Sat. Nite Car Lite FIESTA

This coming Saturday eve, CICLE's first big shindig, Life Can Be So CAR FREE!

A party for all who wanna celebrate bikes, non-petroleum transport, and, life in general at the new LA State Historic Park - site of last years "Not a Cornfield" event.

If I don't leave town this weekend I will surely be there. Music, bikes, BYO if you should care to imbibe, and good gente. I've had CICLE (cyclists inciting change through live exchange) on my radar for a while now, group after my own heart, working to promote biking as a fun, friendly, and fiesty form of transport.

Party will feature films, live music, rides, etc. etc. in the park - bring a picnic, a blanket, a bottle, and (of course) your bike. Various group rides will be leaving from around the city to offer a safe pack - check the website to hook onto your nearest bike-train.


Maybe see some of you out there!

For the roadies in the house.....

As someone who has one little toe in the road biking world, I love getting this free newsletter, so wanted to share with all my roadie friends.

Road Bike Rider is a weekly electronic newsletter, full of tips on training, nutrition, gear, tidbits about famous pro-cyclists I've never heard of, and even the occaisional advocacy related news (which I really dig) - like how/why to be a bike commuter, info on Bike to Work Week etc. The works.

I read it religiously every Thursday morning, helps me motivate for the early morning ride. I pretty much ignore most of the race results, skim over the latest gossip from the pro-cycling world, and delve into my favorites: the "views you can use" and "try this on your next ride" sections. Very cool stuff.....


And when you sign up for the newsletter, they send you a free electronic book, "29 Pro Cycling Secrets for Roadies".

With a little reading, a LOT of training, and some gifts from the genetic gods, you just might be able to hang onto the wheels of some of these biker babes.....yeah.

I'm great with the reading. It's the physical training I need to work on....and the genetics, well, I'm screwed. Make do with whatcha got!

How NOT to get hit by cars

""This page shows you real ways you can get hit and real ways to avoid them. This is a far cry from normal bicycle safety guides, which usually tell you little more than to wear your helmet and to follow the law. But consider this for a moment: Wearing a helmet will do absolutely nothing to prevent you from getting hit by a car! Sure, helmets might help you if you get hit, and it's a good idea to wear one, but your #1 goal should be to avoid getting hit in the first place.

Plenty of cyclists are killed by cars even though they were wearing helmets. Don't confuse wearing a helmet with biking safely.....It's better to not get hit. That's what real bicycle safety is about."

Intrigued? READ ON AND RIDE ON!

SF bikers paving the way

After 10 years of organizing, lobbying, wheelin' and dealin', San Francisco bikers are beginning to make their mark, demanding the respect and resources they need for a safer, oil-free commute.

Last year, 11 city supervisors voted unanimously on a 5-year plan to improve the city's cycling infrastructure, creating bicycle pathways, more bike parking, official bike routes, and more bike racks on buses.

There are of course naysayers - they've even filed a lawsuit, hearing scheduled for Sept. 13th. That's today!

We'll be rooting for them down here in LA - the plan, and the effort behind it, serve as a good model for other cities looking to get people outta their metal boxes and off of petroleum. I'll keep tabs on what happens.......

One Haul of a Ride!

Thanks to Mattias - local cyclist and board member of the SF Bike Hut - for passing this along.

The bike is an image he snapped somewhere in Los Angeles....anyone else seen this rig?

Holy Spokes(man)!

This is too much to let slip by, modern day superheroes (costumed and all!) cruising across the country on bikes. Their mission: to committ random acts of kindness while inspiring, amusing, baffling and enlightening all who cross their paths.

I remember reading something about this crew months back while "leafing" through an eco-rag - fitting that I was just reminded of it by another bike superhero, Tim Harvey - aka "Man-power Man".

The annual ride started in 2000, when former Marvel Comics artist Ethan Hughes (or "Be-Man"), took his passion for cycling and community service to the streets, donning superhero threads and heading cross country with 15 other wheeled wonders, to seek and solve injustice as they rode.


The power-peloton has since grown to 250! Here's Flow-girl to the right.....

Polluted waterways, environmental racism, communities in need of some energetic hands - these are all tasks for the Haul of Justice.

Join the superheroes on their next ride to Mississippi in early December, to help with disaster relief. For more information, e-mail Valerie Hahn at valahahn@gmail.com.

On a slight tangent, title of this post is also a reference to the bike shop in Santa Cruz that helped awaken my dormant interest in cycling - The Spokesman. The crew here helped ease the daunting process of choosing my first road bike, and are truly dedicated to getting riders of all ilk out on the road. Holy spokes.

Even The Girls

I remember seeing this months ago....been meaning to check it out ever since, and just came across it again - very cool little short film about girl-bike messengers in NYC - a hardcore buncha chicks.


Filmmaker Ashira Siegel is clearly an advocate and a skilled writer, here's an article she wrote about the Bicycle Film Fest founder.

Any time I think biking in LA can get dodgy, I should watch this film to remember it's all relative. These ladies contend with the real urban jungle, AND weather on top of it. Damn.