bay area cycling news

A short post from Mercury News: A man in his 70s riding a bicycle today in front of De Anza College in Cupertino died after being struck by a car, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Read more at their site . So it goes.

The Seismic Challenge , a ride to help out the AIDS Foundation , will be this weekend. The course of Seismic Challenge 2.0 will follow 4 major fault lines in a grand loop around San Francisco Bay. This adventure covers all the beautiful and diverse landscapes that the Bay Area offers. Cyclists will leave from San Francisco and follow the San Andreas Fault south down the Peninsula. After crossing the Bay to join the Hayward Fault, the route continues north through rolling hills to the overnight accomodations in the East Bay. On Day 2, cyclists will begin their second 100 miles by crossing over the Carquinez Bridge to traverse the West Napa Fault into wine country. After a ride through the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, cyclists will cross the final fault line, Rodgers Creek, and turn for the home stretch through Marin. Completing this epic 200 mile journey will be worthy of a finish like no other as cyclists cross the span of the majestic Golden Gate Bridge and coast into the finish in S

Race Across the Sky , a film about the 2009 Leadville Trail 100 bike race, will be showing October 22 in many theaters around the bay area. At 10,000+ feet, against the misty backdrop of a former mining town, Leadville, Colorado, 1400 cyclists line the starting line. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world. Some imagine victory. Most hope only to finish. But everyone will count. Organized through National CineMedia Fathom, you can see participating theaters and buy tickets through their website .

Begin Forwarded Message: You are invited! Please help us spread the word! Thank you! ULTRA CYCLING: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE An Evening with John Marino and Chris Kostman November 7, 2009 at The Bicycle Outfitter Los Altos, CA (SF Bay area near San Jose / Palo Alto) Ride: 10am for 3-4 hours; 40-50 miles Meet and Greet: 5-6pm Program Begins: 6pm All events at: The Bicycle Outfitter 963 Fremont Ave Los Altos, CA 94024 650-948-6841 http://www.bicycleoutfitter.com John Marino is the godfather of ultracycling, the man who created the sport of ultracycling as we know it today, and also created the Great American Bike Race, Race Across America, and Furnace Creek 508. Now 60, John still rides at the same weight as he did 30 years ago. This program will include a screening of the 30-minute, award-winning film "Psychling" which documents John's 1980 Guinness Book transcontinental cycling record. Chris Kostman set world ultra cycling records in high school in 1984 and 1985 and com

A cyclist was killed by a dump truck while trying to weave around it in an intersection this morning in Redwood City. As the vehicle, alternately described as a dump truck and a tractor-trailer with red paneling, began to turn right onto Holly Street, the cyclist attempted to squeeze past, Anderson said. Ride safe and defensive out there.

Begin Forwarded Message: WANTED: Hit and run driver in golden colored mini van. On Friday, October 9 at 8:50 am my friend was riding his bike when he got hit by a mini van. The accident was on Los Gatos Blvd. at Shannon Rd. The driver took off, leaving my friend with head trauma and bleeding in the brain, a broken collar bone and rib. My friend spent two days in ICU, but is doing better now. This was a HIT AND RUN incidence and the police is now looking for a golden colored mini van with damage to the front. If you see a van matching this description, or if you saw this accident, please, call Los Gatos Police: (408) 354-8600. I am currently waiting to get more details from the police report, but I figured it would be better to spread the word as soon as possible, and then update the info when I know more. Please, help us find this irresponsible driver.

The wonderfully low-key Low-Key Hillclimbs starts this Saturday with the first run being up Montebello . Low-Key Hillclimbs are not terribly competitive, with a fun group of people that like climbing hills. The last in the group to finish are even slower than I am, which means that you're not going to feel left out! Sign up now, and then join the lkhc Yahoo Group to keep up with the times. Check out some previous years' lkhc photos on flickr .

This Sunday is the Tour For Woodside .

ARTCRANK is a cycling art poster gathering. Bikes are the world’s most fun and accessible way to get around. Posters are the world’s most fun and accessible art form. ARTCRANK brings them together in a poster party for bike people. The Examiner reports that ARTCRANK is coming to SF on October 24 and has a quick interview with the creators. People are usually surprised at how different the vibe at ARTCRANK is, versus a more traditional art show. Bikers of every stripe like a good party, and that’s the atmosphere we try to create. The ideal show for me is a big roomful of people talking, laughing and having a good time looking at amazing bike-inspired artwork. And of course, taking a few posters home with them at the end of the night.

Reports covering the last SF Sunday Streets are mentioning that the program will be back next year. The Great Highway became the Great Bikeway for a few giddy hours Sunday, as San Francisco turned over one of its busiest thoroughfares to thousands of bicyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/07/BAMF19JIOO.DTL#ixzz0QY056gOy

SJ Bike Party is a gathering every third friday in San Jose. This past friday was the No Pants Ride , which, like Critical Mass , is getting both positive and negative attention. In a post on the SJ Bike Party website responding to friday's activities , ride organizers try to stem the tide of rowdy revelers that enjoy partying, and not necessarily biking. I am deeply dismayed by the attitudes and the aggression on the ride. Community means friendship and respecting one another. Bike Party has grown into a huge successful event because we are open to everyone and we love everyone. However, as of today, some of you are no longer welcome. If you think San Jose Bike Party is a place to get shit faced and pick fights, don’t come. If you think San Jose Bike Party is a place where you can do what you want and harass cars, don’t come. If you are so in love with a bike ride that you cannot give up your binge drinking, fight mongering, douche-baggery, then start your own ride. You c

Chris Hipp died of an apparent heart attack the other day. Norcal Cycling has a better story. So it goes.

A prescribed burn is planned for an area near Skyline and Page Mill, possible starting around 9am. Watch the lungs... maybe it's time to hit some lower valley or east bay rides. Palo Alto Online news story here .

A Morgan Stanley branch Senior VP was killed Friday on a training ride for the Vineman Triathalon. Mercury News , Danville News articles. A quote from the Mercury News: The adult bicyclist was headed south on the road when he was struck from behind by a green Honda Accord, driven by a 40-year-old Cupertino woman. According to CHP Lt. Lorraine Krolosky, the woman lost control of her car, pinning the bicyclist underneath as she swerved into oncoming traffic and was struck by a northbound gray Range Rover. The bicyclist, who was not immediately identified, was declared dead at the scene. The accident occurred around the Contra Costa & Alameda County Line on Camino Tassajara, Dublin .

The LiveStrong Challenge is coming to San Jose on July 12. We have a 5K run/walk and a bike ride with four distance options (10, 50, 65 and 100 miles). In the spirit of the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s mission to inspire and empower people affected by cancer, we invite children in active treatment to participate in the LIVESTRONG Challenge via pedicab.

Lists have been abuzz with news & accounts of Woodside / Portola police cracking down on cyclists who roll through stop signs without stopping. There has always been one or two cops on weekends hanging around the Cañada Road stop signs, but recent enforcement will span the rest of the area as well. An Almanac news story details the Woodside council's decision to gather cyclist volunteers to promote the Honor The Stop campaign to unite cyclists and motorists to obey all stop signs, hopefully encouraging safe riding and safe driving, especially in cities / urban areas. Likely a sad story for the Spectrum Ride and other like-minded traffic scofflaws, many hope that this will encourage more amicable relationships between cyclists and motorists. A note from bay area cycling news: please obey traffic laws, especially when others are around. Cyclists are vehicles and should act like them.

The Spectrum Ride has been a colossal gossip for anyone hanging around the bay area, but it doesn't seem to have an official spot on the internet (which is probably better for the ride, given that it always seems to be breaking the latest traffic laws). I found a decent writeup by Marco R. Gazzetta whose webpage seems to be slightly dated. Begin Found Message: The Spectrum Ride If you have been riding on the San Francisco Peninsula, chances are you have heard of this ride. It's not the most splendid setting per se (unless you happen to like your front man/woman's derriere), but it's a great ride, and you can join whenever you like. Directions The ride starts at 9 AM every Saturday, come rain of shine, at the intersection of Hollenbeck and Homestead in Mountain View. That's where the old Spectrum bike store used to be, and if you are an old timer, you still have your Spectrum store jersey with you! Highway 87 has an exit "Homestead". Use that one, and go t

If your bike was stolen from Palo Alto Caltrain recently, file a police report and follow up with it. Palo Alto Online reports that bike thieves were caught with a couple of stolen bikes from the caltrain station.

SFStreetsBlog (again) mentions that a social engineering project for a Stanford Master's student is gathering momentum again. Closing about six blocks (gradually) of University Ave in Palo Alto could draw large numbers of consumer-happy crowds. Read up on the SFStreetsBlog site or head directly to Palo Alto Pedestrian Mall website. This reminds me of the week after Walgreen's burned down on University Ave, which closed one block in front of the scene of the fire. Local restaurants spilled onto the streets, and a good time was had by all. There was a Palo Alto Online town square post about it.

June 2009 races as posted by the NCNCA . Notables: June 6, 2009 - ICCC Dash For Cash , Pleasanton - register June 13, 2009 - Pescadero Road Race , Pescadero - register June 20, 2009 - Mount Diablo Hill Climb , Walnut Creek June 26-27, 2009 - American Velodrome Challenge , Hellyer June 27, 2009 - Cytomax Benicia Crit , Benicia - register June 28, 2009 - Burlingame Crit , Burlingame - register

Beat The Clock has a well-run time trial series. Not official UCI, instead a benefit event for the Lance Armstrong Foundation . A rolling 10mi course up and down Cañada Road . A great event (even if you have to get up at 6am). Next event is Saturday, May 30, 2009 .

Another great post over on SF Streetsblog shows that Caltrain is dropping the surcharge idea from it's budget proposal .

Begin forwarded message: On Sunday, Mary Ellen Allen crashed in the W3/4 Scratch Race at Hellyer. She crashed very hard in turn three. She was rushed to Regional Medical Center in San Jose. She has severe head trauma and was placed in ICU. Besides the head injury, she had a broken collar bone and miscellaneous road rash and contusions. She is doing very well and is scheduled to move out of ICU tonight. She made very good progress from when I left her at midnight in ICU to 8:30AM this morning. Everything appears to be progressing satisfactorily for this type of head injury.

SFIst has a great article with lots of links about biking to work in SF tomorrow. Read, click, enjoy.

Join fellow cyclists in riding for our fallen brethren. The Ride of Silence "is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph and remain silent during the ride." Cyclists will take to the roads in a silent procession to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways. Although cyclists have a legal right to share the road with motorists, the motoring public often isn't aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves. There are bay area rides beginning from Cupertino, Redwood City, SF, and Santa Rosa.

Thursday is Bike to Work Day . Peninsula Energizer Stations are being hosted by the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition . Bring a friend and grab a bike! Loan them a bike if they need one! And don't forget that all month is the Team Bike Challenge , where you can grab some friends, log your unverifiable points on the webpage, and feel good about challenging teams that have three times as many novices as you do.

Caltrain might need to declare a fiscal emergency for the last half of this year, which will include proposals such as implementing a $1 surcharge on bicycle passengers. A $1 surcharge could generate $700k to $800k annually, and "each bicyclist occupies the amount of train space that two regular riders take up." A good article is over at SF Streetsblog .

Begin forwarded message: Ladies! We need to fill up the entire Womens 4 Field at the San Jose Memorial Day Crit Jonathan (the awesome prez of the SJBC ) is donating ALL of the proceeds (after the various fees are taken out, etc.) to Ashleigh Jackson. Please sign up and pass this along to all your friends who are Cat 4 so they can sign up too. I just signed up. Field limit is 50, let's get all 50 spots filled! Please pass this on!

Word is flying that the Tour of California, always held in late winter, will now compete with Giro d’Italia 's time slot of late May. Late winter in California can be a bit damp , or maybe just crazy foggy . So this is a good thing for fans within California... although most certainly an aggressive move by Amgen to attempt withdrawing fans from Europe's prime races now. Another interesting tip in the article mentions that the Tour of California will become a UCI ProTour race in 2011, which doesn't mean as much as it used to since the Triple Crown races withdrew from ProTour status during the ongoing spat between the UCI and the ASO . Is this the UCI attempting to gain more circulation as more independent races spring up?

Begin forwarded message: On Sunday, April 19th, fellow cyclist Ashleigh Jackson was seriously injured in an hit-and-run accident in Saratoga. She was left on the side of the road with a brain injury. Fortunately, her brain bleed is under control, and while she still has a long road to full recovery, she is out of the ICU and on her way to gaining her life back. As part of a community-wide effort of outreach and solidarity, SugarCRM/LGRBC and Webcor/AV are proud to announce a silent auction and raffle event at the Cat's Hill Classic on Saturday, May 2 to help with Ashleigh’s medical bills. Come join us for a chance to win two signed Webcor/AV jersey's from World Cycling Champions Christine Thorburn and Karen Brems, a signed Most Aggressive Rider jersey from Levi for 2008 Tour of California, as well as hundreds of dollars in prizes and gift certificates from Palo Alto Bicycles, The Bicycle Outfitter, Cupertino Bike Shop, Sterling Sports Group, Testarossa Vineyards, Voler Clothin

The Wente Criterium was this past sunday, and a moderate pile-up hit the 35+ Category 4. A video from the heat of the race has been making the rounds, right in the thick of it... wide angle cameras on the front and back of Steven Woo 's bicycle.

Family to casual to mildly strenuous group ride, benefitting San Mateo County Parks, and starting and finishing at Coyote Point Park , this Tour de Peninsula drew 2,000 cyclists in 2007 (before taking the year off in 2008). An Official Teaser has been posted in advance of a registration website.