29-year old Riverside resident won medals at the 2012 and 2013 X Games, and Casey was the first rider to successfully execute the “decade backflip” and “double decade backflip” in competition.
He leaves behind his wife Chase Casey, along with their eight-year old son and seven-year old daughter.
Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.
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The driver who killed an ebike-riding mom in Carlsbad last year has finally been charged in her death.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports 42-year old Lindsey Turmelle pled not guilty to misdemeanor vehicular homicide at her arraignment on May 26th in the death of 35-year old Christine Embree.
Embree was run down by Turnelle’s massive SUV while she was riding with her 16-month old daughter, who was miraculously uninjured
Turnelle faces just one year in county jail if she’s convicted.
Meanwhile, she sentenced Embree’s daughter, who turned two in April, to life without her mother.
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A San Diego man suffered life-threatening injuries when he was trapped under a dump truck for nearly an hour.
The victim was riding at an offramp to the 905 Freeway near Airway Road and Britannia Blvd in Otay Mesa when he was run down by the driver around 4:33 am Tuesday.
There’s no word on how the crash occurred, or the identity or condition of the victim.
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Calbike reports on the bills that are moving forward in the state legislature this year that could affect active transportation, including —
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Nice to see more progress being made in the San Gabriel Valley.
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Clearly, we’re not even safe from motorists on separated bikeways, as a 50-year old woman had to be medevaced to the hospital when she was run down in by a pickup driver while walking on a Sitka, Alaska bike path.
Northern Ireland’s former Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams used to be one of us, but he’s given up bicycling after drivers repeatedly shouted sectarian abuse and tried to run him off the road.
A British man died when he crashed his modified ebike into a 16-year old boy, who suffered a broken leg and internal injuries.
Police in the UK are looking for a coupe ebike riders who allegedly chased bicyclists in two “concerning” incidents.
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While the state legislature considers legalizing sidewalk riding, the LA County Board of Supervisors moved on their own to make it legal to ride your bike on the sidewalk in unincorporated areas of the county.
Actor, humorist, author and woodworker Nick Offerman is one of us, as he talks with The War on Cars podcast about riding a bike in Los Angeles and New York, and “why the best way to explore an unfamiliar city is at the speed of a good walk.”
Culver City police have arrested a 27-year old man who rode off on a bicycle after stealing a man’s cellphone at knifepoint near the Ballona Creek bike path west of Overland, Ave.
Santa Monica has unveiled a new protected intersection at 17th Street and Ocean Ave, part of the surprisingly controversial 17th Street protected bike lane.
Huntington Beach is conducting a survey for the city’s new active mobility plan. Thanks to James for the heads-up.
The San Luis Obispo Tribune questions whether the head of the local Libertarian Party belongs on the county Bicycle Advisory Committee, when he wants to abolish bike lanes and treat bicycles like motorcycles; then again, he doesn’t want to make people pay their taxes, either. Sounds like he doesn’t belong on any board, period.
Streetsblog talks with bike-riding San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who shows up to demand safer bikeways in and out of her district.
PeopleForBikes concludes their series of the 15 best arguments to advocate for bicycling; click here to read part one and part two.
Bicycling offers advice on the ebike skills you need to learn before your first road or trail ride. As usual, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
Bicycling also recommends the nine best bikes you can buy right now, electric and otherwise. Again, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
According to a women’s website, you should ride 12-14 miles per day at a moderate pace in order to lose a substantial amount of weight by next month, at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week
Portland is questioning whether “bike-friendly speed bumps are worth the trouble and treasure.”
Two 17-year old boys have been busted for a series of violent armed robberies on a Houston bike path, as police look for at least one other suspect.
A Michigan high school student thanks the community for helping him get his new bike back hours after it was stolen, just one day after he was given it by the local police.
A Michigan TV station marks yesterday’s 7th anniversary of the Kalamazoo massacre, when a stoned driver plowed into nine members of a local bike club, killing five people and seriously injuring the others; Charles Pickett Jr, was convicted on 14 charges, and will be 90 years old before he’s eligible for parole. Which is still too damn soon.
Speaking of Bicycling, the magazine calls New Bremen, Ohio’s Bicycling Museum of America, with its collection of over 8,000 bikes, a bucket list item for hardcore bike nerds and casual fans alike. Once again, read it on Yahoo if the magazine blocks you.
A Massachusetts man is riding 1,000 miles from Oxford, Ohio to Boxford, Mass, four years after doctors diagnosed him with terminal Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, giving him just two to five years to live.
The New York Times says make way for the bike bus, as more families are commuting to school on two wheels.
This is who we share the road with. A 26-year old New York man faces charges for killing a pedestrian and injuring four other people, including an 18-year old ebike rider, after allegedly drinking all day, and getting behind the wheel with a BAC nearly twice the legal limit.
A North Carolina pastor is 2,300 miles into a 3,400-mile bike ride across the US; his ride has helped raise $600,000 for an anti-abortion group.
A car-hating Tampa, Florida man replaces his with an ebike after being selected in the city’s ebike voucher lottery.
Momentum Magazine makes the case for why cruiser bikes are perfect for city riding, as well as how to build a 15-minute city centered on bicycles.
Bike Radar has advice on how to make your components last longer to prolong the lifespan of your bike. Take good care of your frame and it can last longer than you do, because everything else is replaceable.
The Week argues the pros and cons of Britain’s Low Traffic Neighborhoods, the equivalent of this country’s Slow Streets.
Life is cheap in England, where a woman calls for drivers to pay attention after the driver who her down from behind while she rode her bike, leaving her with life-changing injuries, wasn’t even charged.
No surprise here, as nearly 90% of bike thefts in the UK go unsolved, with thieves facing charges in just 2% of thefts. I’d be very surprised if the US numbers are even that high.
Kenya’s First Lady is one of us, as Rachel Ruto says riding her bike takes her back to her happiest memories as a young girl pedaling down dusty roads with her friends.
Danish pro Mikkel Bjerg took the lead in the eight stage Critérium du Dauphiné after winning the time trial.
You could win a Cannondale SuperSix Evo that was ridden by Ecuador’s Jonathan Caicedo in last month’s Giro for just 25 bucks a pop in a raffle benefitting the Los Angeles Bike Academy.
Russian cyclist Savelii Laptev has been suspended from the Astana development team for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on social media.
Who needs bikewear when — and where — you can ride naked? That feeling when a thief compliments your bike before stealing it.
And how to go viral riding your grandson’s BMX.
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin, too.
My apologies.
I’ve spent most of Tuesday flat on my back after an apparent bad reaction to one of my diabetes meds.
I’ll do my best to be back on Thursday, assuming my head and stomach settle down.
Once again, a bike rider may have been killed in a hit-and-run.
And once again, we know almost nothing.
KTLA-5 reported late last night that someone riding a bicycle appeared to have been struck by a driver at South Central and East Florence Avenues in South LA around 8 pm Sunday.
The victim, described only as a possible minor, died at the scene. The station reports a bicycle was lying on the sidewalk afterwards, next to a tent in the street covering the victim’s body.
Unfortunately, that’s about all we know.
There’s no word on how he may have been killed, or any description of a possible suspect.
Assuming this was a hit-and-run, there is a standing $50,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the driver for any hit-and-run in the City of Los Angeles.
This is at least the 19th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the eighth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County; four of those have been in the City of Los Angeles.
It’s also the eighth fatal hit-and-run involving a SoCal bike rider this year.
I give up.
After struggling, and failing, to control my blood sugar this week, I’m throwing in the towel.
If by struggling you mean feeling sick 24/7, and passing out every night and most of each day.
And to be honest, I’m not in the best space mentally or emotionally right now.
So I’m giving up on posting this week. Hopefully a few more days rest will help turn things around.
One way or the other, I’ll be back next week to bring you all the best bike news, and catch up on some of the things we’ve missed.
And I’ll be seeing my doctor next week, who’s going to get an earful.
Today’s Morning Links have been cancelled in favor of an unbridled rant regarding the sheer recalcitrant idiocy demonstrated by the Culver City Council Tuesday night.
Or make that early Wednesday morning, since treachery usually occurs in the early morning hours, long after most people with any common sense have gone to bed.
Which leaves out three-fifths of Culver City’s elected leadership.
We’ll be back tomorrow with our regularly scheduled programming.
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It really shouldn’t surprise anyone.
As expected, the newly conservative Culver City Council voted to gut the MOVE Culver City project.
The highly successful Complete Streets project received overwhelming public support going late into the night at Tuesday’s council session.
Yet they still voted 3 to 2 to remove the protected bike lanes in favor of a shared bus and bike lane, in order to add another traffic lane so more drivers can go zoom, zoom to their hearts content.
thank you to everyone who showed up and spoke out, and to the advocates who did everything they could. You are heard and appreciated by your community. No matter the temporary setbacks, we know the future is on our side, and we will get there together.
— Bike Culver City (@BikeCulverCity) April 25, 2023
At least that’s the theory.
In reality, it’s likely to result in more congestion, as the added lane will just encourage more drivers to clog the city’s downtown area, with the added noise, smog and safety risks they’ll bring with them.
It will also mean reduced bike traffic, as fewer riders will be willing to use the newly shared bus and bike lanes, with the risk of an inattentive or impatient bus driver running up their ass.
Then again, that appears to be purely intentional.
https://twitter.com/BikeCulverCity/status/1651055143616643076
And it means slower bus traffic, as buses will now have to follow behind people on bicycles, making it a less attractive transportation option and resulting reduced ridership.
Never mind this logical disconnect.
https://twitter.com/wiscottcurtis/status/1650779709238841347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1650779709238841347%7Ctwgr%5E52547c9f1d257dba9e318fb7c7de7e4a9aad5b6e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxla.com%2Fnews%2Fculver-city-council-votes-eliminate-protected-bike-bus-lanes
Call it a lose/lose/lose.
Because the city is giving a big FU to anyone not safely ensconced in a couple tons of dangerous, polluting glass and steel.
And you can add another lose to that, since the move to rip out the project will inevitably result in a CEQA violation unless the city manages to conduct an environmental impact study that somehow miraculously shows little or no environmental damage from the project’s removal.
Sure, that will happen.
In reality, the city will likely try to rip out the bike lanes without conducting the required study, resulting in a CEQA lawsuit, followed by a likely court judgement requiring them to put them back.
Making the entire effort a performative exercise designed to placate the angry conservative voters who elected the new reactionary councilmembers.
While everyone else who lives, works or moves through the city just gets shafted.
Pitiful.
Needless to say, the condemnation following the vote was fast and furious.
With their vote, they showed they valued a motorist’s ability to speed through a neighborhood more than anyone else’s right to safely enjoy a neighborhood. 2/3
— Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) April 25, 2023
Also thinking a lot today about Culver City families who finally felt safe walking and biking to school — and woke up to the news that their elected officials don't think their lives are worth saving https://t.co/5q2hUULFWR
— Alissa Walker (@awalkerinLA) April 25, 2023
Attention Culver City councilmembers: THIS is leadership. https://t.co/NNR0Yob439
— John Lloyd (@boyonabike62) April 25, 2023
https://twitter.com/SunriseMvmtLA/status/1650909387144429568
the vibe from our 3 conservatives all night: if you can’t afford Culver City’s average rent of $3200 a month, buddy we don’t really care about you https://t.co/DHt2r5hg3j
— Bubba for Culver City Council! (@vote4bubba) April 25, 2023
I CANNOT BELIEVE CULVER CITY IS DESTROYING ITS BIKE LANES. this is genuinely madness. i can't tell you how much safer we felt walking our toddler on those sidewalks because the bike&bus lane is MUCH NICER to walk next to than cars https://t.co/pxVk8OapFF
— Tiffany (@tiffanyshanli) April 25, 2023
Once again, someone riding a bicycle was murdered by a hit-and-run driver.
This time in Pomona.
According to KTLA-5, the victim was trying to cross East End Avenue at Mission Blvd when he was run down by a passing motorist shortly after 5:30 this morning.
The victim, identified only as a man who appeared to be in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver fled the scene, apparently without stopping.
There’s no word on whether the victim had lights on his bike in the early morning darkness. Then again, there’s no word on whether the driver was using his.
The fact that the victim was riding his bike in this weather suggests he had no other option, possibly just trying to get to work in the rain.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Pomona Police Department at 909/802-7741 or 909/620-2048.
This is at least the 14th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth that I’m aware of in Los Angeles County.
Six of those SoCal deaths have been hit-and-runs.
Sadly, the overwhelming majority of hit-and-run drivers get away with it. But in the unlikely event they do catch the driver, California’s lenient hit-and-run laws mean they will likely face just four years behind bars, at most.
Even then, prosecutors usually bargain down from that low level in order to get a guilty plea.
Which means most drivers just get a slap on the wrist for making the conscious decision to flee the scene, and leave an innocent victim to die alone in the street.
If they get caught. Which is a big if.
Update: The victim has been identified as 71-year old Pomona resident J. Guadalupe Perez-Nunez.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for J. Guadalupe Perez-Nunez and his loved ones.
Thanks to Johnson Attorneys Group for the heads-up.
My apologies.
My wife was kind enough to share the illness she picked up at work with me over the weekend. I was hoping I’d be able to rally for today’s post, but writing about yesterday’s bicycling death in Palm Springs was all I can manage tonight.
I should be back tomorrow to catch up on anything we missed.
