Tag Archive for fundraising rides

Annual AIDS/LifeCycle Ride ending next year, Burbank Mobility Debate tonight, and 17 years since bees tried to kill me

September 12, 2024 / / No comments
Just 110 days left until Los Angeles fails to meet its Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

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Hard to believe this is the 17th anniversary of the Infamous Beachfront Bee Encounter that sent me to the ICU, and onto the path that led me here.

Because it was the months I spent confined to home afterwards, recovering from a massive hematoma caused by an even more massive bike crash, that inspired me to start writing about bicycling and advocating for bike safety. 

Maybe someday I’ll tell you the rest of the story from that day, involving one of those deeply spiritual, bright light near-death experiences only other people seem to have.

Then again, you’d probably just think I was fucking nuts. 

And I’d probably agree.

Photo by Pixabay.

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The annual AIDS/LifeCycle Ride is coming to an end after 30 years.

The iconic seven day, 545 mile ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles will roll out for the last time next June, arriving in LA for the end of Pride Week.

Over its three decade lifespan, AIDS/LifeCycle has raised over $300 million for the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, starting when HIV/AIDS was still a death sentence for too many people in this country.

But a decline in both ridership and donations since the pandemic has meant it no longer brings in enough to justify continuing.

According to the NBC Bay Area TV station,

“Especially after the last few years, that what’s left after we pay those costs, it doesn’t rise to the level of what we believe in our industry is an ethical way to run a fundraiser,” said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

So if you’ve been thinking about doing it “someday,” next year is your last chance.

Let’s hope it goes out with the biggest and most successful ride yet.

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Don’t forget tonight’s Burbank City Council Mobility Debate, hosted on Zoom by Streets For All.

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It’s now 266 days since the California ebike incentive program’s latest failure to launch, which was promised no later than fall 2023. And 39 full months since it was approved by the legislature and signed into law — and counting.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

No bias here. A writer for the Telegraph responds to news of AI-controlled traffic lights designed to give bike riders priority at intersections by saying “entitled cyclists are about to get even more insufferable.”

No bias here, either. After an Irish bicyclist sent video of drivers talking on their phones and parking illegally to the local cops, they responded by mailing a ticket — to him, for jumping a red light.

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Local  

Bike Culver City and Culver City High School’s Green New Deal have been awarded a grant from the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Los Angeles to promote Clean Air Day next month with an Art Design Contest, Pledge Outreach Campaign and an educational bike ride.

 

State

About damn time. Bakersfield authorities publicly identified a 20-year old man who died over a week after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike back in June.

 

National

Momentum ranks the states with the best bicycling routes through US wine regions; needless to say, California comes out on top, with a SoCal shoutout to Paso Robles, but no mention of Temecula.

Your next bike lights could be designed by a truck driver, and look like second set of handlebars.

The Cherokee Nation is accepting applications for next year’s 950-mile Remember the Removal Bike Ride; candidates must be citizens of the Cherokee Nation citizens between 16 and 24 years old.

Now it’s murder. Police in a Seattle suburb are looking for a group of three or four juveniles who severely beat a 56-year old man riding a bicycle last month for no apparent reason, after the victim died in the hospital on Sunday.

Lyft is pulling their dockless micromobility devices out of the Denver market, removing their ebikes and e-scooters even as demand continues to rise — and despite having two years left on their contract with the city.

A Connecticut writer says 9/11 was a perfect day to ride a bike. Except for that whole terrorist thing.

 

International

A group of US and Irish firefighters raised nearly $150,000 with a three day, 225-mile bike ride through the Irish countryside to honor the victims of 9/11, visiting 17 fire stations and finishing at a memorial garden built by an Irish nurse who treated the victims from the twin towers.

Erstwhile country singer Kasey Musgraves is one of us, wrecking her knee by crashing a rented ebike while trying to record a video on a trip to Ireland to kick off her latest tour — and that wasn’t even the worst part of her trip.

In a sentiment that will sound familiar to American bike riders, the head of a Namibian road safety organization complains that a failed bike lane was designed by someone who has never ridden a bicycle.

 

Competitive Cycling

American ultra-endurance bicyclist Lael Wilcox shattered the world record for fastest woman to ride around the world, shaving nearly 16 days off the existing record of 124 days and 11 hours, set six years ago by Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham; Wilcox rode 18,125 miles in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes.

Evidently, setting the record for Tour de France stage wins wasn’t enough, as 39-year old Mark Cavendish considers postponing his retirement once again to return next year.

Triathlon “Megastar” Kristian Blummenfelt has pulled the plug on a four-year plan to win the Tour de France after finishing a disappointing 12th in the recent Paris Olympics, shifting his focus to winning the triathlon in the ’28 Los Angeles Olympics to go with his gold from Tokyo.

 

Finally…

This is what a real bike theft looks like. That feeling when a rightwing riot wrecks the bike racks.

And this may be one reason why people don’t use the bike path.

Photo from Road.cc

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , ,

LA Times remembers philanthropic Burbank bicyclist Roy Wiegand, and LA wants your input on Forest Lawn Drive

August 7, 2023 / / Comments Off on LA Times remembers philanthropic Burbank bicyclist Roy Wiegand, and LA wants your input on Forest Lawn Drive

One quick note: I am now on Bluesky, in response to the increasing toxicity on Twitter/X, thanks to an invite from Todd R.

If you’re on there, you can follow me @bikinginla.bsky.social. And I’m still on Twitter, at least for now, @bikinginla. 

Photo by Luana Bento from Pexels. 

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The Los Angeles Times remembers the life and philanthropy of Burbank bicyclist and professional trumpet player Roy Wiegand, who was killed when a driver turned into him as he road his bike near Prunedale in Monterey County.

The 60-year-old ultra marathoner and cyclist was refueling after traversing 2,500 miles on his bicycle in 25 days and in the process raising $26,000 to help improve access to clean drinking water for the Navajo Nation.

Wiegand ventured through San Francisco and Yosemite and braved 110-plus degree heat in Death Valley and Las Vegas. He enjoyed stunning vistas in Arizona and New Mexico and stayed at the homes of friends and strangers alike, his posts showed…

Wiegand, a trumpet player who performed with the Who, Wayne Newton and Mel Torme among others, is survived by his wife, Angela, son Dillon, daughter Sophie and father Roy Sr.

In the last few years, he had dedicated much of his time to philanthropic causes, most recently working with the water advocacy group DigDeep to raise money for the more than 700,000 American Indian and Alaskan Native people who lack access to clean, reliable water in the United States.

Funny how killer drivers always seem to take the best of us.

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Los Angeles wants your input on whether to protect the bike lanes on Forest Lawn Drive, which seems like a no brainer on the dangerous street.

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This is a phenomenon I’ve long observed riding from Los Angeles into Santa Monica, and vice versa.

One city clearly thinsk people on bikes actually matter.

And the other is Los Angeles.

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Who’s a good boy?

A San Diego bike thief stops to play with a golden retriever who only wants a belly rub before he goes — with the $1,300 bike belonging to the dog’s owner.

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Hundreds, if not thousands, of Bay Area bike riders, mostly in their teens, marked the first anniversary of a mass ride that took over the lower span of the Bay Bridge by doing it again.

Whether because of the sentiment expressed below, or because bikes still are only allowed to ride halfway across, before being forced to turn back.

Legally, anyway.

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Let’s share a little Seattle bike joy from my friends at West Seattle Blog, as a huge mass of people take off on two wheels for a questionably named ride.

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Well, that’s one way to stay safe on the road. Although I’m sure we all understand his reasoning.

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The question is, how and why do they get there?

Is this the result of people tossing unloved and abandoned bikes into the water, or drunk tourists not watching where they’re riding?

Thanks to the incomparable Patt Morrison for the heads-up. 

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

This is who we share the road with. After someone apparently riding a bicycle was injured in a collision at LA’s West Grand Ave and Vista Del Mar, the couple posting the video to Citizen observe the aftermath of the crash, and you can hear the man say “This is why you stay in the bike lane.” Never mind that he apparently has no idea what caused the crash, or why the victim may or may not have been in a bike lane, but automatically assumes the bike rider was at fault. I’m not sure if the link will work; unfortunately, I can’t embed the video. Thanks to Margaret W for the link. 

A 28-year old Toronto man faces charges for allegedly deliberately slamming his car into a bike rider after the two men argued at a red light. A reminder once again that motor vehicles are ready, locked and loaded weapons in the hands of the wrong people. 

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly.

A bicycling Montreal columnist says he’s had it with shadow-hidden potholes, and scofflaw ebike and e-scooter riders with little or no experience.

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Local 

Streetsblog’s Joe Linton, who understands these things a lot better than I do, takes a deep dive into the complicated, wonky subject of freeway mitigation, which requires Metro to take active steps to offset any increase in driving on future freeway, under California law. And hopefully, he’ll correct me if I didn’t explain that right. 

Burbank bike rider Doug Weiskopf once again calls on the city to allow people to walk bicycles on the Mariposa foot bridge leading to Griffith Park, seven years after the city caved to equestrians by banning bikes entirely.

More on Manhattan Beach’s decision to crack down on teenage ebike riders who violate traffic laws, instituting a zero-tolerance approach to scofflaw ebike riders. Although that sounds like illegally biased enforcement, unless the same zero-tolerance applies to motorists and pedestrians, as well as regular bike riders; if not, that could get all the tickets tossed if the kids get a good lawyer.

 

State

An East Bay bike ride demanded justice for the death of an unarmed, 20-year old Hayward man killed by CHP officers and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies responding to an alleged stolen car.

 

National

A writer for The Verge says it’s not hard to convert a cargo bike to an ebike, as long as you have the right tools and expect the unexpected.

Apple Insider likes the design and features of the new Lumos Ultra ebike helmet, if not the $200+ price.

An RV writer gets a good life lesson from learning to ride her ebike, discovering that you need to look where you want to go, not at the obstacles you want to avoid.

Anchorage, Alaska took a number of steps to become more bike friendly, approving measures to allow bike riders to treat stop signs as yields, as well as eliminating requirements for lights and brakes and noise signals, and for children 16 to wear helmets; the city also eliminated penalties for jaywalking.

The Colorado highway where 17-year old cycling star Magnus White was killed is slated to get a 12-foot-wide separated bike path next year, a year too late to save his life.

A writer likes the new bike path over Colorado’s Vail Pass, despite — or maybe because of — a section known as The Wall, with its 14% incline.

A Dallas, Texas youth soccer coach is raffling off tickets to see soccer legend Lionel Messi to benefit the family of a 12-year old girl killed in a right hook as she rode her bike on the sidewalk.

A Corpus Christi, Texas woman got the feeling that city council members weren’t listening to a woman of color making the case for protected bike lanes, so she used AI to create a white male avatar to make her case, instead.

After a Chicago man used his bike to fight boredom and find solace during the pandemic, he honored it by having it tattooed on his thigh.

When a ten-year old Michigan boy won a new bike in a raffle, he raised funds to buy one for his friend so they can ride together.

The Michigan woman accused in the DUI killing of two people participating in a fundraising bike ride across the state has had her trial postponed until October; it had been scheduled to begin today.

Gear Patrol raves about TriBeCa-based Priority Bicycles new 16-pound, $1,299 “speed demon” fixie.

 

International

Road.cc offers advice on how to beat the cost of living crisis, and feel healthier and happier, by riding your bike to work.

How to tell when a city actually gives a damn about people on bicycles. Montreal now has a 24/7 hotline to report vehicles blocking bike lanes.

There’s a special place in hell for the British teens who threatened a 13-year old boy with a machete to steal his bike.

The Verge looks are who’s in the bidding to buy what remains of bankrupt Dutch ebike maker VanMoof.

 

Competitive Cycling

No surprise here, as Mathieu van der Poel overcame a late crash to win the world road cycling championship, becoming the first Dutch world champ since 1985; Belgian Wout Van Aert finished second, and Solvenia’s Tadej Pogačar beat out Denmark’s Mads Pedersen for third. No surprise here, either, as no American made the top ten. 

A French cyclist described the Glasgow road course for the worlds as “dizzying, dangerous and designed by a drunk person.”

The race was halted for a full hour as protesters blocked the roadway on a remote climb just 48-miles into the race, with environmental group This is Rigged taking the credit and/or blame for the incident to oppose new fossil fuel projects in Scotland.

Katie Archibald overcame grief over the death of her romantic partner, mountain biker Rab Wardell, to lead Britain to gold in the team pursuit, dedicating the win to Wardell.

Aside from Chloe Dygert’s victory in Thursday’s women’s individual pursuit, the US has failed to podium in any other race so far.

 

Finally…

Meet the training wheel “Bike Whisperer.” Although Britain’s PM probably didn’t need them for an indoor, Taylor Swift-themed LA cycling class.

And it’s hard to imagine these kids would be in their 80s by now.

https://twitter.com/CoolBikeArt1/status/1687583494984138752

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Redlands cycling coach killed in Mentone crash, charity Burbank bicyclist killed in NorCal crash, and Taylor Swift is one of us

August 1, 2023 / / 3 comments

Note: Today’s post covers a number of sensitive stories and tragic events. So no one will fault you if you’d rather just skip it and come back tomorrow. 

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Yesterday I wrote that I had heard of a possible second bicycling fatality in the Highland/Mentone area over the weekend.

Sadly, that rumor was confirmed with the news that the victim was well-known Redlands cycling coach Bruce Elliott.

Commenter GregW left word that he saw the crash, which apparently happened when a driver turned into the left turn bay Elliott was waiting in while on a group training ride, striking him head-on.

I’ll update the story when I know more.

Graphics by tomexploresla.

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Graphic by tomexploresla

As if the past weekend hadn’t been bad enough, news also broke yesterday that 60-year old Burbank-based professional trumpet player and long-distance bicyclist and runner Roy Wiegand was killed riding his bike in Monterey County on Saturday.

Wiegand was on the final leg of a month long, 2,500-mile cross-country ride to raise funds for the Navajo Water Project, to help bring clean running water and solar power to the Navajo Nation, when he was reportedly run down from behind by a pickup driver outside of Salinas.

Wiegand was riding by himself after his riding partner had turned back, opting to take a bus back to LA.

Wiegand leaves behind a wife and two children, after raising more than $28,000 on the ride.

Thanks to Paul Thornton for the heads-up. 

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More information is emerging about the death of rising junior cyclist Magnus White, who was killed by a driver near his Boulder, Colorado home on Saturday.

The 17-year old national junior ‘cross champ was on a final training ride in preparation for traveling to Scotland with the US team for next week’s world championships in Glasgow.

For those who know the area, White was riding the Diagonal Highway, aka Colorado 119, when he was run down from behind by a 23-year old woman who had drifted onto the shoulder of the roadway where White was riding.

He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Police have ruled out intoxication and speed as factors in the crash, but were still investigating the possibility that the driver’s rightward drift could be explained by distracted driving. Although if speed — legal or otherwise — wasn’t a factor, White would still be alive.

A competitive cyclist since age eight, White had recently expanded his skillset into mountain biking and road cycling, and was planning to speak to representatives of professional cycling teams in Glasgow.

Now he’ll never get the chance.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised over $108,000 of the revised $110,000 goal.

Maybe someday, instead of just giving money, Americans will decided they’ve finally had enough of sacrificing our kids to the four-wheeled god, and demand real changes on our streets.

Maybe someday.

Note to NPR and other American media, White was struck with a car, not by a car; the car did not have autonomy. And several stories have noted that White was wearing a helmet, which only matters if he suffered a head injury since bike helmets don’t protect any other body parts, despite the magical thinking so many media sites seem to suffer from. 

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Today’s common theme is bike riders getting run down by cops, who will often admit to being the worst drivers on the road.

And are too often right.

A 15-year old boy riding a bike was left crossed by a Chicago cop, who apparently failed to yield to the bicycle traveling through the intersection; needless to say, the local press blamed the victim.

An Indianapolis bike rider was critically injured when a cop responding to a reported home invasion swerved to avoid another car, and crashed head-on into the victim riding in the opposite direction.

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Streetsblog’s Streetfilms takes a tour of the amazing new cycletracks in Alameda CA.

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Evidently, Tay Tay is one of us, too too.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps on going.

The New York Times continues their anti-ebike campaign, arguing that the youth-oriented, ped-assist Super73 ebikes are just motorcycles for children.

But sometimes, it’s the people on two-wheels behaving badly.

Police in Tokyo have recommended that the state minister for eduction should be prosecuted for crashing his bicycle into a woman crossing a street without traffic signals.

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Local 

A bike giveaway by One Bicycle Foundation donated twenty-four new bicycles to former foster kids who are now students at Pasadena City College; LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, a PCC alumni, spoke in support of the nonprofit group.

Streetsblog questions whether the new door-zone sharrows on Slauson Ave in LA’s Del Rey neighborhood are the city’s worst, in a city with no shortage of sharrow shame.

South Pasadena broke ground on a series of “transformative” street improvements to benefit connectivity, including traffic calming devices for the city’s slow streets program.

Traffic deaths continue to rise in Long Beach, despite the city’s Vision Zero program’s commitment to end traffic deaths by 2026.

 

State

There’s a special place in hell for the hit-and-run driver who ran down three Bakersfield kids as they rode their bikes in a left turn lane; two of the children were sent to a local hospital, one with life-threatening injuries.

Six Stanford students rode their bikes across the US, teaching students along the way.

 

National

A senior research scientist for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety writes that smartphones could be more than a distraction behind the wheel with sufficient buy-in from automakers and tech companies, such as an app that can inform drivers when they’re speeding.

A new research study shows the presence of an Interstate highway contributes to a significant increase in pedestrian deaths, which occur disproportionately in Black communities. Maybe because that’s where they built the freeways. And what affects pedestrians usually affects people on bicycles, too.

A Honolulu bike rider was the victim of a violent armed robbery when a man deliberately drove his car into him, then got out and stole the victim’s backpack as he lay in the roadway.

Houston is on pace to set a new record for bicycling deaths, after passing last-year’s already too-high total with the city’s 12th person killed riding a bicycle this year.

As most of us can testify, there’s no better way to leave work pressures behind than going for a bike ride, as President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden did in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Monday. And no, he didn’t fall off this time.

A Florida woman turned herself in for the hit-and-run death of a man riding a bicycle, after abandoning her car in the grocery store parking lot. And giving herself plenty of time to sober up — assuming she’d been imbibing, of course.

 

International

Momentum says North American cities need to push for more, and more secure, bike parking.

Wired says Specialized’s new $2,800 Globe Haul ST light utility ebike makes up for the loss of VanMoof to bankruptcy, although the dormant Dutch ebike maker may not be completely dead yet.

 

Competitive Cycling

Demi Vollering won the equivalent of nearly $55,000 by claiming the yellow jersey in 2nd Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the biggest payout in women’s cycling — and still just ten percent of what Jonas Vingegaard got for winning the men’s race.

The president of the professional cyclists union spent 5,172 Czech korunas out of his own pocket — the equivalent of about $240 — in an effort to develop a laser-based sensor to keep bike riders from crashing into race motos. As usual, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.

The AP says American cyclist Chloe Dygert has overcome overwhelming obstacles to have a shot at another world championship, from undergoing several rounds of surgery for injuries suffered crashing her bike into a guardrail, to heart surgery required to treat supraventricular tachycardia, as well as extreme fatigue caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.

 

Finally…

That’s one way to enjoy a snack on your bike, as long as you can steer with your butt.

And that feeling when you ride in the tire tracks of greatness.

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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Oh, and fuck Putin

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

$50,000 reward in Venice hit-and-run death, man killed on 4,000 mile charity ride, and Eagle Rock wants one lane

October 4, 2021 / / Comments Off on $50,000 reward in Venice hit-and-run death, man killed on 4,000 mile charity ride, and Eagle Rock wants one lane

Imagine someone you love traveling across the country to follow her faith and feed the hungry.

Now imagine getting a call from an LAPD detective telling you she’s been murdered by a hit-and-run driver.

Although they probably didn’t use that word.

Then imagine that the police won’t return your calls. And you have no idea what’s going on with a case that seems to be going nowhere, and doesn’t seem to be a priority.

You’ve just put yourself in the shoes of the entire family of fallen bike rider Prynsess Di’Amond Brazzle.

Don’t feel bad if you don’t recognize her name. I only recently learned it myself, confirmed by her relatives.

Brazzle was the woman who was killed by a heartless hit-and-run driver as she rode her bicycle around a Venice intersection this past August.

She’s one of 18 victims of hit-and-run drivers in Southern California this year. And yet another Black bike rider or pedestrian sacrificed on the mean streets of Los Angeles, where people of color die from traffic violence at a rate far disproportionate to their share of the population.

Never mind that Pacific Avenue, the street where she was killed, is on LA’s High Injury Network as one of the deadliest streets in the city. And was scheduled for bike lanes in the city’s long-forgotten mobility plan and 2010 bike plan.

Which could mean Los Angeles bears at least some legal responsibility for knowing about the dangers of the street, and failing to fix it.

Prynsess Brazzle had traveled from her family’s Pennsylvania home to Georgia, then west to Los Angeles, believing she had been called by God to feed the homeless.

Only to have her life taken by someone who didn’t have the basic human decency to stop their damn car after slamming another human being early in the morning of August 20th.

Unfortunately, since then, the trail appears to have gone cold.

The only information police have released is a blurry security cam video of a black, large-sized SUV, possibly a Chevrolet Suburban.

That’s despite a $50,000 reward from the City of Los Angeles for information “leading to the offender’s identification, apprehension, and conviction or resolution through a civil compromise.”

So let’s be honest.

Someone out there knows something. Maybe you’ve seen an SUV with a mangled front end. Or heard someone talk about an early morning crash in Venice, or acting strange the next day.

Maybe you’ve got video or other information the police missed.

And maybe you could use a cool 50 grand. Or just want justice for a young mother taken far too soon.

And yes, you can still get the money if you contact the police anonymously.

Meanwhile, a crowdfunding campaign to bring justice for Prynsess Brazzle has raised just $139 of the modest $5,000 goal.

We could easily top that today if everyone who reads this digs in to give what they can. And forwards this piece to anyone else who might be interested in helping.

And keeping their eyes open to bring her killer to justice.

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Sometimes I could just cry.

A Wisconsin man was killed while on a 4,000-mile ride to raise awareness of hunger on the Navajo reservation, and raise fund for a mountain biking scholarship.

Twenty-seven-year old Tyler Droeger was nearly 3,000 miles into the ride, when a driver drifted off the roadway and ran him down from behind as he rode on the shoulder of a Utah highway, knocking him into a ravine.

Chances are, he literally never knew what hit him.

It’s heartbreaking to think someone could be trying to do good for others, and still end up a needless victim of traffic violence.

Droeger wrote that, when he began his journey, he “wasn’t even aware of the inequality we have here in our homeland.” And he offered this advice:

“Be good to the strangers you meet. No matter their situation. it could just as easily have been you in those shoes.”

Needless to say, no charges have been filed.

Droeger’s crowdfunding campaign has continued to raise money despite, or maybe because, of his death.

When I first saw the news on Friday, he had raised a little more than double the $4,000 goal.  It’s now over $11,000.

If you have any extra money lying around after donating to Prynsess Brazzle, I can’t think of a better place to put it.

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Let’s hope CD14 Councilmember Kevin de León is paying attention.

https://twitter.com/topomodesto/status/1444720694554607618

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Great ebike ad from Specialized.

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The Department of DIY strikes again, even if it’s no match for drivers’ love of parking in bike lanes.

Maybe they should have just used a more seasonal barrier, like the people below.

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It’s hard to get past the Wall Street Journal’s draconian paywall.

So you’ll have to settle for this, courtesy of Orange County bike lawyer David Huntsman.

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A British kid can’t use the bike lane during Back to School Week, because it’s full of cars lined up to get gas during the country’s crippling fuel shortage.

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Maybe one day, we’ll finally get to the point where we don’t need ghost bikes anymore.

I only hope we all live long enough to see it.

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The war on cars may be a myth, but the war on bikes just keeps going on.

An older Brooklyn man was knocked off his bicycle when he was sucker-punched by a young man, in what appears to be part of a series of similar attacks on elderly people.

A British driver decides if an easily-passed bike rider is going use the roadway, then he’ll drive on the separated bike lane.

Pettiness abounds
byu/Neehigh inIdiotsInCars

But sometimes, it’s the people on two wheels behaving badly. 

Police are looking for a man on a purple bicycle who groped a woman on a University of Hawaii campus.

A valet at a Nashville hotel was shot by a bike-riding burglar; fortunately, he was not seriously injured.

Scotland Yard is looking for a bike-riding man wanted for a series of East London sexual assaults, exposing himself and masturbating in public.

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Local

Disappointing to see the weekly newsletter from CD11 Councilmember Mike Bonin discuss what his office is doing to promote transit and safer streets, without a single mention of bike lanes. Let alone bicycles.

The Easy Reader says ebikes are revolutionizing transportation in the South Bay’s beach cities.

 

State

A rare genetic brain disease robbed a marathoner of her ability to run, but she will still take part in a 220-mile Santa Barbara-to-San Diego ride on her recumbent to raise funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Million Dollar Challenge fundraising ride.

A triathlete in San Luis Obispo County recalls the red light-running driver that left her with “two shattered collarbones, two broken ribs and horrific memories of the impact,” then fled the scene, leaving her bleeding in the street.

A Fresno bike rider was critically injured after allegedly running a red light; police also blamed him for riding outside the crosswalk, as if bicycles aren’t allowed in the street. Someone should tell the Fresno Bee that the victim didn’t collide with a vehicle, he was struck by a car, which had a driver.

The San Francisco Examiner looks at California’s most significant bicyclist safety initiatives. They may not be the best source, however, since they cite LA’s dusty, nearly forgotten Vision Zero and mobility plans.

Lafayette considers safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists after a school crossing guard was killed in a collision last month, but not before heroically pushing school kids in a crosswalk out of the way, sacrificing himself to save them. Thanks to Robert Leone for the link.

 

National

Popular Mechanics recommends the best cheap bikes for beginners. The real surprise isn’t the price of the bikes. It’s that Popular Mechanics is still around.

Las Vegas Raiders fans turn out on their custom, low rider bicycles to show their love for the team.

Good news from Kansas, where searchers found a 13-year old girl who had gone missing on a bike ride.

Shades of the Infamous Beachfront Bee Incident. A Nebraska man crashed his bicycle after a bee got in his bike helmet and began stinging him. Except in my case, they didn’t sting me. And I got hurt a lot worse.

Even in Oklahoma, speeding drivers get the blame for a jump in traffic fatalities.

Chicago finally gets around to installing a road diet and bike lanes on the deadly street where School of Rock drummer Kevin Clark was killed riding his bike, 13 years after another bike-riding man was killed at the same site. This is how Vision Zero is supposed to work, just not so slow.

A Columbus, Ohio newspaper recommends riding the area’s scenic bike paths.

After a man was killed in Mississippi on a cross-country fundraising bike ride from Dover, New Hampshire to San Diego three years ago, his mother is planning to finish the ride, picking up where he was killed; his ride raised over 12 times his original $10,000 goal to help children with cancer.

The New York Times examines the rising carnage on the city’s streets, despite outgoing Mayor De Blasio’s promise to reduce traffic deaths under Vision Zero.

A trio of kindhearted Florida deputies got a new bike for a man after the bike he used for his transportation was stolen.

Kindhearted Fort Lauderdale firefighters replaced a young boy’s bicycle after it was burned in a house fire.

 

International

A Welsh website says life has gotten crazy at local bike shops during the pandemic.

Sponsors are bailing from the UK’s Black Cyclists Network after allegations of bullying and harassment by the organization’s founder.

Even British drivers support a 10 mph speed limit and speed cams to improve traffic problems.

No bias here. As Paris shifts its transportation focus from cars to walking, biking and transit, all the New York Times can see is the “anarchy” of scofflaw bicyclists. Thanks to Andrew Goldstein for the heads-up.

There’s a special place in hell for a retired French police officer who confessed to being a serial killer and rapist in his suicide note; victims included a pair of 11-year old girls, with one victimized after being pulled off her bicycle.

An Indian paper asks if bicycling is safe for women in Chennai, concluding women on long rides face the lack of accessible and clean public toilets and the threat of harassment and discrimination as well as a lack of bike lanes.

 

Competitive Cycling

Italian pro Sonny Colbrelli was the surprise winner of Sunday’s Paris-Robaix on the rain-soaked cobbles; Colbrelli didn’t even expect to finish, let alone win.

Cycling Weekly offers talking points from the race.

Britain’s Lizzie Deignan overcame bloodied hands to win the inaugural women’s Paris-Robaix race, aka Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

Cycling Tips offers a photo essay revealing the “grit and glory” of the women’s Hell of the North, while Cycling News offers their conclusions from the first ever women’s Paris-Roubaix, 125 years after the first men’s race.

Bicycling talks with Ayesha McGowan about her successful fight to become the first Black woman in professional cycling, and her goals to make the sport more inclusive for everyone. As usual, read it on Yahoo if Bicycling blocks you.

 

Finally…

Buy a kid a bike, get free tickets to Tom Brady’s homecoming game. A little skitching will get you a big fine.

And your next bike could be a two-wheel drive, hydraulic-driven, gas-powered bicycle.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The problem with group rides, a solo “intergalactic” charity ride, and closed isn’t closed on SaMo beachfront bike path

April 8, 2020 / / 2 comments

An image created by San Diego’s Serge Issakov makes the problem of group rides in the age of coronavirus pretty damn clear.

Right now, we’re all better off staying home.

But if you have to ride, ride alone or with members of your own household. Also stick close to home, and save the epic and group rides for when this is finally over, whenever that may be.

And wear a damn mask, already.

………

Basketball great Bill Walton is hosting an “intergalactic” Bike for Humanity event on April 25th, with net proceeds benefiting coronavirus victims and the healthcare professionals fighting it.

Individuals are encouraged to get out and ride their bikes for up to two hours in an area where they can practice social distancing at a minimum of 6-feet 11-inches in honor of Walton’s true height (at least the last time he was measured). Current CDC guidelines recommend a minimum of six feet of social distancing in an effort to stem the pandemic.

It is critical to note that Bike for Humanity is not a group ride and riding clusters are prohibited due to the coronavirus. Interested participants can ride anywhere in the galaxy as long as they are in a location where they can practice social distancing.

Hopefully the current restrictions encouraging people to remain in or near their homes will be lifted by then.

Otherwise, this may be all about maintaining social distancing while riding with Zwift.

………

No surprise here.

Beach bike paths are officially closed in LA County as part of the social distancing restrictions due to the coronavirus shutdown.

But David Drexler reports that closed appears to be a relative thing where bike paths are concerned.

In front of Casa del Mar on Saturday. The path was still closed, but you would hardly know.

Looking north from Casa del Mar toward the pier. Path is closed but you would not know it.

Santa Monica spent a lot of money fencing now closed Palisades Park. Almost looked like they were getting ready for the finish of some sort of race on Ocean Avenue. Top photo is section next to California Incline.
However, they left open the protected bike lane on the California Incline that leads down to the new widened path section on the beach. New this weekend were dozens of signs indicating temporary closure placed in the middle of the beach path.

Looking south towards the Venice Boardwalk from the Venice – Santa Monica border. A lineup of homeless encampments as far as the eye could see where you usually see tables of people selling things. No closure signs here.

………

A new webinar explains how to train in the age of coronavirus this evening.

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Local

The LA Times looks at what’s open and closed in Southern California this week, even though LA city and county officials are encouraging everyone to just stay home. And as we noted above, closed doesn’t always mean closed.

A Pasadena resident calls for a fresh look at our streets as public space, flipping the priority from a focus on cars to providing people with space to get outdoors while maintaining social distancing.

This is who we share the road with. A Lancaster man faces a well-deserved murder charge for the DUI hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian two years ago.

 

State

VeloNews talks with mountain biking Calabasas resident Reggie Miller, who also used to play a little basketball.

No surprise here, as velodromes in San Jose and San Diego are closed for the foreseeable future. Thanks to Robert Leone for the heads-up.

Sad news from Tulare County, where a 76-year old man was killed in a collision while riding his bike, although the CHP was quick to absolve the driver of any responsibility by blaming the victim for wearing dark clothes on a dark bike in poor lighting conditions. However, no mention is made of whether the victim had the legally required lights and reflectors on his bike. Or if the driver had any lights at all on his car, which would theoretically allow him to see a bike rider directly ahead of him, unless he was violating the Basic Speed Law by driving too fast for conditions.

 

National

Good piece from Outside, as Joe Lindsey says studies show hi-viz works — but only if a driver is paying attention.

Bicycling says it’s never too late to learn how to ride a bike.

How to ship your bike without risking a trip to the airport. Thanks again to Robert Leone.

Bike Portland’s Jonathan Maus considers the new rules for riding in the age of coronavirus, including masks, leaving more room, and etiquette for passing.

A Tacoma, Washington man has turned shouting messages to strangers from his bicycle into a thriving very small business.

Business is booming at Phoenix bike shops.

A kindhearted Missouri man built a handmade adaptive bicycle with a sidecar so a mother could ride with her disabled young daughter.

Chicago Streetsblog recaps a webinar on Closing Streets to Create Space for Walking and Biking During COVID-19 featuring officials from Duluth, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Bogotá.

Teenage bike riders emerge from “hibernation” in Schenectady NY, angering drivers by swarming streets and breaking social distancing rules.

New York’s mayor decides to pay for the city’s coronavirus response by cutting funds from Vision Zero and bicycle safety improvements, as well as bus lanes and the Staten Island ferry. But God forbid he should touch funds to subsidize motor vehicle travel.

Kindhearted strangers pitched in to get a new bicycle, helmet, lock, lights and safety vest for a DC nurse who was walking four and a half miles to and from work each day to avoid unknowingly infecting people on public transportation with coronavirus.

 

International

Road.cc explain how “proper” bicycling clothing can improve your rides.

Kindhearted Brits donated the equivalent of nearly $700 to a midwife with the National Health Service after her bicycle was stolen while she was working.

British researchers call for a switch to bicycling to help keep other people safe.

No surprise here, as a UK study shows male drivers are twice as dangerous as female drivers, and male bike riders pose twice the risk to others as female riders.

Bicycling is considered an essential form of transportation in at least one Philippine city.

Paris has imposed a daytime curfew on all outdoor sports from 10 am to 7 pm. Although it’s not clear whether that only includes recreational riding, or bicycling for transportation, too.

Police in Australia’s Victoria state rescind a $1,652 fine a man received for violating the coronavirus lockdown by driving 35 minutes to ride on a mountain bike trail.

 

Competitive Cycling

The Tour of Utah becomes the latest bike racing domino to fall, while Indiana’s famed Little 500 bike race bites the dust for this year, too.

Cyclist looks at the hellish history of the famed Hell of the North, after the legendary Paris-Roubaix race was scrapped for this year.

Reigning Paralympic road champ Jamie Whitmore thanks the Challenged Athletes Foundation for its support in helping her transition to cycling. after a misdiagnosed cancerous tumor ended her career as champion triathlete.

A British woman rides her first road race — and first road bike — at what she calls the world’s toughest amateur bike race in Oman.

The BBC examines how Fiona Kolbinger became the first woman to ride to victory in the ultra-endurance, self-supported and self-navigated Transcontinental Race across Europe last July.

 

Finally…

Country star and American Idol judge Luke Bryan scared the crap out of his wife as she rode her bike by blasting his truck horn in a “hilarious” stunt.

Which any bike rider would recognize as the seriously dangerous and unfunny actions of an obnoxious jerk.

 

We can only hope it doesn’t inspire other similarly antisocial drivers to follow his lead, with riders they aren’t related to.

But it probably will.

………

Be safe, and stay healthy.

Category: Morning Links / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Guest Post: Team LACBC gears up for incredible Northern California adventure with the 2016 Climate Ride

May 11, 2016 / / 2 comments

Redwoods_cyclists_lrAfter the excitement of next week’s Bike Week, hundreds of cyclists will converge in Northern California to wrap up Bike Month with this year’s Climate Ride. I invited Marc Horwitz, leader of this year’s LACBC contingent, to explain what it is, and why it matters.

………

In the coming weeks, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) will be sending its TEAM LACBC up north to participate in Climate Ride California 2016. It’s  an epic 5-day, 330-mile charity ride (May 22-26) that goes through the Redwood Forest and down the stunning Northern California Coast.

The event raises awareness and funds for a variety of beneficiary agencies working on the environment. Better yet, the money generated by TEAM LACBC will help make cycling safer and more accessible for everyone in the L.A. region. The ride itself is a veritable roadie’s bucket list! Highlights include Avenue of the Giants, Leggett Hill, Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Station, the Russian River, Mt. Tam and much more. It all ends with a bang, as the peloton crosses the spectacular Golden Gate into S.F. on Day #5.

Team_LACBC_lrParticipating in Climate Ride is an amazing and life-transforming experience. But it’s also a big commitment. Riders must train and get ready for the physical challenge and procure all the necessary equipment, not to mention meet the minimum $2800 fundraising requirement. It’s a big ask, and you can help! Supporting Team LACBC is easy. Go to our team fundraising page and click the orange “support me” button. Alternatively, you can browse our roster and contribute to an individual rider.

This week, we’re featuring team member Lac Vuong. Hailing from East Hollywood, Lac works for Tern Bicycles as well as for LACBC as a bike valet. This young man is an incredible asset on any group ride, frequently acting as sweep and always assisting riders in distress. As with all members of Team LACBC, Lac is riding on behalf of all of us, so why not show him a little love? Any amount of support will be greatly appreciated.

Training_PV Donut_cliffThough the team is locked in for this year, Climate Ride is something you’ll definitely want to put on your radar for 2017. Membership is open to the public and we can accommodate riders of all levels. With a “no rider left behind” policy, we’ll guide you through each step of the process – from initial sign-up right through the event itself.  Don’t let the fundraising aspect deter you. Nearly everyone who commits to raising the money winds up making it happen. It’s an incredible feeling to be riding with the support of your friends and family!

For more information, browse the Team FAQ Page or contact Marc Horwitz at climateride@la-bike.org. Also connect with Team LACBC on Facebook for news and events, including training ride announcements.

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Category: Advocacy & Politics, Guest Columns / Tags: , , , ,
 
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