BikinginLA

After dealing with breaking news for the last couple days, we’ve got a lot to catch up on. So let’s get right to it.

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KABC-7 talks with former bike-hater Laura Weintraub in the wake of yesterday’s new video calling for greater understanding and a détente between cyclists and drivers.

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A panel discussion at the new Levi’s pop-up store in DTLA this Thursday will consider making LA a more livable city.

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LA’s own former national crit champ Rasaan Bahati narrates his on-bike video of the last laps of Sunday’s Brentwood Grand Prix, while Echelon Design offers some incredible photos of the race.

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Sounds like fun. FAME FEST promises a street-long bike fest and scavenger hunt along famed Melrose Avenue this Sunday.

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England’s Montague Bikes is offering you a chance to win a 7-speed folding road bike.

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Despite earlier bike and sidewalk-free design recommendations, current projections favor bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides of the redesigned Glendale-Hyperion Bridge.

A new road diet and bike lanes finally goes in on Figueroa St. But on south, not Gil Cedillo’s needlessly controversial north, Fig.

The Times’ Steve Lopez asks why an 86-year old cyclist can’t get the dangerous alley behind her home fixed.

CicLAvia begins outreach for October’s ride through Boyle Heights.

A HuffPo writer points out the perils of biking in New York and LA.

Santa Monica Spoke invites you to the Grand Opening of a new Dutch and folding bike shop.

Damien Newton asks if SaMo is ready for Vision Zero; ready or not, every city and state must resolve to eliminate traffic deaths.

Walk Bike Glendale responds to an anti-bike OpEd in the local paper.

A reminder that women face risks on the road that most male riders don’t, as a San Diego woman is assaulted while riding home from a bar.

A north San Diego area cyclist chases down the hit-and-run driver who ran down his wife.

A Sacramento man is arrested after attempting to stone a bike rider.

Cyclists enjoy a bike tour of historic sites in Napa.

Ten great NorCal bike rides.

Funding for bicycling and pedestrian projects will continue at current levels under the new Federal transportation budget. That’s the good news and the bad.

Are drivers and cyclists really natural enemies?

Caught on video: A extremely close call with a motorcyclist offers a reminder to always look behind you — and signal — before turning across a traffic lane. And a bike rider reminds us never to tailgate after crashing into a backhoe.

A Massachusetts man loses 200 pounds through cyclocross racing.

A Florida rider fights for his right to take the lane, but unlike California, local state law may not support him.

Popular young rider Peter Sagan jumps ship, while Tour de France champ Vincenzo Nibali sets his sights on the world championships.

Caught on video: This is why you need a bike cam, as a UK driver faces multiple charges for fleeing the scene after hitting a cam-equipped cyclist head-on.

London buses will test two new systems to alert drivers to cyclists in their path.

A globe-trotting American cyclist may be buried in Russia after no one comes forward to claim his body.

Don’t spit on other road users, no matter how mad you might get. Just don’t.

An upstate New York man learns the hard way why it’s unwise to confront an ax-murderer wannabe over a $100 stolen bike. A New Jersey writer apologizes for berating the kid who stole his bike.

And if you’re a convicted felon illegally carrying a rifle and shotgun on your handlebars, don’t crash into a damn power pole, already.

I’m planning a review of the new Camelbak Podium Ice water bottle soon.

But here’s a short advance preview.

If you’re anywhere near a bike shop this weekend, stop in a buy one.

Best. Water. Bottle. Ever.

Seriously.

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City Controller Ron Galperin explains why so many of LA’s streets suck.

Downtown’s California Plaza offers a free screening of the great bike-centric Triplets of Bellville this Friday, complete with live score and complementary bike valet.

Orange 20 offers a primer on LA’s least effective form of bicycling infrastructure.

A Glendale couple will ride 163 miles through Massachusetts to raise funds for a cancer research center.

Walk Bike Glendale hosts an Art Box Walk this Saturday.

As if bike-hating drivers aren’t bad enough. A Riverside rider is attacked by a German Shepherd that hates bikes, and bites the people on them.

Calbike offers their monthly update on bike advocacy on the state level.

Meanwhile, a new bill backed by Calbike seeks to modernize California’s outdated bike lane laws.

The Bike League introduces the new manager of their Women Bike program.

Bicycling talks with USC and Pepperdine grad Elysa Walk about her role with bike manufacturer Giant in making bicycling more accessible for everyone.

A cyclist says a road raging Missouri mayor yelled at him to get off the road before intentionally running into him; needless to say, the mayor tells a much different story. Thanks to Danny Gamboa for the heads-up.

No bias here, as the NYPD concludes no investigation is necessary before determining a bus vs bike collision was just an accident, but somehow, the rider’s fault.

Baltimore claims to be the birthplace of US bicycling.

Nice report from the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia demonstrating once again bikes really are good for business. Would someone please tell Gil Cedillo, Paul Koretz and Tom LaBonge?

Tragic end to a heroic act, as an 11-year old Canadian bike rider pushes a friend out of the way before he’s killed by a drunk driver.

A British Columbia cyclist uses his own pants as a tourniquet after he’s shot while competing in an overnight race.

The dark side of Britain’s post Olympic biking boom.

A former UK government minister says bikeways must be redesigned with separate lanes for fast cyclists and slower riders who want to “pootle.” Personally, I don’t even know how to pootle, and not sure I’d want to in public.

Aussie police look for a toothless man who’s been sabotaging Queensland bike trails. Maybe he blames a bike rider for knocking his teeth out.

Cyclists are up in arms after a British rental car company tells tourists to watch out for the country’s out of control cyclists. And after a Scottish rider has his bike stolen, he gets it back in much better condition.

Whew.

We’ve got an exceptionally long list of bike links from here in LA and around the world. So settle in for some serious Thursday clicking.

Just don’t even think of bothering me between 9 and 11 am.

No, seriously.

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The Daily News says Seleta Reynolds is the right choice to get LA moving as head of LADOT, while Streetsblog says the City Council Transportation Committee gives her an enthusiastic thumbs up, as well.

The LA City Council votes to study placing an eight-mile bike path in the bed of the LA River.

Boyonabike says Pasadena could be on the brink of adopting a complete streets plan.

Long Beach’s protected bike lanes need protected intersections, as well. Meanwhile, the Tuesday night Gfunk ride brings out the funky nocturnal side of SoCal’s most bike friendly city.

The Orange County Transportation Authority hosts a meeting to discuss a countywide bicycle network.

A writer for the Coastline Pilot asks why Laguna Beach continues to tolerate bike and pedestrian deaths. Good question. Then again, why does any city — including LA?

BikeSD calls for a Vision Zero for our neighbor to the south.

A 77-year old Newbury Park resident leads a group of older riders on a 3,000 mile adventure of a lifetime.

San Francisco installs bike lockers in city-owned parking garages; we need some of that here.

Proposed legislation to allow protected bike lanes in California comes up for an important committee hearing today; the bill is sponsored by Calbike, but opposed by CABO for reasons they insist make sense to them. Meanwhile, Calbike offers their monthly report, including the status of current bike bills and bad news for bikes in the state budget.

Marin County investigators recover 130 stolen bikes.

After police refuse to help, a Sacramento-area man steals his stolen bike back.

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends requiring side guards on semi-trucks to keep cyclists and pedestrians from being crushed underneath.

A Kickstarter project is raising funds to build the world’s fastest bike.

A road raging Ohio driver assaults a cyclist riding with his son before his unoccupied truck crashes into another vehicle; of course, the driver insists he did nothing wrong.

It takes a real jerk to steal 15 bikes from a Special Olympics competition.

Two Dallas women are riding 3,000 miles to raise awareness about ovarian cancer.

A New York reporter insists the key to reducing traffic deaths is to keep those damn bicyclists and pedestrians out of the way of the poor, beleaguered motorists.

A Canadian rider has a near-non-death experience, otherwise known as a faceplant in traffic.

Caught on video: After an Ontario cyclist is nearly turned into road kill by a passing truck, the idiot brigade questions whether bike riders belong on the road. Although I have to admit, that shoulder looks pretty spacious and comfortable from here.

An Irish car passenger rolls down his window and pushes a 13-year old cyclist off his bike. Schmuck.

Scotland’s road deaths drop to a record low, despite increases in bike, motorcycle and car fatalities; only pedestrian deaths actually declined.

Cheng Ji is set to become the first Chinese rider in the Tour de France.

At least we only have to deal with angry drivers, as an Ottawa rider is attacked by a road raging evil-eyed goose. And a Bay Area father politely asks for his bike back after he leaves it unlocked on the sidewalk overnight.

A Ventura Blvd website looks at the risks of bicycling in the San Fernando Valley. Overall, a good piece, though there’s a lot to quibble over — like the lack of safety instructions for drivers, and the fact that LA wasn’t built for cars, but around what was then the world’s best transit system.

A Times OpEd piece looks at what LA can learn from Stockholm’s Vision Zero about reducing traffic deaths.

Wayfinding signs are finally coming to the LA River bike path.

CD2 Councilmember Paul Krekorian says he’s working to make NoHo safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Bike lanes on Lankershim would be a great place to start.

Costa Mesa bike shop owner gets 27 months for tax evasion.

Eighty-three year old driver hits and kills a bike rider in Salinas.

Dave Zabriskie’s Legends of the Road team wins the RAAM team competition, while Pippa Middleton shows she may be worth taking seriously after all, as her eight-person team finishes the world’s most challenging endurance race in just under six days and 11 hours.

A real estate blog offers 10 ways bicycling can save the world. Skip the infographic at the top and read the story below.

Commute by Bike says bicycling will remain a fringe way for adventurous, athletic and highly eco-conscious folks to get around without serious investment in bicycle infrastructure.

Nineteen Cherokee bike riders complete a 950 mile tour of the infamous Trail of Tears.

A Maine rider is injured in a solo fall that demonstrates the danger of a too close pass.

An Aussie travel piece says bicycling in New York is cheap, fun and safer than you think.

Vancouver columnists explain bicycle parts, with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Yorkshire is infected with yellow jersey fever.

An Irish writer insists riding across Dublin without a helmet is taking your life, or at least your brain, in you hands. And demonstrates he doesn’t get road diets.

Naples, Italy is now bike friendly.

Unbelievable. After a road raging Brit driver runs a bike rider off the road, he spins around to run down another motorist who stopped to help.

Boyonabike goes on Sunday’s Phillip O’Neill memorial ride in Pasadena, and pledges to work for the day when rides like that won’t be necessary. Amen, brother.

Streetsblog’s Sahra Sulaiman writes movingly of a weekend full of remembrances for far too many fallen riders.

The Cypress Park Neighborhood Council takes up the issue of the Fig4All North Figueroa road diet and bike lanes tonight.

Long Beach — and marriage — converts a confirmed vehicular cyclist into a bike lane rider.

Wired likes the new 1970’s style 10 speed bike from LA’s own Linus.

More on Assemblymember Gatto’s bill to create an Amber Alert-style system for serious hit-and-runs.

A 23-year old Costa Mesa man is charged with felony vehicular manslaughter, DUI and possession of marijuana after killing an 81-year old marathoner running in a Corona del Mar bike lane last week.

A San Diego cyclist is injured in a collision with a Border Patrol Vehicle.

A Santa Barbara writer discusses inspiring a children’s passion for pedaling.

Folsom Police recover 17 Trek bikes stolen from a local bike shop in April.

After getting caught up in the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, Santa Rosa’s Levi Leipheimer has a lot to say, but no one wants to listen.

Buzzfeed tries to scare you off your bike with a new Reefer Madness-style video.

Chicago asshole writer calls bike riders terrorists for allegedly endangering pedestrians — even when those pedestrians are standing in bike lanes. Maybe someone should tell him how many pedestrians are killed, not just frightened, by those on four wheels instead of two.

Since when is stealing a bike considered a “minor disciplinary” problem? Oh, yeah, when you’re a football player at a major university.

New Jersey considers a $500 fine for any driver who causes a collision with a cyclist.

Turns out that Virginia driver who hit a bike rider head-on while driving on a bike/pedestrian bridge was working for the state DOT; police still refuse to file charges.

Extreme road rage, as a Florida driver swerves at a cyclist who told him to slow down, then shoots at the rider and three others who came to his aid.

A UK cyclist participating in a charity ride is seriously injured after crashing into an anachronism a telegraph pole.

It takes a real jerk to steal a dozen bikes from riders with the UK’s version of Ride 2 Recovery.

A new study from the University of Duh show cyclists on separated bike paths suck down less smog than riders in the roadway. A new bike helmet reads your mind to map out the stressful points on your ride, as if you couldn’t figure that out for yourself.

And no. Just no.