There’s a special place in hell for whoever left a 91-year old man bleeding alone in a Cathedral City street.
Police responding to a report of the 3:15 am crash found the severely injured hit-and-run victim near Cathedral Canyon Drive and Dinah Shore Drive.
Let’s hope the victim makes a full recovery. And they find the person who did it.
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That’s gonna leave a mark.
Ultra endurance cyclist Jay Petervary’s attempt to set a speed record for the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route was derailed Sunday, when he was struck by a driver 30 miles outside of Salida, Colo.
According to Petervary’s wife, he suffered a broken vertebra, two broken arms, a cut cornea, and road rash on his butt, hip and elbow, but thankfully, no life-threatening injuries.
Petervary had with less than a thousand miles to go on the 2,671-mile trail when he was injured.
Meanwhile, pro cyclist Lachlan Morton will attempt the unsupported trail ride, which stretches from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.
The popular pro, who gained fame for his Alt Tour de France, in which he raced the racers to Paris, says his attempt is less about breaking the record, and more about seeing how fast he can do it in a mentally and physically sustainable way.
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A truly brutal video captures a far-too-close pass from an RV driver clipping a bicyclist, and taking out a group of riders like so many bowling pins.
Thanks to Michael Kim, who tells me this happened on Arizona’s Lake Mary Road.
Click through to the third slide to see the video, but be forewarned that you can’t unsee if if you do.
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In a moving piece, a man returning to Pittsburgh for the first time in a decade spots his friend’s ghost bike while riding through the city, and reflects on the changes to the city’s streets that were inspired by her needless death.
The bike, painted white and locked to a steel post, will stand silently on the sidewalk, a memorial to the woman who lost her life here.
And in that moment, I’ll take stock of everything that’s different. Because it’s not the same Pittsburgh I remember—and I don’t mean new high-rises, shuttered businesses, or graying friends. For a cyclist who’s been away for a while, the city exhibits radical transformation. Spotting that Ghost Bike will fill me with anger and heartache. I will wish, for the thousandth time, that this memorial didn’t have to exist. But I will also marvel at all the change that began with a single accident. And I will wonder what Susan would think of it all.
It’s worth taking a few minutes to read the whole thing.
Then wonder why all the many ghost bikes scattered through the City of Angels have never done the same.
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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 Boston TV station reports on a man who was killed when he struck by a UPS truck while riding a bike. But waits until nearly the end of the story to mention that the truck had a driver.
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Local
The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator has launched the Zero-Emission Delivery (ZED) City Challenge, calling for cities to share ideas and solutions for advancing zero-emission delivery, from promoting small, electric delivery vehicles and e-cargo bikes to reshaping the transport of goods coming through ports.
South Pasadena has installed traffic calming measures, including Class II painted bike lanes, on Oak, Grand and Hermosa Aves as part of a Slow Streets demonstration project.
State
Streetsblog’s Melanie Curry and Joe Linton write that supporters of AB 645, which would legalize a California speed cam pilot program, have bent over backward to appease opponents of the bill, but some will never be satisfied.
Irvine tests a popup protected bike lane on Yale Ave as it considers proposals to make it permanent.
San Diego police busted the thief who stopped to play with a Pacific Beach family’s overly friendly golden retriever in a viral video, before making off with a $1,300 ebike.
A Temecula teenager was able to get her stolen ebike back thanks to an AirTag, as sheriff’s deputies followed digital crumbs to locate the bike and build a case against two men charged with taking it.
A Ventura County letter writer says we don’t need a bunch of new rules, regulations and limitations on ebikes, because there are already enough in the state’s vehicle code.
National
A new survey from Cycling Weekly shows that a typical amateur bicyclist rides five times a week and covers over 5,000 miles a year, owns four bikes, raced back in the day but now prefers time trials and ultras, subscribes to three training apps, and is fitter than many people half their age. I could claim the first two and the last one back in my pre-diabetes days. Now, not so much.
Velo highlights their favorite gravel bikes from the recent MADE handmade bike show in Portland, while Cycling Weekly reflects on the beautiful, unique and funky standouts from the “coolest” bike show of the year.
CNN recommends the accessories you need for your city bike rides. Some of which you actually do, like pedals. Though not necessarily those pedals.
Newly released records show police in Salem, Oregon lied about coordinating with the Drug Enforcement Agency to manage information after an off-duty DEA agent killed a woman riding a bicycle in a March crash; no decision yet on whether charges will be filed against the agent.
Albuquerque, New Mexico is moving forward with a “stunning” rail trail designed by world-renowned architect Antoine Predock, which promises to transform the city.
Chicago bike riders demand more protected bike lanes and slower speed limits, as bike-related crashes continue to climb. Which is a story that could be written in virtually any city in the US, but especially right here in Los Angeles.
That’s more like it. A Michigan man was sentenced to eight years behind bars for the drunken, high-speed hit-and-run that killed a man riding a bicycle; prosecutors said he was driving 85 mph in the middle of the street, with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
The New York Mets are in talks to bring the city’s Citi Bike bikeshare to their ball field, which is sponsored by the same eponymous bank as the bikeshare system. Which serves as a reminder that there’s still no Metro Bike docks at LA’s Dodger Stadium, either.
International
The City Fix corrects five myths about open streets events, including the supposed inconvenience to drivers.
Evidently, bike skills are no match for booze, as an Irish coroner rules that a skilled 45-year old bicyclist died when he crashed his ebike into a lamppost after drinking with his roommate.
Newly bike-friendly Paris will become one of the few city’s around the world to ban e-scooter rentals, after 90% of voters elected to kick them out.
Thousands of Berlin residents took to their bikes for Critical Mass on Friday to protest protest the dominance of motor vehicles in the city, discriminatory road traffic laws and car-centric urban planning
Bicyclists in the Spanish city of Girona are required to carry liability insurance for the equivalent of $129 a year, but many don’t.
Twenty-three Czech bike riders have lost their lives in the first six months of this year, as the country is off to its worst start since 2015.
Competitive Cycling
GCN examines “the most beautiful bike race you’ve never hear of,” with nine epic climbs through 300 mile of the Alps.
Rouleur says if you want to win a grand tour, you take Sepp Kuss with you, as the Colorado cyclist has played a key role in the Jumbo-Visma team’s attempt at an unprecedented sweep of all three grand tours.
Remco Evenepoel demonstrates that it’s possible to win and lose at the same time, winning Monday’s stage of the Vuelta, then being taken out by a spectator after crossing the finish line.
🩸 Blood pours from Remco Evenepoel's eyebrow following a collision after the line! 💥#LaVuelta pic.twitter.com/3aQEfgaGLM
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 28, 2023
Finally…
That feeling when your newfound love of bicycling leads to the plot of your next bestseller.
And this is the best laugh I’ve had in ages. Thanks to Mike Burk for the link.
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1690112351779819520
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Be safe, and stay healthy. And get vaccinated, already.
Oh, and fuck Putin
