Results tagged “cycling”

In its hey-day, RIDE-Arc's monthly rides would take cyclists around the city, exploring architecture, environmental efforts and Hollywood history. Compared to other group bicycle rides like Midnight Ridazz and CRANK Mob, RIDE-Arc is the smart, mature and law-abiding sibling. Over the past couple years, its leadership has gone on hiatus, only offering a ride here and there. Good news, however, came today as they announced via e-mail a Santa Monica-focused ride for Friday evening:

Although it has not been officially announced, LAist has learned that the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race will go through at least two Southern California cities next year during its new date in May. Downtown Los Angeles and the cities of Thousand Oaks (home to the sponsor, Amgen), Agoura Hills, Westlake will play host to the race's fifth year. The full route is expected to be announced tomorrow morning at a series of events throughout the state, but organizers are encouraging fans of the race to follow four Twitter accounts tomorrow morning to be up to date on the latest news.

As a group of cyclists were riding through Highland Park last night, they encountered a group of alleged gangster's who approached the cyclists and started throwing glass bottles and vases, some following the riders with shovels.

This Saturday at 6:30am the US broadcast of the 96th Tour de France begins on Versus. Will Lance Armstrong reign supreme again or will he race to support another up-and-coming team member? Will there be a drug scandal or other legal shenanigans? Whatever happens, we'll see athletes put themselves through the most grueling race in the most grueling sport on the planet.

                     

On Sunday May 31st, 5am would become the new rush hour for the 2,150 riders and 500 volunteer-roadies as they filtered into San Francisco's Cow Palace, waiting with anticipation and excitement for the kickoff of the 2009 AIDS/LifeCycle.

In last week's primary election, six candidates ran for Council District 5, which spans through portions of the Valley, Hollywood Hills, Westside, Century City and Pico/Robertson (see a PDF map here). Two candidates, with a difference of 60 votes, made it to the May 19th runoff. The lesser known David Vahedi shot up to the top past longtime politician Paul Koretz, who over a 25 year career has been a West Hollywood Councilman and State Assemblyman.

       

Yesterday evening, cyclist Lance Armstrong rallied friends, the bike-friendly, and local leaders as they took to the streets of Hollywood as part of his Livestrong: Hope Rides Again promotion. Armstrong was joined on two wheels by local civic leaders like Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Tom LaBonge, and later by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and artist Shepard Fairey all to raise funds and launch a global art exhibition called "Stages, which features the work of 21 artists and will help support the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Fairey's iconic work can be see emblazoned on the buildings of Hollywood; although "Hope" is a key term for Armstrong's exhibit, it's also one that Fairey has used elsewhere--maybe you've seen it? Here he's making do with "Defiance," "Courage," and "Action!"

The blogger at urban hippie sounds off:

       

"Holy hell. That was terrible. Maybe one of the toughest days I've had on a bike, purely based on the conditions. I'm still freezing." That's Lance Armstrong on Twitter after yesterday's first rainy and cold stage of the Tour of California, a 107 mile, about 5 hour ride, from Davis to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.

As of 8:30 this morning the last wave of starts for the 9th Annual Los Angeles Triathlon took off, completing the waves that began at 6:45 a.m. The participants will swim one mile starting at Venice Beach, do a 25 mile bike race through parts of Fairfax, Wilshire and Hollywood, and end with a 10 kilometer run that terminates at Staples Center. Street closure began over night, and some will not reopen until early this afternoon, so if you're headed out this morning, be sure to check the map to make sure your path doesn't cross that of the 2,500 triathlon participants.

Today, Councilman Tom LaBonge announced that he has asked City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo for a legal opinion on including cyclists to ride at the Griffith Park holiday light festival that had once been open only to automobile traffic. Public pressure to allow cyclists on all days that cars use the road has been building up for some time now.

Keeping in line with being one of the best transit-oriented neighborhoods in the city, the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council voted last night to support Councilman Eric Garcetti's sharrows pilot project motion by giving $5,000 to the project. "If passed by the Council, and enacted by the City's Department of Transportation, the Fountain Avenue Sharrows route would initially run about 1.5 miles from Western Avenue on the west to the Sunset Blvd diagonal on the east--located entirely within the EHNC boundary area and connecting to an existing Class 2 bicycle lane towards Silver Lake and Echo Park," explained a statement from the neighborhood council.

The Bicycle Film Festival takes over the Vine Theatre on Friday and Saturday and wraps with an all day BFF Street Party at Heliotrope and Melrose (aka "The Bicycle District," aka "HelMel").

Councilman Bill Rosendahl played to the cycling community last week when he announced that he was convening a Community Forum to address issues raised in the aftermath of the Mandeville Canyon "road rage" incident of July 4th.

Dan Guitierrez and Brian DeSousa of Dual Chase Productions spent the weekend riding Mandeville Canyon and videotaping their experiences, creating a video that demonstrates the relationship between good cycling behavior and good motoring behavior.

Today, City Council President Eric Garcetti announced two motions he is putting forward. If you know the biking community, you know these two proposals came from Garcetti listening to the community as the problems/solutions here are often heard within the cycling community. From a Garcetti press release:

Presidential candidate Barack Obama took a relaxing Sunday bicycle ride with his family to a friend's house and then on a beachside ride. It's sexy that he's sporting a helmet, too (even if some say it was an unflattering choice).

Yesterday in El Monte, a man riding his bicycle was struck and killed by Foothill Transit bus. The LA Times explains:

The cyclist was riding across Santa Anita Avenue near Ramon Boulevard about 9:15 a.m. when he was hit by the bus, said Lt. Michelle States of the El Monte Police Department. He was not in the crosswalk and was pronounced dead at the scene, States said.

Continue reading "Bicyclist Killed by Foothill Transit Bus"

After releasing a transportation vision on YouTube last week, the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council took yet another step in becoming a more transit friendly neighborhood, specifically in regards to bicyclists. The Bike Writers' Collective, a coalition of top bicycle bloggers in Los Angeles (which includes an LAist contributor) presented the "Cyclists' Bill of Rights" to the council, who unanimously passed a motion to endorse it.

LA cyclists are joining LA City Council President Eric Garcetti on a bike ride in support of Obama.

As it gets closer to Halloween for LAist, a contributer recollects her tale of staring down the serial killer, Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker. Must think happy thoughts -- okay, free organic chocolate chip cookies for Los Angeles -- now that's a happy thought. Other happy Los Angeles thoughts include an interview with Jack Kehler of The Big Lebowski (he was the Dude's landlord), a beautiful and magical photographic moment in Venice and the press making the speaker of the California State Assembly, Fabian Núñez, run away when being asked hard questions about sketchy luxurious and worldly expenses.

The West Hollywood Transportation Commission meets tonight at 7pm to grapple with the challenge of encouraging cycling as a positive transportation choice while figuring out where the cyclists are supposed to ride. The streets are dangerous, the sidewalks are crowded and the bike lanes are few and far between. Where exactly should a cyclist ride? Motorists who want cyclists to ride on the sidewalk, pedestrians who want cyclists to ride on the street and cyclists...

Last night the Pasadena City Council voted unanimously to abandon a proposed Ordinance which would have prohibited cyclists from traveling more than two abreast on any city street. The proposal was championed by Police Chief Melekian and was a direct response to the popularity of the Rose Bowl area for cyclists who ride Peloton style on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Melekian and Rose Bowl Management have claimed that user group conflict between the pedestrians and...

For the third week in a row, the Cycling Community will be massing at the Pasadena City Council speaker’s podium, protesting the City’s efforts to pass an ordinance (.pdf) that will prohibit bicyclists from riding more than two abreast in any public street. The City of Pasadena, who earned the title of "most bike-friendly city in Los Angeles County" in 2004, claims that the ordinance is a simple attempt to manage the user group...

If hitting a 95-mile and hour fastball is a monstrous feat of athletic ability, then competing in the Tour de France is an almost incomprehensible feat of brainpower. When your brain says no, when your muscles ache, and when your body begins to shut down from the pain of riding 100 miles every day for a month, how do you continue to ride up the face of some of the tallest mountains in the world?

Myself and the "handful" of other long-suffering cycling fans in the United States have been dealt another disappointment with the Tour de France this year. Doping has raised its ugly head again but at least charges aren't being levelled at an American team or American riders howecer recent developments could cause a complete implosion of the sport. A week ago a German rider for the T Mobile team, Paul Sinkewitz, tested positive for elevated...

A Word or 48: The weekend might be there for watching some sports on TV. Other than the baseball there's the Monaco Grand Prix (Speed) on Sunday, as well as cycling's Giro d'Italia (Versus). For kicks, if you are truly desperate, watch Hudson Hawk in Spanish on KVEA on Saturday at 9 p.m. Tonight - Friday - June 1, 2007 Orioles @ Angels (Fox Sports, 7:00 p.m.) The Henry Rollins Show (IFC, 8:00 p.m.)...

It's bike to work week and tomorrow is the big day. Here is some of what is happening: Rush-Hour Bike Rally to City Hall Taking off from the Hollywood/Western Red Line station at 9 a.m., hundreds of cyclists will ride to city hall in demonstration of cycling solidarity. It's an 8-mile ride that will be escorted by the LAPD with arrival at city hall. At 10:30 a.m., there will be another rally or "bang...

Last year, when the Amgen Tour of California cycling race finished in Redondo Beach, Floyd Landis was the golden boy in the golden jersey, the winner of the seven-stage race down the California coast.

Austinist gets arty with an interactive guide to SXSW, loved some local art galleries and a new art exhibit and lamented the possible loss of "Friday Night Lights" production to New Mexico.