I’ll make this quick tonight.
I’m in the middle of an extended bout with extremely low blood sugar that has knocked me on my ass all night. If you’ve never experienced this yourself, there are no words to explain just how debilitating it is, or how incredibly bad it feels.
Hopefully, I can at least keep it from dropping any further, and bounce back in the morning.
I’ll try to catch up with a rare weekend post on Saturday; if not, we’ll see you bright and early on Monday.
So this happened yesterday.
Uber has apparently made the long migration east from their new Santa Monica base to the wilds of Hollywood.
Or maybe someone just took a long ride and left one here on the sidewalk near my home.
The tag on the e-scooter, which you can read by clicking the photo below, promises up to five free one-half hour rides per day through October 28th using the Uber app.
Hopefully, if the Uber scooters really have finally made their long-promised entry into the LA scooter wars, that means Uber’s popular JUMP ebike bikeshare will soon follow.
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Last Friday, we mentioned the frozen antique bicycle which had unexpectedly emerged from the snowy slopes of the Italian Alps. Not far from where Ötzi, the 5,000-year old frozen caveman, had emerged from his own glacial grave in 1991.
Leading to the obvious and inescapable conclusion that it might be his bike.
If obvious and inescapable can be read to mean ludicrous and anachronistic.
Yet Marvin Davis has forwarded proof, of a sort, that it may be possible after all.
Which leads us to today’s discovery of what happens when you abbreviate the year in a multi-day Google Search.
Only to discover the odd fact that not one story about bicycles was published online on Tuesday or Wednesday’s date in 18 AD.
Go figure.
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Long Beach Mobility & Healthy Living Programs Officer Michelle Mowery sends word of yet another one-day closure of the San Gabriel River Bike Path next month.
The path will be closed from 8 am to 5 pm on Wednesday, November 14th between 2nd Street and 7th Street (California State Highway 22) for additional work by the LA Department of Public Works.
So mark your calendar, and plan on another route that day.
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No bias here.
An indignorant writer for a Kiwi website complains about the “massive amounts of taxpayer and ratepayer money” to give supposedly freeloading bike riders “an advantage over motorists who have to pay their own way in life.”
Don’t get me wrong, recreational cycling on purpose-built cycleways, especially out in the country, is an admirable pursuit, but cycling is not a practical means of transport, and the amount of other people’s money thrown at cycling infrastructure is totally disproportionate to the number of cyclists using it.
If the cost of cycleways and special cycle lanes was reflected in a tax on new bicycles each one would cost its purchaser at least $50,000.
Never mind that the total cost of a painted bike lane runs around $50,000 a mile in the US. So evidently, he’s assuming that every bike lane will be used by just one person per mile.
Period.
He goes on to complain about a planned walkway over the Aukland harbor, insisting it will become a death trap for people on foot as spandex-clad bike riders hit speeds of 55 mph on the downhill slope.
Because that’s just what we all do.
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Santa Monica Mountains Cyclery shares a photo of a bike thief who made off with a bike from a Norwalk shop.
San Francisco bike riders will be wearing wigs and sensible heels this weekend to protest Prop 6. And those are just the men, including State Sen. Scott Wiener.
Modesto is planning a new road diet to calm traffic on one of the city’s most dangerous streets; previous road diets have actually improved traffic flow for drivers. Which is probably why Modesto NIMBYs and traffic safety deniers aren’t rising up in revolt, unlike the privileged drivers in a certain SoCal city we could name.
Bicycling offers tips on how to dress for cold winter weather, including LA’s frigid 60° temps. And explains how riding a bike can give you a healthier gut.
Meanwhile, the great bike helmet debate goes on, as a writer for Bicycling says it’s okay to not wear a helmet, adding they can help protect against some injuries, but safer streets and drivers help more.
Good idea. A Colorado Springs CO advocacy group is offering classes for people who want to learn how to drive safely around bike riders.
An Estes Park writer suggests bicycling as a practical solution to the Colorado tourist town’s chronic traffic and parking problems.
Anyone can ride across the country. A Texas man is riding in a heart shape through 13 states to show his love for the US, and see for himself how divided the country is.
A Louisville KY woman explains how mansplainers nearly made her quit bicycling, until she gave up on the trails and started riding in the local cemetery. Seriously, when it comes to advice, be a well, not a fountain; if people want advice, they’ll usually ask for it. Although someone should tell her that calling out “on your left” is a courtesy to help avoid confusion and crashes, even if some riders treat it like more of a command.
Still more from Bicycling, as they explain how a sub-seven-mile Memphis bike lane helped transform the city, which preceded Los Angeles as a two-time loser as America’s worst city for bicycling. So maybe there’s hope for us yet.
A Pittsburgh website profiles a paraplegic rockstar, author and record-setting handcyclist.
At a time when it seems like no one is behind the wheel in Washington, it could soon be literally true.
DC will try slow zones and banning right turns at some red lights to improve safety, as the mayor attempts to reset the city’s Vision Zero; traffic deaths have already exceeded the total for all of last year.
An automotive website considers when carmakers make bikes. I’ll take the Pashley Morgan, thank you.
Seriously, don’t be that guy. A bike raging London bicyclist caused nearly $2,000 in damage by slamming his bike onto the hood of a chauffeured limo. No matter what a driver might have done, violence is never the answer, tempting though it may be.
No bias here, either. A British radio host takes London’s DOT-equivalent to task for not implementing a harebrained plan to let drivers use one of the city’s cycle superhighways at non-peak hours. It should come as no surprise that his last name is Ferrari.
An English town saw a 200% increase in bicycling after they banned cars from the city center.
The war on cars may be a myth, but but the war on bikes goes on. An Irish farmer was convicted of pushing two men off their bikes, complaining they were passing too close to where he was walking.
NPR considers how a disastrous change in service providers nearly killed the famed Paris Vélib’ bikeshare.
A new Danish study shows bicycling in your 50s and 60s can cut your risk of early death by 23%. Then again, any death before you’re ready is early.
Switch to biking, walking or taking transit in Bologna, Italy and the city will buy you a beer. Which is why this site may soon be called BikinginBologna.
An advocacy group in Malta is urging employers to fight traffic by buying bicycles for their workers — then taking it out of their salaries.
I want to be like him when I grow up. A 71-year old Indian man is on his seventh ride around the world.
An Israeli professional soccer player has been indicted for the drunken hit-and-run that killed an ebike rider.
An Aussie woman is furious that she got stuck behind a group of bicyclists for awhile, complaining that they didn’t move over to let her pass. Never mind that the lane was clearly to narrow to safely share.
A Kiwi writer describes a rainy bike commute to work, which she started doing when her car’s radiator blew up six years ago. And says if someone offered her a new car today, she wouldn’t take it.
He gets it. A New Zealand writer says don’t panic, they’re only scooters.
Brisbane, Australia bike advocates call for a connected bikeway grid in the central business district after bike riders identify a mere 2,850 traffic safety problem areas.
Heartbreaking story from Thailand, where a Philippine randonneur was killed by a hit-and-run driver who ran a red light, just 31 miles from the end of a 1,250-mile race.
A short German-made film examines how Beijing is turning back to bicycles in an attempt to ease traffic and smog in the city of 21 million.
Former US Postal team director Johan Bruyneel, who helped Lance win — and lose — a record-setting seven Tour de France titles, has received a well-deserved lifetime ban from cycling.
America’s other ex-Tour de France winner and current CBD peddler says cycling’s post-doping era ain’t so clean, either.
Cycling Tips says the pro cycling calendar is bloated and anti-climactic.
Good news, as 21-year old Californian former pro cyclist Adrien Costa is back on his bike, just three months after losing a leg in a Mono County climbing accident.
How to not mispronounce common bike brands. Just what every bicyclist needs — $200 cherry red vinyl bike shorts with a bejeweled buckle.
And proof not all distracted drivers are drivers. Even if it was probably staged.
My apologies.
Apparently, riding my bike to a doctor’s appointment this afternoon took more out of me than I expected.
After struggling to stay awake all night — and mostly failing — I’m throwing in the towel and giving up for the night.
Hopefully I’ll be okay by morning.
And we’ll catch up on anything we missed tomorrow.
Today’s common theme is bike helmets.
Just a day after British bike scribe and new Forbes transportation writer Carlton Reid says he doesn’t wear a helmet when he rides, a couple others chimed in on the subject.
A Montreal writer says the problem with that is that bike helmets are proven to save lives. Which is true, as long as you don’t look at the studies that contradict them.
And pro cyclist Alex Dowsett says helmets “should be compulsory for all cyclists, everywhere, all of the time,” after crediting his with saving his head during yesterday’s stage of China’s Tour of Guangxi.
As regular readers of this site may know, I always wear a helmet when I ride.
But I realize that they’re not magic talismans that protect you from any injury. Except for the new MIPS helmets, they don’t protect against concussions, and they don’t protect any other part of the body.
They’re also only designed to protect against impacts up to 13.5 mph. Which means bike helmets are better in a slow speed fall than a high speed crash.
So yes, they can offer some protection, and may even save your life under certain circumstances.
But they should always be seen as the last line of defense. Not the first.
It’s better to avoid a crash in the first place than count on your helmet to save you.
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Thanks to the Los Angeles Times for alerting the world to the dangers of this site in yesterday’s daily email blast.
Although I prefer to write it as one word.
Thanks to Chris Klibowitz for the heads-up.
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The LA Times offers their endorsements for next month’s election, including a no on Prop 6, which would repeal the recent gas tax increase to fund road repair.
A new class-action lawsuit against Lime and Bird calls for banning e-scooters in California, with three plaintiffs alleging they were injured by defective and unsafe scooters; the suit also alleges the companies created a public nuisance and abetted assault. On the other hand, they love them in Portland, and are replacing car trips.
The CHP’s Pedestrian and Bicyclist Enforcement and Education Project has received a $1 million federal grant, as San Jose becomes the fourth California city to adopt Vision Zero.
Sad news from Sunnyvale, where a man was killed in a hit-and-run while riding his bike.
A writer for Business Insider says he can highly recommend REI’s own line of hybrid bikes.
As if anyone still cares, Cosmo updates the world on Britney Spears inner circle 20 years after the release of Baby One More Time. Although if you want to scroll all the way down to #13, Nigel Dick, the director of that video and some of her other hits, is one of us.
A Missouri city administrator explains there are many reasons why he rides a bicycle. But mostly, because it’s fun.
Critical Mass has finally made it to Brattleboro, Vermont, population just below 11,500.
Sure, that’s it. The New York Post’s resident anti-bike crank says local residents are making a last stand to fight a planned bike and pedestrian bridge, arguing that the mere presence of people on bicycles would lower their property values. And that the bridge is just the mayor’s attempt to get even with the governor, whose mother lives nearby. Of course. Who wouldn’t build a multi-million dollar just to get back at your political nemesis?
A WaPo writer says DC pedestrians have to walk at their own risk. And it’s not much better for people on bikes.
Speaking of DC, the district is considering banning right turns on red lights to improve safety for people on bicycles and on foot.
Most Scots think bicycling is a good thing, but over half say it’s not for them. Meanwhile, a newspaper wonders why so many adults lose the ability to ride a bike when it’s literally child’s play.
A Euro website looks at L’Eroica and the return of vintage steel road bikes.
For the second time in a week, a French mountain biker has been shot by a hunter; the victim was hit in the shoulder by someone who apparently thought he was shooting at a wild boar. Since so many try to escape hunters by bicycle, evidently.
A Kiwi writer says he has seen the future, and it’s dockless bikeshare.
Caught on video: An Aussie bike rider suffered a broken ankle when he was the victim of sidewalk rage, after a large man brushed against him rather than move over a bit to make room.
VeloNews calls the just concluded Tour of Guangxi a success, as it builds a cycling bridge between east and west.
When protected bike lanes come to Dinkytown. And just in time for Halloween, the bicycling dead.
Forget the frozen caveman.
Scientists may have just discovered his bicycle.
An antique bike was discovered emerging from a glacier in the Ötztal region of the Italian Alps, the same area where Ötzi the frozen caveman was locked in ice a mere 5,000 or so years earlier.
Authorities speculate the bike may have been frozen in the glacier as a result of the bustling smuggling trade in the years following WWII.
Photo from Berghasen Facebook post.
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Los Angeles was among the next round of winning cities chosen for the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, along with San Diego, San Jose and Portland.
The $70 million program provides resources and access to cutting-edge support to meet or beat its carbon reduction goals.
Which sounds great, but won’t happen until LA finally gets serious about getting more cars off the roads.
The city can do it in a positive manner, by building out safe bike lanes, crosswalks and other options for non-polluting alternative transportation to entice drivers to leave their cars at home. Or in a punitive manner, through congestion pricing or alternate day driving.
But one way or another, they’re going to have to do something. And fast.
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Martha Stewart is one of us.
https://twitter.com/BicycleLobby/status/1053446199020269568
But more impressive, so was the legendary Eartha Kitt.
https://twitter.com/Jay_Pitter/status/1053709464392495104
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If you didn’t get to hear KPCC’s Leo Duran explain why he thinks Los Angeles earned its ranking as America’s worst city for bicycling, now you can read the full report it on LAist.
The long-delayed Arroyo Seco Bicycle & Pedestrian Trail finally opened on Saturday; the 3/4 mile path links three bikeways to connect Pasadena with DTLA.
San Diego’s Bike Garage reopens in a new location after nearly going out of business following a devastating fire.
A three-mile section of San Diego’s Ocean Beach went carfree on Sunday, with an open streets event called CiclOBias. Although it’s time to stop torturing the word ciclovia in every way possible in an attempt to copy CicLAvia.
I want to be like them when I grow up. Cambria’s Old Folks Bicycle Club — aka “Old Farts — rides three times a week, with the oldest member in his upper 90s; the story explains how you can join. Hint: 1) ride a bike, and 2) get old.
San Francisco advocates are trying to talk merchants into a couple of block-long carfree zones, saying they could be extended along the entire street if it proves successful.
No bias here. A Ukiah columnist complains that a) no one rides Amtrak, b) a proposal for a bike path paralleling railroad tracks will somehow cost billions, c) your daughter will break her leg and fall off a cliff if she uses this “trail to nowhere,” and d) no one will ride it other than wealthy spandex-clad riders on $9,000 bicycles who don’t spend a dime in road taxes. Evidently because wealthy people who ride bikes don’t own cars or pay taxes.
Trek rode to the rescue when the University of Vermont’s bikes went up in flames just days before the collegiate mountain bike nationals.
Cycling Tips‘ James Huang takes a gravel ride through Idaho looking for a little inspiration. And finding it.
A new study from the Cleveland Clinic shows that sitting around and not exercising is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease.
Bike riders in Cambridge MA place 160 bicycles on the city hall lawn to represent the number of crashes between bicyclists and motorists each year. If we tried that in LA, we’d need a hell of a lot more bikes. Let alone lawn space at city hall.
In a story that should sound familiar to Angelenos, New Orleans business owners insist they’re living through a hell on earth and traffic is gridlocked. All because a bike lane was moved from the door zone to the curb, resulting a two-way parking protected lane.
A three-day, 170-mile Louisiana ride travels from New Orleans to the state penitentiary in Angola to raise funds to help keep inmates connected with their families.
British bike scribe and new Forbes transportation writer Carlton Reid says he doesn’t wear a helmet when he rides. And that what’s really dangerous is driving a car.
Road.cc takes a detailed deep dive into how to choose a bike light, before offering their recommendations.
NPR looks at Jenny Graham’s record breaking ride around the world.
A Costa Rican website gets into the spirit of the season with a pair of very short tales giving a new meaning to ghost bikes.
A Swiss non-profit has shipped 500 bicycles to St. Lucia to fight diabetes on the Caribbean island.
No bias here, either. London’s Daily Mail shows no reticence in calling a young black man a thug after he gets off his bicycle and pulls a knife to chase off a couple of angry motorists who’d gotten out of their car to argue with bystanders. Let’s be clear — pulling a weapon of any kind is a crime. But so is getting out of your car to threaten others.
An English bike rider explains what it’s like to share the road with people who drive like idiots.
You’ve got to be kidding. A British driver brake-checked a bike rider who complained he passed too close, slamming on his brakes and sending the victim flying through his rear windshield, resulting in multiple hip and knee surgeries. And walks with a lousy six month driving ban, after the judge calls it an accident and says he didn’t intend to hurt anyone.
A British court dismissed a $2.6 million lawsuit in the death of a bike rider, who drowned after he slipped off a pathway into a canal; the judge ruled there was adequate signage warning riders of the danger.
Changes to the UK’s Highway Code explaining how to pass people on bicycles safely and giving bicyclists and pedestrians the right-of-way in all cases are a good start, says the Guardian’s Laura Laker. But much more needs to be done to improve safety.
Friends of an Irish man have raised the equivalent of over $62,000 in just two days to bring him back home after he suffered a serious brain injury when he was hit by a driver in France, as he and his girlfriend neared the end of an epic ride home from China.
Belgium’s federal mobility minister overrules a ruling that would have kept bicycles off the country’s trains at rush hour.
German car rental company Sixt learns the hard way that jokes about running over people on bicycles aren’t funny.
An Aussie bike rider was seriously injured in a crash with a kangaroo.
VeloNews has a good talk with ex-Tour de France champ Floyd Landis about his new Continental level cycling team and the dark side of bike racing.
Speaking of VeloNews, the magazine questions whether reckless fans, controversy and disappointing ratings means the Tour de France is in trouble.
World track masters bronze medalist Jen Wagner-Assali walks back her comments questioning the fairness of transsexual cyclist Dr. Rachel McKinnon’s victory in the race.
The perfect bikes for when you’re tired of using the elliptical trainer at the gym and not going anywhere. Speaking of not going anywhere, now you can ride the streets of New York from the comfort of your living room.
And why take responsibility when it’s your bike that was reckless?
This is who we share the roads with.
A new study shows that crash rates are up six percent in the four states where cannabis is legal, compared to neighboring states.
Which is a good reminder that it can take a full 24 hours or more to metabolize marijuana. And driving under the influence of cannabis is just as illegal as alcohol, if harder to quantify.
Meanwhile, Wednesday marked the first day cannabis was legal in Canada.
And it only took one hour before the first ticket was issued for toking behind the wheel.
Photo by Michael Fisher from Pexels.com.
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A 25-year old driver got life behind bars for intentionally ramming an LAPD patrol car and killing the officer inside, in an attempt to help his friend in another car escape a police chase.
Which couldn’t be more deserved.
But remember that the next time a driver gets a slap on the wrist for deliberately running down someone on a bicycle.
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And combining the last two themes, Jeffrey Fylling forwards a press release from the Orange County DA’s office announcing that a 24-year old woman will face up to 10 years in prison for killing an 81-year old man while allegedly driving high on cannabis.
Which gives a whole new meaning to the term weed killer.
It would be nice to see prosecutors take it that seriously the next time a California driver kills someone on foot or on a bicycle.
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CD6 Councilmember Nury Martinez is asking for your input in designing a Safe Routes to School program to improve walking and bicycling to Van Nuys Elementary and Panorama City Elementary schools.
A public meeting will be held at each school next Thursday to discuss a Walking Safety Assessment.
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Curbed talks with East Side Rider’s founder John Jones III about the club’s efforts to inspire change in the local South LA community through bicycling. Although I had no idea they had chapters in other cities across the US. And thanks to whoever sent this to me; my apologies for losing track of it.
CiclaValley previews Monday’s Donut Ride on Reseda Blvd.
Forget the candy this Halloween. Metro Bike is offering a bulk discount on single ride bikeshare passes. Although that doesn’t guarantee you won’t get egged or TPed by kids who’d rather have a sugar high than a free ride.
Helen’s Cycles is hiring a part-time cashier for their Santa Monica store.
Over 1,000 bicyclists are expected to turn out for the annual Tour of Upland next month.
About 40 veterans and first responders are making their way down the California coast as part of the eleventh annual Project Hero United Healthcare California Coastal Challenge to highlight the health issues they face, including PTSD.
Chico is updating its bike plan after just five years. So naturally, the local TV station quotes a driver complaining about scofflaw bicyclists. I wonder if they also bring up lawbreaking drivers whenever someone wants to build a new overpass.
They get it. AARP suggests ten ways bicycle friendly streets are good for people who don’t ride bikes, while offering a reminder that people of all ages like to ride bicycles. Print this one out before your next public meeting, and leave a copy on every seat. Especially since older people tend to be more resistant to bike-friendly changes.
A writer for a travel site says you can participate in adventure travel, even with a hidden disability.
Forbes suggests what you can do in your own neighborhood to slow climate change. Hint: It has pedals and two wheels, and maybe a battery.
Motherboard says e-scooters reveal America’s urban transportation crisis, adding they’re fun, but nobody knows what to do with them yet.
Portland experiments with raised, floating bus platforms to reduce crashes with bike riders. For once, Los Angeles got there first with raised platforms on Los Angeles and Figueroa.
Nebraska tourism officials are told they can bicycle their way to prosperity by hitching a ride on the bike tourism boom.
No bias here. A Chicago writer complains about an “abundance of rude (maybe even psychotic) bicyclists” who ride on the sidewalk, instead of in the “bike lanes that have disrupted and uglified” downtown streets, while adding that police should ticket downtown bike riders instead of sidewalk riders in black neighborhoods. Nothing opposing bike lanes, as well as people who don’t feel safe using them.
Chicago’s Bike Lane Uprising is a crowdsourced civic tech platform designed to make it easier to report drivers blocking bike lanes or other obstructions.
St. Paul MN discovers they can trick drivers into stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks.
New Orleans bike riders will no longer face a $150 fine for failing to failing to register their bikes; the city revoked its mandatory registration after one rider received nearly $1,000 in tickets for a single traffic stop, including one for failing to register his bike.
The police chief in Tampa FL says his cops stop bike riders mostly because they don’t have lights, run stop signs or ride salmon. It’s just a total coincidence that 80% of the bike riders they stop are black.
A Tampa TV station says a three-foot wide curb bike lane is dangerous by design, putting bicyclists too close to passing cars. Especially since that three feet appears to include the gutter.
Treehugger says it’s time to face the dangers cement trucks pose to the people around them, and put safer trucks on the roads.
Road.cc lists 18 things they “reckon” every bike rider hates. I hate the word reckon, but I reckon that’s my problem.
A new urban bike promises to be weatherproof and maintenance-free, with airless, puncture-proof tires, a carbon belt drive, and seven speed internal hub. Although the nearly $2,000 price tag could put a dent in your wallet.
Your next bike helmet could be printed, not made.
Drivers in the UK could be required to give bicyclists and pedestrians the right-of-way in every situation under a proposed revision to the country’s Highway Code.
A trio of bighearted British kids raised the equivalent of over $6,500 for a hospice for terminally-ill children and adults; two rode 300 miles across England, while the third, who suffers from Cardio Facio Cutaneous Syndrome, rode 30 miles on his adaptive bike.
It’s official. Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham has shattered the women’s record for bicycling around the world in just 124 days, beating the existing record by 20 days.
France considers a mandatory bicycle registration program to fight bike theft as part of a 25-point, $401 million plan to boost bicycling — including a proposal to pay people up to $458 a year to bike to work.
Volkswagen’s new smart headlights promise to recognize and highlight people walking or riding bikes in low light. Which the drivers probably won’t notice because they’ll be too busy with their phones.
An Israeli soccer player is expected to be charged with hit-and-run and DUI for a crash that killed a teenage boy illegally sharing a friend’s ebike; the other boy could also face charges for carrying a passenger, swerving into the driver’s path and riding without a helmet.
A legendary Aussie firefighter wants to thank the stranger who tossed his bicycle in the back of his SUV and drove him home after he took a bad fall in traffic, injuring his shoulder.
A Manilla legislator proposes a nearly five-foot passing distance to improve safety for people on bicycles.
VeloNews looks at the complicated case of newly crowned women’s masters champ Dr. Rachel McKinnon, saying the debate over the first transgender world champ can’t be solved, but it can be better understood.
Former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins says like it or not, Lance is iconic, and was singled out for doping when he wasn’t the only one doing it.
Surprisingly, the winner of last year’s Zwift indoor cycling competition has thrived in the pro peloton, signing with pro team Canyon-SRAM for a second season.
When you really want to go retro with your water bottle. If you don’t think drivers hear your warnings, get a grip.
And when your marriage goes downhill as soon as you say your vows.