bay area cycling news

William Flint II was riding downhill on South Park Drive near the Grizzly picnic area at about 2 p.m. when his bicycle drifted into oncoming traffic, police said. He crashed into the side of a 2003 Ford Expedition sport utility vehicle. Read more at SFGate . Please descend safe out there. The thrill of the descent is no match for not making it home alive.

The driver of a blue Nissan Rogue hit three male bicyclists before hitting a fourth victim and then crashing into a light pole and a parked Jeep Cherokee at the corner of 17th and Missouri streets. The motorist then fled from the vehicle on foot. Read more at the SF Chronicle .

A poor oakland man was run over by a bus he had just exited after being doored by another man in a parked car. He began to ride eastbound on MacArthur when he swerved to avoid running into a car door that a 42-year-old Manteca motorist had opened, said police and AC Transit spokesman Clarence Johnson. Read more at the Contra Costa Times article .

Coinciding with Stage 4 of the Amgen Tour of California leaving from San Jose, there are several bay area "Rides of Silence" tonight at 7pm . Rides include Sacramento, San Rafeal, San Francisco, and Modesto. On May 19, 2010, at 7:00 PM, the Ride of Silence will begin in North America and roll across the globe. 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. In 2003, Chris Phelan organized the first Ride of Silence in Dallas after endurance cyclist Larry Schwartz was hit by the mirror of a passing bus and was killed. (Read the full history here...) 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. There are no sponsors and no registrat...

If you're following this blog then you're probably already much aware that Bike To Work Day is tomorrow, Thursday May 13. Energizer stations will be dotted around the peninsula , where you can get free swag like tote bags, clif bars, bananas, or just a cup of strong coffee. Most energizer stations shut down before 10am so be sure to get your pedal on early. sfbike.org has some information on free mechanics for those in the city. Additionally, the Team Bike Challenge is heating up even moreso than last year. In the large company division, Cisco and Apple are holding the top two spots, just as they did last year , when Cisco pulled ahead by hiding their points until the last few days and logging many all at once. This year, Apple is maintaining a strong lead and looks to hold the yellow jersey at the end of the month. And, as usually happens around the peninsula, there's never a shortage of beer with a few "bike away from work" beer bashes. One in San Carlo...

San Jose Bike Party is looking for eyewitness accounts of a March 19 hit and run. This incident occurred on Race St on Friday, March 19th. The fact that this happened on the ride where we were honoring Joshua Ryan West who was killed by a driver on Feb. 1, 2010 is especially ironic.

Remember the NYC critical mass bodychecking incident last year? Turns out the NYPD officer (who was later fired) is now on trial for assault. The charges against Long were dropped. Pogan, who resigned from the force in February 2009, is charged with offenses including assault and falsifying business records. Read more at NBC26 .