Once again, bike riders are heroes.
Even if they are mentioned only in passing.
A Simi Valley woman was rescued Wednesday after her car went off the road in Latigo Canyon on Monday. She’d been missing for two days after driving to the beach for a run.
Her rescue came when a pair of unnamed cyclists heard her screams for help; something that anyone driving by would be unlikely to notice.
Motorists frequently complain about cyclists in the Malibu canyons.
But one owes them her thanks. If not her life.
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Even bike cops are at risk on our streets.
Especially if they don’t maintain their bikes properly.
KTLA-5 reports an LAPD officer suffered an apparent head injury while riding in a residential Sherman Oaks neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
According to KNBC-4, the officer was leaving the scene of a three-hour police standoff when the brakes failed on both his and his partner’s bikes as they rode down a steep hill. He touched wheels with his partner’s bike and was thrown to the pavement.
While his injury is described as serious, the department tweeted that it does not appear to be life threatening.
And yes, he was wearing a helmet.
However, brake failures on one bike — let alone both — raises serious maintenance issues. Let’s hope the department isn’t risking the safety of its officers by ignoring basic inspections and service on their bicycles.
Let’s hope he makes a full and fast recovery; thanks to Rick Risemberg for the heads-up.
And evidently, it was a bad day for bike-riding cops, as a St. Paul MN cop was right hooked by a driver looking the wrong way.
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It gets worse.
Wednesday we linked to a story about three Sacramento-area cyclists injured by a hit-and-run driver in a stolen car, who was later arrested with the help of a police dog.
Now it turns out he may have done it on purpose.
Thirty-eight-year old Alamar Houston faces multiple felony counts of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and DUI, as well as a host of other charges, for allegedly driving into the cyclists on purpose in two separate incidents, a quarter mile apart.
The Sacramento Bee reports he first swerved into a single rider, then plowed into two other cyclists from behind, leaving two teenage riders seriously injured, before fleeing the scene.
He pleaded not guilty to 17 separate charges on Thursday, while suggesting he needs mental health help.
No shit.
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KCBS-2 managed to track down a hit-and-run driver who struck a 12-year old bike rider in a collision caught on stomach-churning security video.
Even though bystanders came to help, the woman never got out of her car or asked how the boy was doing before driving off.
According to the station, she said she assumed everything was okay after seeing the victim get up. Never mind that he could have had major injuries that might not have shown up until later. Or that every driver is required to stop, render aid and exchange information after any collision, no matter how slight.
Police have given her two weeks to respond to their investigation. Which is about 13 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes too long.
But regardless of whether charges are filed, anyone who’d drive off after hitting a kid doesn’t belong behind the wheel. Ever.
Period.
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Sad news from the DC area, as a Brazilian police investigator was killed competing in a road race at the World Police and Fire Games. Reports indicate one rider blew a tire and crashed into two other cyclists; the other two victims are in critical condition.
No word on which rider had the blow-out.
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Lots of racing news as we gear up for Saturday’s start of the Tour de France.
The Wall Street Journal says the world’s best riders are going downhill — literally — putting their lives on the line to gain a few seconds. GoPro is about to go where no camera has gone before, into the peloton where it will hang out with Big Data.
In the absence of Cadel Evans, the Aussie delegation is stepping up as key lieutenants in the Tour de France, while Teejay van Garderen leads the American delegation.
The Telegraph looks at how motor doping works, and the risk it poses to pro racing. A representative for one unnamed rider reportedly asked the maker of an e-assist bike if one could be surreptitiously incorporated into his client’s bike.
Dutch police wisely decide not to disrupt Le Tour after all.
And bicycling’s longest running soap opera continues, as Lance’s girlfriend is ordered to testify, and Floyd Landis must turn over records to the courts.
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Local
Streetsblog’s Joe Linton offers good advice for new councilmember David Ryu.
Richard Risemberg says LA could learn from Long Beach, where bike boulevards and protected bikeways have resulted in increased sales for local business, rather than the disaster usually predicted by business owners in here in the City of Angels.
An LA bike commuter explores Copenhagen and Berlin, and finds Los Angeles does have a few advantages over its European cousins. But not many.
Police are looking for a bike thief who took a Trek Madone from Glendale Cycles out for a test ride and never came back, leaving behind someone else’s driver’s license and Visa card.
Sounds like fun. This month’s edition of the LACBC’s popular Sunday Funday Ride rolls Sunday morning for a tour of early LA history, led by board member Patrick Pascal.
The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition will host a potluck on Monday.
State
LADOT Bike Blog talks with Caltrans about California’s new protected bike lane standards.
San Diego sheriff’s deputies bust three high-end bike thieves in an Encinitas hotel.
Mark your calendar for the second annual Big Bear Cycling Festival later this month.
Santa Barbara opens a new Bike Center to serve transit users.
A San Francisco cyclist was the victim of a double hit-and-run; she was hit by a driver fleeing from a collision with a bus.
National
Streetsblog explains the hows and whys that kept protected bike lanes and intersections from being implemented for 40 years after the first one hit the streets in Davis CA, laying the blame on organized groups of vehicular cyclists.
A writer for Mobility Lab says there’s no right or wrong way to be a cyclist. Seriously, ride how, where, and in and on whatever you like. Just do it safely and legally.
Bike Portland talks with outgoing Bike League president Andy Clarke.
Bicycling looks at devices that could save your life in a riding emergency.
Zagster raises funds to take their bikeshare program nationwide.
Former Arizona congresswoman and shooting victim Gabby Giffords is one of us.
A 79-year old Las Vegas man continues to ride 12 to 15 miles every day; he’s been riding the same route since he retired 28 years ago.
A Colorado bike rider was shot in the leg with a pellet gun from a passing car.
South Dakota cyclists get a shiny new three-foot passing law, which smartly increases to six feet at speeds over 35 mph.
Indianapolis cyclists fear the city’s support for bicycling will leave office along with their outgoing bike-friendly mayor.
Local officials in Massachusetts are offended by bike lanes mandated by the state on a highway leading to a casino.
Police have made a second arrest in the road rage attack on a Pennsylvania cyclist and his girlfriend by a pair of machete-wielding teens, who also broke all of the ground floor windows in the couple’s home and were trying to crawl in when police arrived.
Philadelphia bike commuters are about to get covered bike parking at regional train stations.
A writer for the Wall Street Journal remembers a dedicated cyclist who lost his life in an collision with another bike rider while running in New York’s Central Park. His bike-riding widow calls on cyclists to accept our responsibilities and protect the rights of other people.
Not everyone likes the idea of a 76-mile bikeway through the Everglades.
International
An Ontario letter writer says not only should bicyclists be licensed, but it should apply to children, as well.
With the help of friends, including stunt master Danny MacAskill, off-road legend Martyn Ashton gets back on a bike for the first time since he was paralyzed from the waist down in 2013. It’s worth watching the video, if only to see the huge smile on his face.
British bike scribe Carlton Reid says northern UK cities are falling behind by catering to motorists alone.
In an important and chilling read, London’s Guardian looks at the toxic bias against bicyclists in the media, and how it’s led to potentially deadly sabotage of cyclists.
A Scottish woman gets five years for killing a cyclist while chatting on her cell phone; she allegedly deleted the record of the call in an attempted cover-up.
A new documentary looks at bi-polar former world pursuit champ Graeme Obree and his effort to break the bicycle speed record on an odd bike he designed and built himself.
It’s five years in prison for the taxi driver who killed South African Olympic mountain biker Burry Stander. Which is four years more than his blade running fellow countryman served for shooting his girlfriend.
Finally…
Bad karma. The same day an Ohio prosecutor crashed the bike he got from a bike riding judge, the judge wiped out on his new one; both injured their ribs and a shoulder. VH1 is looking for 150 sets of bicycling twins to set a tandem riding record this month.
And your next bike could be a three-wheeled T-Rex.
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Enjoy your holiday weekend; the forecast promises near-perfect riding weather.
Just be careful out there and ride defensively. Drivers are likely to be focused on finding a parking space for the fireworks or near the beach rather than looking out for you.
