The May BikinginLA LACBC Membership drive is now up to eight new members of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, with just 92 more to go before the end of this month. So sign up now and let’s get this into double figures today.
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I’m a firm believer in supporting SoCal bike businesses.
Which is why I want to take a moment to introduce you to LA-based Peace Bicycles, makers of some pretty good looking seven-speed Dutch-style city bikes, in both step through and straight bar models.
The step through is available in your choice of colors, while the non-step through version, like the Model T, appears to come in any color you want, as long as it’s black.
Although I particularly like the fact that you can get it in a fully loaded commuter package, complete with panniers, lights and a cup holder.
And a portion of every sale goes towards buying a bike for someone in need.
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Sad news, as 21-year old Dutch cyclist Gijs Verdick suffered a pair of heart attacks while in Poland for a race, leading to brain damage from a lack of oxygen.
Bleacher Report previews the Giro d’Italia, which starts today with a time trial, while a Canadian sportswriter calls it bike racing’s ultimate test. Unfortunately, the Amgen Tour of California starts just one week later, weakening the field for both races.
Bicycling Magazine highlights six tour packages to see the Tour de France.
Ironman will now start checking triathletes’ bikes for signs of motor doping. When they find hidden motors in their Speedos, it will really be time to worry.
A German Paralympic cyclist hopes to compete in Rio using a 3D-printed prosthetic leg.
And maybe race motos have a purpose after all; a new study shows three of them following ten inches off your wheel cuts drag as much as 14 per cent.
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Local
Caught on video: CiclaValley and friends get buzzed on Nichols Canyon.
Richard Risemberg says LA doesn’t need a bike month when we can ride the other eleven months as well, but as long as we have one, you might as well enjoy it.
Evidently, it’s a crime to ride your bike in Sherman Oaks with a pellet gun stuffed in your pants. Or maybe just really stupid.
Culver City Walk ‘n Rollers will host a Kidical Mass Fun Ride on May 15th. Isn’t there something else happening that day?
Pasadena police bust a thief after reports of a suspicious person stealing a bicycle, catching him with the stolen bike in a stolen car filled with stolen property.
More than 50 Glendale elementary school students rode their bikes on Bike to School Day, accompanied by members of Bike Walk Glendale.
State
Like Santa Monica’s recent crackdowns, Newport Beach police will be on the lookout for traffic violations that threaten the safety of cyclists and pedestrians on Saturday and Wednesday.
It takes a real schmuck to flee the scene after running down a Goleta teenager riding his bike to school — on Bike to School Day, no less; fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries.
San Francisco installs a new bike barometer to count cyclists on Valencia Street, to go with one already installed on Market Street, and two more on the way.
Oakland drivers can’t seem to figure out the new parking protected bike lanes on Telegraph Avenue. Then again, Cincinnati drivers still haven’t caught on after two years.
UC Davis students vote bicycling as the best form of transportation.
Oroville police are able to bust a bike thief off Craigslist because the victim’s parents had recorded the serial number. You can register your bike for free with Bike Index right here, including serial number and photos.
National
No surprise here. A new study shows bike riders absorb up to twice as much pollutants when riding in urban traffic than in low traffic or off-street routes.
Lifehacker offers a practical guide to biking in the city, while saying being too cautious on the road can be dangerous.
People for Bikes says the overly graphic Phoenix bike safety novels and Playmobil bike crash play set send the wrong message to kids. Gee, you think?
A much smaller Livestrong adjusts to life without Lance.
Forget riding across the US; an Ohio man ended his 8,300 mile ride around the perimeter of the US in Portland on Tuesday, raising over $16,500 for Habitat for Humanity.
Equestrians often blame bike riders for damaging trails; a group of Oregon horse riders prove it goes both ways.
No charges in the Boulder CO crash that seriously injured former pro cyclist Phil Zajicek this past March, as police determine the driver wasn’t at fault and decline to ticket Zajicek for crossing onto the wrong side of the road while descending. Evidently, they think the loss of his arm is punishment enough.
Denver will get new bike lanes and upgrades to existing ones, including a three-mile buffered bike lane and a green wave to keep riders from having to stop at red lights. Meanwhile, a Denver bike rider’s helmet is crushed when a bus door closes on it; he’s just grateful his head wasn’t in it.
A Cincinnati civil rights attorney rides his bike as a way of life.
Caught on video: A Tennessee bike rider can thank a 911 caller for saving his life; the caller was already on the phone with the 911 operator to report a near miss when a jerk in a pickup plowed into the rider and just kept going.
Things are getting better for Atlanta bike riders, though the city still has a long way to go.
International
If you build it, they will come. Vancouver has already exceeded it’s goal of a 7% mode share for bicycling by 2020 after building a network of protected bike lanes. Which shows what could happen here if LA ever gets serious about building a safe, connected network to get riders where they need to go.
After much debate, Toronto votes to install physically separated cycle tracks on a major street on a trial basis.
The head of Great Britain’s cycling organization resigns following accusations of sexism. Meanwhile, a writer for the Telegraph says without greater transparency, the scandal risks spreading to the country’s cycling team. Thanks to David Wolfberg for the heads-up.
A new theft-resistant bike light currently raising funds on Kickstarter is built into the handlebars, requiring someone to dismantle your bike to steal it. Which never stopped any committed thief before.
A London writer says ditch the Lycra because it’s bad for the soul and almost no one looks good in it. No one says you have to wear spandex, just as no one should tell you not to; what works for one rider and one type of riding doesn’t make it right or wrong for anyone else. So get over it, already.
Evidently not satisfied with merely running bike riders over, the head of Britain’s Ryanair says cyclists should be taken out and shot because bike lane construction interferes with parking his car. No, really. And at a conference sponsored by the US Embassy, no less. I’d say more, but I can’t figure out how to react to his comments without using words like “f***ing,” “twit” and “jackass.” Thanks to Erik Griswold for the link.
Finally…
Seriously, no matter how pissed off you get, don’t beat a driver and his car with your U-lock. Evidently, you can forget how to ride a bike, after all.
And if you’re going to steal a bike, make sure you wear shoes that will stay on — and leave the cocaine at home.
