Before we get started on this week’s events, we’ve finally got more information about the previously announced Bicycle Commuter Festival and Summit.
The Sunday, February 15th festival — co-sponsored by AIDS/Lifecycle and the newly formed Bicycle Culture Institute — is aimed at anyone who is interested in bike commuting in the Los Angeles area, but has been reluctant to give it a try for whatever reason.
This festival is geared to anyone who isn’t yet confident about riding a bicycle in LA. But we’ve put together such an incredible roster of vendors, workshops and people that we know this will appeal to existing cycling communities – and that’s great because it gives us a chance to have fun together while learning about how to make the bicycle a desirable transportation choice,” says organizer Nona Varnado. “We’ve also worked with Good Eggs LA to make sure we’ve got healthy snacks including vegan and gluten free options.
Representatives from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, CicLAvia, LA Bike Trains and SoCal Cross will be in attendance, along with commuter-focused bike shops Orange 20 and Flying Pigeon LA.
The $10 tickets are available in advance, as well as at the box office on the day of the event, and include full access to opening panel, workshops, both festival areas and light food/beverage.
It takes place from noon to 7 pm at the Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 North McCadden Place.
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Bike Talk airs every Saturday at 10 am; listen to it live or download the podcast from KPFK.
Bike Long Beach hosts Bike Saturdays every weekend; ride your bike to participating local shops and business throughout the city to get special offers and discounts.
The Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee, the city’s only official voice for bicyclists, meets on the first Tuesday of every even-numbered month; the next meeting takes place at 7 pm on Tuesday, February 4th at 6501 Fountain Ave.
The Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition is hosting RAP x PVBC on Saturday, February 1st. The family friendly Ride Around Pomona departs from Thomas Plaza in Downtown Pomona at 8:30 am.
The next Active Streets LA event takes place on Saturday, February 1st from 10 am to 1:30 pm at Vermont Square Library and Park, 1201 W. 48th St. The event will include free raffle, snacks, beverages, family activities, bike safety skills training and community walk.
Bike-friendly fun unfolds in Venice on Saturday, February 1st, when Carnivale de Velo – A Bicycle Festival opens at noon. The family-friendly event promises food and drink, live music, and fun and games at Deus Ex Machina USA, 1001 Venice Blvd.
The LACBC hosts a regular Sunday Funday ride on the first Sunday of every month, free for members and a guest. This month’s edition is a Super Bowl Warm-Up Ride hosted by board member Greg Laemmle. The 20 mile ride will circle from the meeting point at the NoHo Metro Station, 5350 Lankershim Blvd, to Burbank, onto the L.A. River Bike Path, through Griffith Park. Meets at 10 am, rolling by 10:30 am and back by 2 pm, which should give you time to get to your viewing party. As for me, I’ll be rising early for a ritual sacrifice in support of my beloved Broncos.
On Wednesday, February 5th, Cynergy Cycles hosts a demo ride with lights from Light Motion and mountain bikes provided by Specialized. Meet at Cynergy Cycles, 2300 Santa Monica Blvd between 7 and 7:30 pm for a shuttle ride to the 1 to 1.5 hour beginner and intermediate group rides.
The annual Tour de Palm Springs takes place on Saturday, February 8th. Up to 30,000 cyclists from throughout the US and around the world will travel through the Coachella Valley on rides of five to 100 miles.
Saturday, February 8th, take a bike tour of Pomona Valley craft breweries. The unsponsored ride meets at the new Sanctum Brewing Company, E Commercial St & Paloma Dr in Pomona at 1:30 pm, before rolling to the Dale Bros Brewery and Claremont Craft Ales before returning.
The San Fernando Valley Bike Club offers a twice monthly Campagni Group Ride — Italian for companion — on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. The moderately paced, leader-led no-drop ride on February 9th offers 27 miles and just 482 feet of climbing, departing from the Northwest corner of Nordhoff and Etiwanda in Northridge (CSUN Parking Lot B1) at 8 am sharp. Click here for more details (footnote d); lots of other great sounding rides on the list, too.
C.I.C.L.E. offers two Learn to Ride for Adults classes on Sunday, February 9th, from 9 to 11 am and 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Both classes take place in the parking lot of Eagle Rock Plaza, 2700 Colorado Blvd; tickets are $30, need-based fee waivers are available.
On November 27th of last year, David Enright was riding his bike on Eagle Rock Blvd when he was hit by an unlicensed and uninsured driver, breaking his left forearm, right elbow and clavicle, and fracturing his pelvis in seven places. His friends have set up a fundraising website to help defray his expenses and lost wages; a donation of just $40 gets you into a party at 8 pm on Sunday, February 9th at the Record Parlour in Hollywood, 6408 Selma Ave.
Monday, February 10th the Los Feliz Improvement Association presents Law & Order in Los Feliz, a discussion with LA City Attorney Mike Feuer and LAPD Northeast Division Police Captain Jeffery Bert, 6 pm at the Autry Museum, 4700 Western Heritage Way. Considering how the flyer equates homelessness, crime, noise and bicyclists, maybe you might want to attend if you’re in the area.
The next Metro Bicycle Roundtable meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 11th from 5:30 to 7 pm in the Gateway Plaza Conference Room on the 3rd floor of Metro Headquarters, One Gateway Plaza. Topics include status updates on bike share, bicycle campaigns and planning studies.
The movie that got me back into bicycling will screen on Wednesday, February 12th as the Laemmle Theaters show the classic bike movie Breaking Away as a fundraiser for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s Operation Firefly to put lights on everyone’s bikes; 7:30 pm at the Laemmle NoHo 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood.
Celebrate a belated Valentines Day with Ride for Love: Explore the Changes of Watts, co-sponsored by Metro, C.I.C.L.E. and the East Side Riders. The ride will share love, community, and the joy of bicycling while exploring the history and changes of Watts; meet at 9:30 am at 10950 S. Central Ave.
Bike Newport Beach is hosting a Lunch in Laguna Beach Valentines Ride on Saturday, February 15th. Meet at the Newport Beach Civic Center for the 10 am, 18.3 mile moderately paced ride, returning about three hours later.
The first Los Angeles Bicycle Commuter Festival and Summit takes place on Sunday, February 16th from noon to 8 pm at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place; tickets $10.
Also on the 16th, a fundraising ride from Pasadena to Silverlake will be held to benefit injured cyclist David Enright (see February 9th for more information). The ride will depart from Intelligentsia Coffee Bar in Pasadena at 10 am, riding by historical landscapes, quiet ravines, bustling neighborhoods, and the breathtaking Silverlake Reservoir, ending at the flagship Inteligensia in Silverlake. Suggested sponsorship is $200, however, sponsorship is not mandatory; all proceeds go to help Enright’s long road to recovery.
Get ready to get jiggy wit it as the LACBC invites you to celebrate their 16th birthday with a 1998-themed Bike Prom from 8 pm to midnight on Saturday, February 22nd at the American Legion Post 206, 227 N. Ave. 55 in Highland Park; earlybird tickets are $8 for LACBC members and $16 for nonmembers before February 7th.
Chinatown’s annual Firecracker Ride takes place on Saturday, February 22nd with rides of 20 and 30 miles; 943 North Broadway.
The LABC’s West Bike Ambassadors host a leisurely ride through Venice and Mar Vista on Sunday, February 23rd; the eight to ten mile ride starts at the Mar Vista farmer’s market at the intersection of Venice Blvd and Grand View at 10 am.
The San Fernando Valley Bike Club offers a twice monthly Campagni Group Ride — Italian for companion — on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. The moderately paced, leader-led no-drop ride on February 23rd offers a choice of 25 or 52 miles around Chatsworth Lake, departing from the Northwest corner of Nordhoff and Etiwanda in Northridge (CSUN Parking Lot B1) at 8 am sharp. Click here for more details (footnote d); lots of other great sounding rides on the list, too.
The 2nd Annual Bike Oven Fundraiser Auction takes place on Saturday, March 1st from 5 to 10 pm, 706 North Figueroa St. Donations of any kind are welcome, from auction items to refreshments.
Sunday, March 9th marks the return of the LA Marathon — and the world-famous Wolfpack Hustle: The Marathon Crash Race. As always, the ride meets at 3 am at Tang’s Donuts, 4341 W Sunset Blvd, rolling at 4 am through the closed marathon course to the coast.
C.I.C.L.E. hosts The Way Back When Ride: La Puente, co-sponsored by Metro and Bike SGV, on Saturday, March 15th. The family-friendly, leisurely paced ride meets at 10:30 am at the Park-N-Ride Lot at Stafford Street and Glendora Avenue in the City of Industry, rolling at 11 am.
Also on Saturday, March 15th, give your legs a test with the annual Malibu Seven Canyon Classic, with routes ranging from 50 to 100 miles, including a new fast, flat route along the coast. All rides start at 8 am.
Finish up the day with the first Streetsblog fundraiser of the year from 6 to 9 pm on Saturday, March 15th as they honor Streetsie Award winner Paul Backstrom, Transportation Deputy to Westside Councilmember Mike Bonin. The event, with a suggested donation of $100, will include Indian food, beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages; location provided upon RSVP to Damien@streetsblog.org.
The National Open Streets Summit is scheduled for Friday, April 4th through Sunday, April 6th in Los Angeles.
The next CicLAvia is scheduled for Sunday, April 6th on iconic Wilshire Blvd, LA’s historic main street. The free event rolls and walks from Downtown to the Miracle Mile with expanded hours from 9 am to 4 pm.
Fans of the Amgen Tour of California can ride the same official Stage 8 course the pros will when the L’Etape du California rolls on Sunday, April 6th in Thousand Oaks. Entry is limited to the first 1,500 riders to register.
The American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure Ship to Shore ride takes place on Sunday, April 27th at the Queen Mary, 1126 Queen’s Highway in Long Beach. Rides range from eight to 100 miles, with a $200 fundraising minimum.
On February 17th of last year, Damian Kevitt was hit by a minivan while riding his bike in Griffith Park. The driver attempted to flee the scene with Kevitt trapped under the vehicle, dragging him nearly 600 feet onto the 5 Freeway and leaving him for dead; the resulting injuries cost him a leg, and nearly took his life. On Sunday, April 27th, Kevitt is planning to finish the ride to raise funds for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
The Ride 2 Recovery to benefit wounded vets returns to Southern California on Saturday, May 3rd in Thousand Oaks. The ride departs from the Lost Hills Sheriff Station, 27050 Agoura Hills Road, starting at 8 am; no cost for injured vets.
Mark your calendar for Glendale’s 2nd Annual Jewel City Fun & Fitness Ride on Sunday, May 18th, with rides ranging from seven to 45 miles.
LA’s most popular fundraising bike ride rolls on Sunday, June 22nd with the 14th edition of the LACBC’s Los Angeles River Ride. Ten rides of varying lengths, with starting points in Long Beach and Griffith Park, including two centuries, a 15-mile family ride and a free kid’s ride; discount prices available through May 27th.
Mark your calendar for the Peace Love & Family Ride for Crohn’s and Obesity in South LA on July 5th and 6th. Great cause; more details when they become available.
The year’s second CicLAvia takes place on Sunday, October 5th with a new variation on the classic Heart of LA route through Downtown LA, from Echo Park to East LA.
The first winter — or late fall, anyway — CicLAvia is also the first to roll through historic South LA on Sunday, December 7th, from the cultural center of the Southside in Leimert Park to the birthplace of West Coast Jazz on Central Avenue.
Find bike racing schedules and other cycling events at SoCal Cycling.
