BikinginLA

Let’s start with the good news.

Eleventh District Councilmember and TranspoComm Chair Bill Rosendahl underwent successful surgery to treat atrial fibrillation. According to the press release, he was awake and doing fine just three hours after he was implanted with a new medical device as part of a clinical trial, and should be back at work next week.

Rosendahl has been one of the driving forces behind the current city support for the cycling community. I hope you’ll join me in wishing him a speedy recovery and years of good health.

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A memorial ride will be held today for masters champion Kevin Unck, killed after losing control of his bike in gravel and mud on Glendora Mountain Road earlier this month. Riders will meet at the It’s A Grind Coffee House at 7325 Day Creek Blvd, Suite 103 in Rancho Cucamonga at 8 am.

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An Orange County woman writes about the death of 8-year old Andrew Brumback, which occurred just feet from her front door. A Ramona cyclist is seriously injured in a collision with a big rig; alcohol use by the cyclist may have been a contributing factor, although the only witness seems to be the driver who hit him. A Carlsbad rider credits his helmet with saving his life in a hit-and-run on Tuesday that left him with five fractures. And a Modesto man gets 10 years for killing a cyclist while high on marijuana and painkillers, though some people wrote the judge to blame the rider for simply being on the street.

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This wasn’t just a horrible week for SoCal cyclists; the racing world was repeatedly touched by tragedy as well.

Rising British star Lewis Balyckyi, an 18-year old rider expected to be part of the UK Olympic team in 2012, was killed on Tuesday when he was hit by a van just a few miles from his home. The pro cycling community reacted with sorrow after South African HTC Highland rider Carla Swart, winner of 19 U.S. collegiate titles, was killed when she was hit by a truck during training. And Aussie cyclist Amber Halliday is still in critical condition after a horrific crash caused when she clipped another rider’s wheel.

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In other racing news, a new mayor in DC could put an end to plans to bring the start of next year’s Giro to the U.S. Frank Schleck has successful surgery to remove a metal plate inserted after his crash in the Tour de France. Lance Armstrong says he expects to be vindicated after new charges arise; the Times asks if it will hurt his image. Saxo Bank is still counting on Alberto Contador this year despite doping allegations; yeah, good luck with that. Former Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre and teammate Denis Menchov will be excluded from this year’s Tour after their team fails to get an invitation.

And Mark Cavendish had to fight his way through traffic — car, not bike — in the Tour Down Under when race stewards opened the road while he was still on the course; Garmin-Cervélo rider Cameron Meyer leads after four stages.

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In upcoming events —

The Kit Karzen Foundation kicks off their program to promote cycling for kids with ADHD with a celebration at Cynergy Cycles, 2300 Santa Monica Boulevard in Santa Monica, on Saturday the 22nd, from 6 to 9 pm.

Glendale City Commissioners will consider the city’s proposed Safe and Healthy Streets Plan on Monday, January 24th at 6 pm at the Council Chambers at Glendale City Hall, 613 East Broadway. Residents, as well as anyone who works, goes to school, walks or rides through the city are urged to attend and offer comments.

Cyclists are invited to campaign door-to-door in support of bike advocate and 4th District City Council Candidate Steven Box on Wednesday, January 26th from 5:30 to 8:30 pm; meet at Box campaign headquarters, 5619 Hollywood Blvd.

The LACBC invites you to pitch in to help fix up the new Bike Wrangler space, where donated and abandoned bikes will be repaired for donation to bike coops and low income people in high obesity areas. The first work party will take place from 5 to 9:30 pm on Thursday, January 27th at 1205 W. 6th Street; the second will be held Sunday the 30th from 11 am to 5 pm; RSVP to  bobby@la-bike.org.

The Culver City Bicycle Coalition will host the first of their monthly Family Rides on Sunday, January 30th, at 10 am. The rides will start and end at Town Plaza near the Culver Hotel, 9400 Culver Blvd, and explore the city’s best bike routes; future rides will take place on the last Sunday of the month.

The California Bike Coalition will host a Bike Party in San Diego on Thursday, Feb 3rd from 7 to 9 pm. The party will take place at Velo Cult Bicycle Shop, 2220 Fern Street, with a suggested donation of $100.

Explore the romance of Metro L.A.’s near-coastal cities with the LACBC’s second Sunday Funday ride, I ♥ the Westside. Riders will assemble at the Santa Monica Pier, at the end of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica at 9:30 am on Sunday, February 6th, with the ride starting at 10 am. The course will follow a mostly flat route 30-mile route through Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City, Westwood and Brentwood, before returning along the beach to the pier. It’s free to LACBC members and one guest, and will be lead by your humble host at BikingInLA.

Flying Pigeon and the Bike Oven host the free Spoke(n) Art Ride on the 2nd Saturday of every month; the next ride will take place on February 12th, starting 6:30 pm at 3714 N. Figueroa St. in Highland Park.

Ride in support of the Dream Act with the 50-mile L.A. to O.C. Dream Ride on Sunday, February 20th, Starting at Corazon del Pueblo 2003 E. 1st. Street in Boyle Heights and ending at Centro Cultural de Mexico 310 W. 5th Street in Santa Ana. Registration and $15 fee are due by January 28th, including lunch, dinner, maintenance during the ride and an overnight stay in Orange County.

UCLA will host a free day-long Complete Streets workshop on Friday, February 25th; participation is open to registered attendees. The workshop will take place from 8:30 am to 7 pm at the Japanese American National Museum at 369 East 1st Street Downtown. Contact d.grantham@ucla.edu to register, or call 310/562-7356.

And it’s never too early to mark your calendar for the second CicLAvia on April 10th, 2011.

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A bad sign for leading local bike advocacy group C.I.C.L.E. as their website goes offline. Great photo from the L.A. Times of a lone cyclist rolling through a high tide on the bike path. Beverly Hills police declare the killing of Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen closed, blaming it on a bike-riding ex-con acting alone. Long Beach announces a series of workshops for their new Bicycle Master Plan, starting with a ride on Saturday. Bikeside looks at Charlie Gandy’s recipe for a bike-friendly city. The Claremont Cyclist looks at what to expect in Stage 7 of the Amgen Tour of California.

NASA astronaut Tim Kopra is scratched from next month’s shuttle mission after suffering an undisclosed injury while riding his bike, though rumor suggests a broken hip; thanks to Will Campbell for the heads-up. People for Bikes urges every cyclist to contact your representative in Congress. Bike to Work days can have a lasting impact on bike commuting rates. A lovely look at lugwork. Turns out the real scofflaws are the ones on four wheels. Washington considers five bills to make cycling safer. Bob Mionske follows-up on the sweetheart deal denial of justice perpetrated in the Vail hit-and-run case; anyone who doesn’t think this case stinks should check their sense of smell. New bike lanes in the Big Easy lead to a 57% increase in ridership — and a 133% increase in female ridership. Evidently, Pittsburgh’s cycling scene is pretty incredible. New York’s controversial Prospect Park West bike lanes haven’t made the street more dangerous; in fact, injuries due to collisions are down 67%. No need to stop riding during the winter, though parking can be a problem. City Fix jumps into the great helmet debate with Mikael Colville-Andersen, author of Copenhagenize and Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

After an Ontario cyclist is injured in a collision, readers respond by calling for a ban on winter riding. A UK cyclist is awarded £7000 for injuries due to a pothole. Most bikes stolen in Great Britain are taken from the owner’s home. VW introduces an electric folding concept bike. A look at biking in modern Morocco. An Aussie cyclist is ticketed for riding without a helmet in a police crackdown.

Finally, a YouTube commentator says of course Lance was on drugs; in fact, anyone who rides bikes for a living and doesn’t do drugs has to have something wrong with them. It’s funny stuff, unlike this guy, who gets paid to be but isn’t.

And sometimes bikes are allowed to go where others aren’t, except when they’re not.