“The traffic was crazy… I really don’t do bicycles, but I will today.”
— Serena Williams
Let’s get right to it shall we? Here’s all the news and other interesting things we came across this past week…
— Add another major city to the bikeshare list: San Francisco has inked an agreement with Porltand-based Alta Bicycle Share for their system which is due to launch in August with 70 stations and 700 bikes (similar in size to Portland’s system).
— Bicycling is riding a wave of national attention right now. NBA superstar Kevin Durant features his love of bicycling in a major prime-time commercial for Degree deodorant and tennis champion Serena Williams biked to the Sony Open this weekend for a more practical reason — she simply wanted to avoid traffic. And don’t forget famous weatherman Al Roker!
— Just as I suspected, the big push by The League of American Bicyclists to broadening the bicycle tent has nudged those of the vehicular cycling persuasion out of the organization. Now many of the folks who used to try and sway The League from the inside have essentially given up and have started their own organization: I Am Traffic.
— The BMX Twins is a documentary of two young brothers (one of whom has an amputated leg) who found solace and success on the BMX track.
— In the feminism files; check the takedown of a horrendous Assos ad by Fat Cyclist.
— Noted bicycle journalist Carlton Reid launched a Kickstarter for his “Roads were not built for cars” book project. It was funded in less than 24 hours.
— LA-based bike anthropologist Adonia Lugo shared an interesting comparison of two approaches to creating better streets: the “policy model” and the “culture model.”
— LA’s Metro has launched a new bike awareness campaign dubbed “Every Lane is a Bike Lane.”
— Ever wondered the steepest possible hill you could pedal up? So did the geeks over at Wired.
— A venture capital fund for the bike industry has been launched. I only hope there’s some way the funds could be pumped into creating more riders — not just created more gadgets.
— Further proof that the “era of motordom” is waning.
— On a recent C-SPAN show, Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer said he’s not interested in the being US DOT Secretary. Do you believe him?
— Women being harassed while biking is a major subject that doesn’t get talked about enough. Via Streetsblog Chicago, we learned about a woman who wrote an online guide aimed at helping prevent female bike harassment.
— The racial inclusivity movement continues to gain momentum with Red, Bike & Green, a non-profit in the California Bay Area that, “wants to shift the color balance in bicycling.”
— I was blown away to learn about a “woonerf” or “shared street” project in Santa Monica last week. Now I’ve heard of another one in Seattle. Hopefully Portland is next.
— Always nice to see a local author get national attention. It’s even better when the book is about beer and bikes.
— USA Cycling, the sport’s national governing body, has been making headlines for its policy of limiting pro riders from riding in local, unsanctioned races. Bike Magazine says their, “Strong-arm tactics are hurting grassroots cycling in America.”
Drop us a line via email or tweet @bikeportland if you come across something cool this week and we’ll consider for next Monday’s roundup.