The popular event formerly known as the Marathon Crash Race is back on for this Sunday.
After being cancelled by city officials last year, the officially unofficial ride — now renamed the Marathon Hustle Ride — will follow the LA Marathon route on closed streets hours before the runners take to the course.
Meanwhile, KPCC profiles Finish the Ride’s Damian Kevitt as he prepares to run the marathon this Sunday, two years after he lost his leg in a horrific and still unsolved hit-and-run.
He may have lost a leg, but clearly, his heart is fully intact.
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An open house will be held this Saturday to discuss the complete street makeover of Western Avenue through San Pedro and Rancho Palos Verdes; opposition is anticipated to bike lanes planned for the street so bicyclists are encouraged to attend.
Bike the Vote LA hosts an organizing meeting this coming Monday, March 16th. The new group has taken the lead in getting Los Angeles-area bike riders involved in this year’s election process.
Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia is hosting a Taco Night on Saturday, March 21st to raise funds for the shop’s Tour de Cure team.
A new app will allow you to soak in the sounds of next Sunday’s Valley CicLAvia, providing walkers with an “interactive soundscape” of the San Fernando Valley for the March 22nd open streets event. And yes, I’ll be there on my bike.
Kickstand Kids will host a Family Bike Event in Fullerton on Sunday, April 12th to raise funds to buy bikes for the children of New Alternatives. They’re asking for donations of kids and adult bikes, as well as helmets or other gear in good shape; contact daniswid@gmail.com, or donate online through their GoFundMe site.
Don’t forget LA Bike Week starting May 11th through 15th, including the annual Blessing of the Bicycles at Good Samaritan Hospital on Tuesday the 12th.
The Eastside Bike Club celebrates Bike Month with their annual Dodgertown Bike Ride on Saturday, May 16th, riding from El Sereno to take in a game at Dodger Stadium.
And the 15th annual LA River Ride rolls on Sunday, June 28th; the River Ride just keeps getting bigger and better every year.
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Local
LA Times readers react to the paper’s story about the proposed California bike helmet law; the Orange County Bicycle Coalition’s Pete van Nuys gets it right.
UCLA’s Daily Bruin calls on the Westwood Neighborhood Council to approve the much-needed bike lanes on Westwood Blvd; the new Remove Nothing plan would do exactly that, adding bike lanes to the busy street without removing a single lane or parking space. So what’s the problem?
The LAPD explains the story behind that Tweet we linked to earlier in the week about a Newton division officer pitching in to help replace a 4th grader’s stolen bike.
Manhattan Beach residents want more money for bicycling in the city budget.
Glendale police respond to a fatal hit-and-run by targeting traffic violations, including headphone wearing and sidewalk riding cyclists.
State
The Bike League has issued a report card showing why California has jumped into the top 10 bike friendly states, and what we still need to work on. Personally, I’d much rather see modified strict liability, placing greater responsibility for avoiding a collision on the larger and more dangerous vehicle, than the vulnerable user law they suggest.
Laguna Beach will host a bike rodeo on Sunday, March 22nd.
Seal Beach’s Main Street Cyclery celebrates its grand opening under new ownership this Saturday.
San Diego is working on solutions to roadblocks facing the 24-mile Bayshore Bikeway.
A Merced elementary school principal is said to be improving after he was critically injured in a collision with a pickup.
A San Francisco TV station’s People Behaving Badly segment looks at brazen bike thieves in the city’s Bayview District.
A Sausalito councilwoman wants to limit the number of rental bikes allowed into the city; evidently, all those rental cars, and non-rental cars, are okay, though.
National
A cabal of elder engineers is apparently dedicated to stamping out what they perceive as deviant bikeway designs.
A new Bluetooth bike lock unlocks automatically through your phone and shrieks at potential thieves.
New Mexico’s annual Tour of the Gila is back on after an anonymous Colorado cyclist steps forward to sponsor the event.
A Wisconsin man is combining his love of biking and baseball by riding to all 30 major league stadiums this summer.
New York police are looking for a cyclist who wacked a motorist with his U-lock during a dispute. Seriously, no matter what the other guys says or does, never resort to violence.
New York’s MTA isn’t even interested in testing a rear wheel guard that could prevent cyclists and pedestrians from being crushed under the rear wheels of a bus.
Baltimore bike riders can get a full year of free, secure parking.
Atlanta police apparently aren’t interested when a driver A) leaves the scene after hitting a bike rider, and B) pulls a gun and threatens to kill the cyclist after the rider follows him home to talk about it.
Good Samaritans, including a corrections officer, save the life of a Florida cyclist when he collapses while riding his bike.
A Florida bike rider continues her fight for a 76-mile bikeway from Naples to Miami, although some Native American’s aren’t so sure it’s a good idea.
International
Good offers a good explanation of Vision Zero and why it matters, while City Fix says if you want a cycling city, design for traffic safety.
A 39-year old British soldier with early-onset Alzheimer’s embarks on a nearly 10,000 mile ride around the US and Canada.
London’s Evening Standard says the city’s new 20 mph speed limit will save lives, and drivers will just have to deal with it.
Scottish cyclists call for a version of Strict Liability, which assumes drivers are at fault in any collision with cyclists or pedestrians; thanks to John McBrearty for the heads-up.
A new Dutch bike shakes its handlebars to warn of potential danger from the front, and its seat to warn of danger coming from behind. With our traffic, it could become the worlds first publicly rideable vibrator.
Caught on video: Bike racing becomes a full-contact sport — as if it wasn’t already — as a spectator grabs the handlebars of Australian rider Loren Rowney during a race in the Netherlands, resulting in a major endo and a broken collarbone as she sprints for the finish.
German carbon wheel and frame maker Lightweight combines with Audi to create the latest overpriced, high-tech racing bike from a carmaker dabbling in bikes.
A sidewalk riding New Zealand cyclist faces charges for running down a pedestrian and breaking his hip.
Finally…
As if LA drivers aren’t bad enough, now we have to worry about killer cows. A Florida bike rider somehow shot himself in the chest when the gun in his pocket discharged.
And no. Just…no.
