Lots of news piled up in my inbox over the weekend, resulting in a massive link backup that took the entire morning to clear up.
So lean back, put your feet up and click away.
It’s Monday, it’s December, it’s raining. And no one really wants to work anyway.
………
I received an email recently from Brian Work, an Ojai cyclist and beginning screenwriter working on new a bicycling comedy. According to Brian, he’s got some interest from a major producer, and is looking for sponsors as well as a more experienced writer to partner with on the script.
If you’re interested on either count, email him at info@banzaiinojai.com.
………
Just in time for holiday shopping, Forbes offers a gift guide for bike riders. Or how about a balance bike made from reclaimed beetle-killed Colorado pine trees for the pre-pedaling set?
Meanwhile, bicycling appears to be reaching lower case critical mass as H&M discovers men’s bikewear — sorry ladies, but your money just isn’t good enough for them, evidently — and Target once again offers a designer bike. And staid Cole Haan introduces a line of high fashion hi-viz women’s footwear.
Although personally, this is what I call hi-viz biking attire. And I double dog dare any driver to claim he doesn’t see it.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more altruistic places for your disposable funds, here’s a somewhat dated list of bicycling charities.
And I hope to have a few suggestions on what else you can do with those excess piles of cash begging to do a little good a little later this week.
………
Ex — not former — Tour de France winner Alberto Contador says he’s worn out; you’d think he would have gotten lots of rest while he was all too briefly briefly banned for doping. And speaking of Contador, the man who supposedly delivered the supposedly tainted meat that allegedly got him banned is elected president of the Spanish cycling federation. Couldn’t be a payoff for taking the alleged fall, could it?
Meanwhile, a three-member panel will investigate ties between cycling’s governing body and recent doping scandals.
And not only does America’s only official Tour de France winner Greg LeMond join other pro bike leaders in calling for real racing reforms, but he’s planning to run for president of the UCI.
Funny how the fallout from l’affaire Lance has changed LeMond’s public perception from a whiner pointing the finger at everyone but himself to the one true voice speaking for much needed reform of pro cycling.
………
A couple of good reads from Rick Bernardi on Bob Mionske’s Bicycle Law blog.
First up is a look at red light running cyclists and the scofflaw drivers who hate them. Which is followed by an examination of whether biking under the influence should be treated the same as driving under the influence.
The two stories may not seem to have a lot in common. But both offer a similar theme focusing on the question of relative harm.
As in, a bicyclist who blows through a red light poses far less danger to others than a driver who does the same. And a drunk on a bike is a danger primarily to him or herself, while a drunk behind the wheel is a danger to everyone in the vicinity, on or off the road.
The law should reflect that.
And in some states — including California —it does.
………
A new Glendale Hyperion bridge could provide better access to the L.A. River bike path; how about designing in separated bikeways the full length of the bridge itself while they’re at it. The joy of fenders. Flying Pigeon hosts their monthly Spoke(n) Art Ride this weekend. As a apparent holiday gift to motorists, Santa Monica police are targeting bad bicyclist behavior this month. Boyonabike! celebrates the new ownership of Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like bikes hardly ever crash into churches when it rains — or knock them down if they do. By the pricking of my thumbs, something muddy this way comes, courtesy of Will Campbell and his Malibu Creek State Park encrusted mountain bike. And speaking of muddy, how ‘cross is changing women’s cycling. Center Line Rule says goodbye to 40-year framebuilder Brian Bayliss.
After a Santa Ana man is mugged for his bicycle, he gives vainly gives chase on a borrowed bike. The Orange County Register looks at OC’s new women’s bike shop. A San Diego toddler is injured when a suspected drunk driver Jerry Browns his mom’s bike; a day earlier, another suspected drunk hit a cyclist but was arrested when she came back to watch the damage she caused. Bakersfield wants the public’s input on how to improve the city’s bikeways. Cyclelicious reviews Elly Blue’s Everyday Bicycling. A San Francisco newsman takes on bike lane blocking drivers.
A graphic guide to bicycling hand signals, although they leave out what seems to be the most popular one. How to move a Christmas tree by bike; I assume the directions would work just as well for a Chanukah bush. Use of specialized bicycle traffic signals spreads across the U.S. A Loveland CO city councilmember is seriously injured in a left cross collision; fortunately, it looks like he’ll be okay. A Montana man reminisces about buying a bike on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. Wisconsin residents want free parking, not bike lanes. Chicago cyclists are about to get their first two-way protected bikeway, but is that enough to protect them from victim-blaming hit-and run cops? New bike helmet signals your stress level; do you really want passing motorists to know just how stressed out you are? Bikeshare appears to be booming in Beantown, but people ride in winter, too. A bike’s eye view of New York. Austin TX cyclists demand safer streets. LSU police crack down on campus cyclists, but not, apparently, in coordination with Santa Monica PD. Miami’s Critical Mass riding LeBron James is named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year; you’d think the story might mention their Sportswoman of the Year, as well, but you might be wrong.
An Alberta driver was three times the legal limit for alcohol when he ran down and killed a cyclist last summer. A Winnipeg driver says he panicked after killing a cyclist, and he’s really, really sorry he ran away so he could dump a case of beer before getting caught; and yet, they still manage to blame the victim. London plans to spend nearly £1 billion — roughly $1.6 billion — on bikeways over the next 10 years. The Independent says cyclists need a code of conduct and a new mindset and license plates, while The Mail calls us arrogant, abusive and oh-so smug; the last time I encountered something like that last link, I had to scrape it off my shoes. A Very British Dude offers a far more readable and rational response. Brit bicyclists prepare to be ambushed by the BBC; brief excerpts are offered here — including “If I can touch your cab, you’re too close.” Amen, brother. Tired of bikes being stolen from their clientele, a UK pub rents bike locks to its customers. What good is a bike lane if taxis — and police vans — are allowed to park in it; then again, there’s more than one way to block a bike lane. A planned bike lane in a Scot roundabout is panned as a cyclist blender. India prepares for its first pro tour. An Aussie cyclist is punched by a passing motorcyclist. And you thought parked cars were a problem; a Borneo cyclist is nearly decapitated by a steel cable anchoring telephone pole in the middle of a bike lane.
Finally, a Bay Area woman attempts to stop a bike thief with bear spray and a wooden Japanese training sword. Courtesy of Marvin Davis, a reminder that we ride because bicycling is beautiful, warts and all.
And in honor of the recent weather, it looks like those old dry L.A. rivers aren’t so dry anymore.
