Evidently, Saturday’s ride with the mayor of Santa Monica was a successful affair.
David Drexler forwarded his thoughts afterwards.
Thanks for the “heads up” about the monthly ride with the Santa Monica Mayor Ted Winterer.
It was a lot of fun. He is a great guy, and very approachable.
We chatted for a while before the ride, and rode together for a while. He likes to talk about cycling infrastructure and Santa Monica’s plans for the future including a fully protected bike lane from North to South coming up soon for construction that will feed into the East/West green lanes.
The Mayor told me that both he and his wife and 2 children all have bikes at home and ride together, and most days he cycles from his home to his city office in Santa Monica.
Also with us for the ride was the Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole who likes cycling and was pointing out areas for Green Lane expansion and revision to the Mayor during the ride.
You don’t have to be a resident of Santa Monica to participate in the Monthly ride with Mayor, so everyone should consider coming out and chatting with him about cycling next time.
Photo attached of the Mayor (on the left) giving the group instructions before the ride.
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These are the people we share the roads with.
Somewhere in California, a crazed road raging driver harassed a bike rider, demanding that “all you little bastards” should get out of town, and threatened to come back with a shotgun.
Although any experienced road raging driver would know that using a gun is a crime, but using a car just makes it an accident.
Right?
Thanks to Frank Lehnerz for the heads-up.
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Members of the pro peloton name the most promising young riders; no North or Central Americans made the list, though one Columbian rider did.
So much for cleaning up the sport. An anti-doping organization claims no drug testing has been done at the last five international cyclocross events, and they haven’t checked for motor doping, either.
Alberto Contador says it’s more important to ride with style than to win. Something tells me his sponsors would disagree.
Flamboyant world road champ Peter Sagan likes Haribo candies more than post-race interviews; Bicycling Magazine compares his early season behavior to performance art.
VeloNews discusses Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad one-day classic, where riders used a tactic employed by traffic-shy cyclists around the world by taking to the sidewalk. And it turns out the women Omlooped, too. Twice.
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Local
Road and Track says the future of Los Angeles transportation is full of possibilities, from trains and hydrogen-powered cars to, yes, bicycles.
A new bike-inspired coffee shop and bicycle accessory shop will be opening soon on York Blvd in Highland Park, where a successful road diet has helped bring life to the street. Though this being Los Angeles, not everyone approves.
CiclaValley explains how to take your bike on MetroLink.
There will be a feeder ride for people looking to get from Highland Park to Sunday’s 626 Golden Streets ciclovía/open streets event.
State
Bike co-op and advocacy group BikeVentura is officially launching with a party this Saturday.
Sacramento sheriff’s deputies are looking for a bike thief who assaulted the owner of a bike he was trying to steal.
National
Nice to know we’re still making life miserable for self-driving cars.
Mobility Lab asks how far is too far to ride to work, concluding that anything beyond 30 miles is just crazy. Although I once met one of the early RAAM competitors, who commuted 157 miles by bike from his home in Steamboat Spring CO through the mountains to Denver, and back again, everyday, even in the dead of winter.
Police in Oregon are searching for the identity of a drunken rider who was hit by a truck on Friday. This is why you should always carry ID. And ride sober.
Young riders of faster ebikes could be required to wear a helmet until they reach the age of 21 under proposed Utah legislation.
A Denver bicyclist claims he was repeatedly passed, then intentionally run down by a road raging street sweeper driver.
A former Wichita KS bike shop owner now runs a bike repair service out of his garage, while offering free bike rentals to anyone who wants to borrow one.
Even heartland cities are attempting to eliminate traffic fatalities, as Columbia MO commits to developing a Vision Zero plan.
Massachusetts is planning a network of bike lanes to keep up with rising demand.
Evidently, blocking bike lanes is nothing new; New York truck drivers have been doing it since at least 1899.
If anyone feels like moving to the deep South, the Georgia Bikes advocacy group is seeking a new executive director.
International
Road.cc presents the perfect bikes to buy when you have more dollars than sense.
A Nova Scotia columnist calls on the province to scrap its mandatory bike helmet law, saying that it will keep bikeshare from succeeding there without making riders any safer. Meanwhile, a writer for Forbes says bike helmets can be hazardous to your health by encouraging risky behavior.
British cycling champ Chris Hoy goes from Olympic gold medalist to children’s book author.
Caught on video: A Kiwi parent could face a police investigation after he knocks a BMX rider on his ass for colliding with his skateboarding son at a new skate park.
Finally…
Not even bike messengers are safe from automation. Forget a Swiss Army Knife; what you really need is a bazooka-toting Swiss Army Bicycle.
And seriously, cats should know better than to try mountain biking, anyway.
