Memorial Ride for 3 fallen cyclists

Despite sheets of rain and nasty storm winds the Time's Up memorial ride took place yesterday evening. About 40-50 riders meet in front of the Intrepid Museum on the Westside Highway to pay tribute to the deaths of three cyclists which took place in the month of June. I left my home in Williamsburg with out a clue it was going to rain. Then it stated drizzling on the bridge with the sun still shining so this continued my belief that this was some sort of a fluke and would pass quickly. When I got to 10th Ave and 14th street, on route to the West Side Highway greenway...it was pouring. I know at this point some people called it quits and I wondered if this ride was even going to happen. By the time I got to the Intrepid it was dark sky, amazing lighting rippling the Jersey skyline. I was soaked to the bone, which wouldn't have been so bad, except that I had various electronic devises on me. Globe canvas messenger bags are only so water proof. There was a large crowd of cyclists waiting for the ride to start trying to get a little cover under a pedestrian walkway overpass. All spectrums of the bicycle community was in attendance...bike forums racers, recumbants, track bike riders, messengers, transportation alternatives activists, times up. I observed about two different television news crews also braving the massive downpour. It was very touching to see people out there and it made me feel we have a strong community here in NYC. I'm sure the ride would have been larger in better weather.
It was advertised on Gawker of all places and not with snarky remarks making it sound like an important event to attend. I think this means that we are reaching the mainstream a bit.

We made three stops. One on the West side highway for Dr. Carl Nacht One on Houston and LaGuardia for Derek Lake and one on Houston Street between Broadway and Mott for all cyclists killed by cars and trucks.

Here is my photo set of filckr.
flickr set

a quick video:

Rocky 4 race

Check out Whitesnakes report on Rocky 4 race in Philadelphia... Mess NYC

Alley Cat report from Oakland

Besides all the bad shit that is happening to cyclists here...Alleycat racing is alive and well and blowin up all over the map.

On June 24th was the Oakland Scrape

John (known as McBomb on flickr, filed this report:

photo page for Oakland Scape

100 riders wait to race...nice turnout.

Lesse, if you look in my Oakland Scrape set, there are placings for Fixed and non fixed, 1-5
first fixed was Gareth Spor (also 3rd overall), second fixed was Rainier, third fixed was Scott Banker, thrid and fourth were "donut king" and I can't remember the other guys name. First overall was Jeff on a roadbike, second overall was geared but I can't remember his name.

the race was about 30mi in a car if you took the most direct route, but I think most people took a route to avoid traffic and hills, I'm not sure what the logic was, but it came out to more like 35mi. This is supposedly the first Alleycat ever held in Oakland, I know it's the biggest. Possibly the biggest ever held in the Bay Area. We had a few people show up from way out of town. We gave away somewhere over $2000 in prizes and a bunch of freebes in the registration packets. Our sponsors are listed on oaklandscrape.com . First prize (first place fixed gear) was a Brass Knuckles track frame from Montano Velo (brass knuckles is the new aluminum frame from the company that makes Bare Knuckles) and an XL Messenger bag from Timbuk2, Second prize (second place fixed gear) was a pair of pink Phil Wood hubs and a Chrome Messenger bag. Third prize (third place fixed) was a large Timbuk2 messenger bag and a pair of Surly hubs. First place geared was a pair of Campagnolo Rims, second place geared was a pair of nice $50 road tires. there were more prizes but I can't remember all of them, and EVERYONE who placed got a ton of swag in the form of bike socks, t-shirts, pint glasses, flasks.... you name it. our sponsors sent tons of stuff.

the whole race was to raise money for charity, the charity was Cycles of Change, there's a link to them on oaklandscrape.com
Video of the race.

Quick review of events

Thursday June 29th

-Rally at City Hall for Bikes 9am

-Times Up memorial Ride
6:30pm at the Intrepid

-Movie Night at Time's Up space 49 East Houston
8:00pm, showing of the documentary "the Take"--Free

-----------------------------
Friday, June 30th

-Breakfast on the Bridge.
Wlliamsburg side of Williamsburg Bridge
7:30am-Noon

-Critical Mass
7:00pm Union Square North

-------------------------------
Saturday, July 1st

Bicycle Fetish Day Noon to 5pm


Alleycat-From Bike Fetish Day, ends at Bike Fetish Day spot.

Times Up ride to First Night at the Brooklyn Museum

Free Ride to First Saturday
Date: Saturday, July 1st, 2006
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: 7pm @ Union Square South or 730pm @ the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge
Summary: Come ride with TIME'S UP! to the Brooklyn Museum's monthly extravaganza First Saturday
Details: Come hook up with Time's Up! as we ride together through the fabulous and historic districts of the LES, South Williamsburg, Fort Greene, & Prospect Heights to check out one of the great free monthly community events in Brooklyn.
On the first Saturday of every month, the Brooklyn Museum of Art opens it doors and breaks out it's dancing shoes for a fun little party with outdoor dancing in summer.

That's right, from 9 -11 p.m the Museum Parking Lot will be a sizzling dance party under the stars. July's line-up features djs spinning electro-funk, b-boy breaks, and eighties classics outside.

And for those who dont feel like dancing...the museum will be open and this month features guest speakers on graffitti inside the museum. See below for specific details.

So bikers!...bring your water bottle, a picnic dinner and come join us for a Brooklyn adventure.

NOTE: The ride is ONE WAY! There are subways right at the museum that will get you back to the city. Typically people group back up for rides back over the bridges and back into Williamsburg.

July schedule of FREE Programs
Note: some events occur prior to ride's arrival. please plan accordingly! see http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php for more info.

5:00 p.m. Film: Style Wars Legendary hip-hop documentary about New York City graffiti writers.
6-8:00 p.m. Beatboxer Entertainment presents a complete hip-hop performance including beatboxing, emceeing, breakdancing, and deejaying.
6:30-8:30 p.m. Create your own nickname and graffiti tag with markers and paint.
6:30 p.m. Film:Wild Style New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's most elusive graffiti writer.
7:00 p.m. Artist Talk : Graffiti artist Crash, who started painting the sides of subway cars more than twenty years ago, gives a gallery talk about his work in the Graffiti exhibition.
8:00 p.m. Modern Voices : Ellis Gallagher, a.k.a. Ellis G., an artist known for his outlines of shadows on Brooklyn streets, speaks on the history of graffiti and its connection to the contemporary art world.
8-11:00 p.m. Dance Party :The Black Underground Show brings its famous Coney Island boardwalk dance party to the Museum, spinning electro-funk, b-boy breaks, and eighties classics.
9:00 p.m. Film: Dave Chappelle's Block Party which features comedian Dave Chappelle hosting a Bed-Stuy bash with Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, the Roots, Erykah Badu, and the Fugees.

Rally at City Hall Tomorrow 8:45am

The cyclist fatalities and serious crashes over the past three weeks
have brought renewed attention to the fact that little progress is being
made to eliminate these everyday cycling hazards.

Join Transportation Alternatives and leading bicycle advocates, clubs
and organizations on Thursday morning to call on Mayor Bloomberg to
redouble New York City's bike safety efforts:

TOMORROW MORNING
Thursday, June 29th, 2006
8:45 am
City Hall

In the past three weeks there were four serious bike crashes in New York
City, three of them resulting in the deaths of individual cyclists,
Donna Goodson, Dr. Carl Nacht and Derek Lake.

On June 5, Donna Goodson was killed by a truck on Rockaway Parkway in
Brooklyn. On Monday June 19, a taxicab driver opened his door and
knocked a cyclist into the path of a passing bus on 10th Avenue in
Manhattan. On Thursday June 22, an NYPD tow truck driver crossing the
Hudson River Greenway hit Dr. Carl Nacht as he was riding with his wife
northbound on the bike path. Dr. Nacht died Monday, June 26. On Monday
June 26, Derek Lake was killed by a truck when his bike slid out of
control and he fell beneath the truck on Houston Street at LaGuardia
Place.

All four recent crashes were caused by dangerous conditions that are
commonplace on New York City streets but should not be: drivers and
passengers opening car doors into the path of cyclists; drivers failing
to yield to cyclists and hazardous street conditions that can send bikes
out of control.

Like the Mayors of London, Paris, Chicago and other world class cities
that have recently unveiled comprehensive plans to make bicycling safe
and widespread, Mayor Bloomberg must get serious about making New York
City a safe place to bike. The City's "Bicycle Master Plan" is ten years
old and only 15% complete. Moreover, it has no targets or timetable for
completion, benchmarks for increasing cycling, or modern bike lane and
path design standards--all hallmarks of exemplary plans recently put
forth by cities like London and Chicago that will make cycling safe
enough for all to enjoy.

---------------

Full details at:
Transportation Alternatives E-Bulletin

Someone dies and now we start questioning...

Yes it is a sad world we live in. It takes a cyclists death before the media starts to wonder what the hell is going on in this city with cyclists. Not to mention this cyclist that died, was a promanent doctor at a local hospital..."what, not some weirdo..." Its no wonder in this age of rampant oil company profits and us taking it the rear end tank at the pump, that cycling and finding alternative forms of transportation is still scene as a fringe act by those on the margins. Let's face it, biking still isn't cool. So in our world of the car being king and a city which ignores the obvious problems of overcrowding and makes no effort to look towards the bicycle for relief that we are still looked down upon. So a NYTimes reporter wrote an article about the Westside Highway bike path, after all, this is the scene of the crim---I mean accident. I almost forgot that when cyclists are killed it is an accident...end of story. It bothers me a lot because, now more than ever we need to investigate what the hell is going on. We need to re-read Jane Jacobs, we need to make more room for bikes, we leadership that is held accountable when our doctors die on the bike paths, we need to do somehting about the construction on Houston street.

Meanwhile the NY Times writes an article about the Westside Highway bike path...

hhhhmmmm.

Will from on NY Turf makes good coments about the article.

It is true, we can't have our cake and eat it too. We get a bike path on the Williamsburg bridge and it comes with nasty bumps...we get bike lanes and everyone parks in them, we get a West Side Highway path and we have to yield for cars. When are we allowed in on these meetings of city planning? This is grounds for the NYC bike coalition to get stronger and become a political wing in which the city can answer to and listen to. Maybe we need to come up with a list of demands for the city, or goals we want to see accomplished...perhaps like the UN has Millennium development goals, we could have the NYC city development goals which have to be met by 2010. Some document that says if the city wants to have its New Yankee stadium, New Mets stadium, Water park on Randall's Island, NASCAR track on Staten Island, IKEA in Redhook and Bruce Ratner nightmare in downtown Brooklyn...they'd better make some room for bikes!! Yeah...I'm sure they will listen. ==================

There is a new blog in town, all about public space and transportation issues... street blog.com

here is what it is about...
Welcome to StreetsBlog
StreetsBlog is a daily source for news and information about New York City's burgeoning Livable Streets movement.

The blog is produced by The Open Planning Project, edited by Aaron Naparstek, and is a project of the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign.

StreetsBlog welcomes your tips and contributions.

Breakfast on the Bridge

Friday, June 30th. A group of Time's Up volunteers will be hosting "Breakfast on the Bridge" 7:30am till Noon. On the Williamsburg side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Come over for free breakfast treats from the fine folks at Time's Up.

See, cool things for bikers don't just happen in Portland Oregon.

Rich says:

"this breakfast thing is lots of fun, and you can just stop by for a
little bit, eat a muffin and show up a little late to work with a full
tummy, and a smile on your face."

Memorial ride for killed cyclists.

Virtual resistance has been working on new ghost bikes and they will be presneted on a memorial ride for the rash of cyclists killed in June.

MEMORIAL RIDE
Thursday, June 29, 6:30 p.m.
West Side Greenway at 42nd Street (in front of the Intrepid)

Carl Nacht, 56, was killed by an NYPD tow truck making a right turn across the West Side Greenway. Derek Lake, 23, was killed on Houston Street while trying to maneuver around a construction site. Come out and remember these two cyclists and help draw attention to unsafe conditions for New York cyclists.
===============
I know this is hard to believe but another cyclist was injured this morning. A co-worker of mine saw the aftermath and warned me to wear my helmet.

Ellen wrote:

On my way to work @ 11th ave and 59th st, I passed a very scary scene,
a van with a smashed windshield with a bike and bike helmet in front
of it. The biker was in the ambulance, and the cop said he was going
to be all right. I told the cop that given the position of the van,
its obvious he was taking a left and did not yield to the biker who
must have been going the opposite way with the light. He agreed but
said that because there were no witnesses, the van driver wont get a
ticket. I suggested that the guy in the ambulance might be a good
witness. At least the driver is going to need a new windshield!

Be careful out there.

Ellen
===========================

Aye, yes...there must be a witness...other wise the police would have to i-n-v-e-s-t-g-a-t-e...and then they'd have to do paperwork and then possible use some brain power and oh no...common sense. Then street conditions might improve...we wouldn't want our civil servants to have to do any extra work. Why that would take time out from them writing us tickets for not having a bell on our handlebars when it's harass the cyclists week at the precinct. All I got to say is, our city should be ashamed.
----------------------------

Picture taken of Derek Lake's bike after tragedy on Houston St. Picture by Dima Gavrysh of NY Times.


NY Times article on Derek Lake's death on Houston.

download a
pdf that Transportation Alternatives has released on the recent death of Derek Lake on Houston Street.

Three cyclists have died in June.

I was going to write something trivial this morning, like about how the mermaid parade went or comment on this picture I took for something I was going to start about the worst bike abuse of the month. A pole in the middle of the city with a stripped down bicycle seems rather silly today, when another cyclists was killed on his commute. This makes three in one month. I thought maybe getting those tickets at critical mass or possibly doored by the police, seemed so crazy. That we are wasting our time standing up and fighting for your right to the road in a world gone mad with oil lust and all catering to the whims of rich people and their short sighted goals of luxury condos and sports stadiums. Now more than ever we need to defend our rights to the road and protection of our bicycle liberties.

Here is the article from the daily news about the death of Derek Lake, killed on Houston Street, this morning.

Cyclist dies after being run over by truck
By Justin Rocket Silverman
amNewYork Staff Writer

June 27, 2006

For the third time in 13 months, a bike rider was killed yesterday on Houston Street, leading one advocate to label it Manhattan's "boulevard of death."

Derek Lake, 23, a filmmaker who had recently bought the bike, was turning onto Houston from LaGuardia Place at 9:20 a.m. Monday when he lost control of his bike in a construction area and was run over by a passing truck. Houston is undergoing a multi-year, $30 million reconstruction, which advocates blamed for Lake's death.
"It's likely that a metal plate on the street caused him to loose control," said Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives. "The plate was in violation of the city's highway rules and the rain made it even more dangerous. The cyclist can only do so much, and in this case the street conditions were the likely contributing factor in the crash."

The driver of the truck that hit Lake was cited for six equipment violations, but was not charged with a crime. The city agency overseeing construction along Houston said its records show that the metal plate at that intersection had been removed.

A check of the intersection Monday night showed seven mismatched plates on the opposite side of the intersection from where Lake went down.

Times Up!, a bike advocacy group, issued a warning for all city cyclists to avoid riding on Houston for the duration of the construction.

Lake was a recent graduate of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, and had recently begun showing a film he wrote and directed in festivals around the city.

"He knew being in the film business was a hard thing to do, but he didn't let anyone discourage him," Lake's younger sister Alexis said yesterday. "He was going to make it big."

Alexis, 22, said her brother just purchased the bike a few weeks ago to shorten his commute from Brooklyn and to improve his physical fitness.

"He was the scrawniest kid in the whole world," she recalled, "but joked around about getting pudgy and told me he was getting a bike."

In May of last year, Brandie Bailey, 21, was killed while riding a bike on Houston Street when she was struck by a garbage truck.

One month later, Andrew Morgan, 25, was also killed on his bike when a truck make an illegal turn on Houston.

A police spokesman said Monday that only officers who witness a crash personally can issue a violation to the driver.

In none of the recent deaths on Houston was a driver charged with any crime.

Another recent cycling fatality was Dr. Carl Nacht, 56, who was struck by an NYPD tow truck while he cycled with his wife in the West Side Highway's bike lane. Nacht died in the hospital Monday.
-------------------------

Then I received this email from the wife of a film maker Derek was working for...

Hi Michael,

A good friend of mine (who happened to be working for my husband) was killed today on Houston and LaGuardia while he was riding his bicycle to work. He was not an avid cyclist, and apparently tried to maneuver between a truck and a van and was thrown from his bike and run over by a truck and pronounced dead at the scene.

As I am sure you can imagine, we are absolutely devastated. Derek was only 24 and graduated from SVA film school last year. He completed his first short film Sans Pertinence, which is absolutely amazing www.dereklakefilms.com and had recently befriended Kevin Spacey (just friends; Derek was straight and had a very serious girlfriend) and his film was recently accepted into a film festival (I don’t know which one).

Derek was, as I mentioned above, also working for my husband full time and very happy to have a job where he could use his talents and work with a small and tight knit team of people. He told me he was thrilled to be in such a great position right out of college. He was a really inspirational director and a talented artist. He was also a very sweet and kind person. This is a horrible tragedy and we are completely emotionally destroyed. It is incredible that someone who was so endlessly talented and brilliant could be gone in an instant. He was very driven and always intensely professional.

I just found this little bio on IMDB:

“Derek Lake was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 7th, 1982. The son of an industrial salesman, Derek spent much of his youth moving through the suburbs of the northeast until finally settling down in the rural surroundings of upstate New York. It was here that his unlikely encounters with a few friends and a video camera would ultimately begin to define his path as a filmmaker. Derek started making short films as young as 13 and continued throughout high school. Eventually the hobby worked itself into a passion that would lead him to New York City where he graduated from film school at the School of Visual Arts. He currently lives in New York and continues to write, direct, produce, edit, and do audio post for his own movies.”

Trailer for Derek's Film
http://www.toknowajedi.com another short film by Derek.

We’d like to spread the word about his films if at all possible. This is such a great loss and he will be missed.

Thanks,
Kerri Savage
-------------------------------

Something has to be done about Houston Street. I feel like Critical Mass should go there on Friday and stop at each one of these sites and have the whole city stop and think about their priorities. I feel like we need to erect a sign when you turn right onto Houston and 6th ave for all to see that says something like: "Entering the Danger Zone, please drive with caution. While our city continues to bend over backwards in its construction frenzy to build more unafforable housing, the people who live and work here are getting killed on this block while riding their bikes. So Chill OUT and pay attention...the streets belong to more than just the sacred automobile and its inefficient fuel source that is destroying this planet. On your way down Houston, please stop at the Sunshine Theatre and see Al Gore's movie, inconvenient truth...you might learn something. Thank you and drive responsibly...or not, cause if you kill someone...you won't be charged with anything. Have a nice day.

---------------------ok that would be hard to fit on a sign-----------

On June 5th a woman was killed in Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn, apparently this was not reported on until recently when there have been two other tragic bike deaths...

Posted: Tuesday, 06 June 2006 7:06AM

Dump Truck Kills Cyclist in Brooklyn


NEW YORK (AP) -- A dump truck struck and killed a bicyclist on
Rockaway Parkway in Brooklyn last night.

New York City Police say 41-year-old Donna Goodson of Brooklyn was
pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital shortly after the accident at
ten p.m.

Police say both the truck and bike were southbound on Rockaway
Parkwayy when the truck made a right turn onto Avenue D. The driver
apparently didn't see the bike rider on the side of the truck.

Police say no charges were filed.
-----------------------------

And the third was the doctor who was hit by a NYPD tow truck on the West side greenway of all places...where they want us to ride...

Dr. Carl Nacht, died this morning. Doctor of Internal medicine at Roosevelt's Hospital.

Apparently we are not all bike riding anarchists...


--------------------------

Oh yeah there was this too that happend in June...
1010 WINS: Bicyclist Pinned Under City Bus After Cab Accident

Monday, June 19th
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A bicycle rider heading North on 10th Avenue in
Manhattan was struck by a city bus pinning both legs under one of the
bus' tire.

The incident happened around 6:30pm Monday near the intersection of 10th
Avenue and 44th street. The bicyclist was riding down 10th Avenue when
a cabbie stopped, opened up his front door striking the biker. The
bicyclist fell straight into the path of the city bus, pinning both legs
under the front doorway tire .

Emergency Service Units and the FDNY were able to successfully free the
man from under the bus. He was transported to St. Luke's Hospital.

No word on his condition though his injuries are not considered life
threatening.
---------------------------

At least there is some justice...


Queens: Man is Sentenced in Fatal Accident

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: June 22, 2006
A Flushing man was sentenced yesterday in State Supreme Court to two and
a half to five years in prison for fatally striking a restaurant worker
with his car last October, prosecutors said. The driver, Joung Il Cho,
38, pleaded guilty on May 1 to vehicular manslaughter for killing the
worker, Angel Quizhpi, 24, who was riding his bicycle on Northern
Boulevard when he was struck on Oct. 29, said Richard A. Brown, the
Queens district attorney. Mr. Brown said that after the accident, the
driver was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.195 percent, more
than twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

Watch out on West Side Highway, Bike Path

Its nice to have your own bicycle greenway that takes you up and down the Westside of Manhattan, if your into that sort of thing. There are obstacles, like dumb struck tourists gawking at the Intrept museum and now NYPD tow trucks that are in a real hurry to get your vehicle to the lot and back out there to make more cash. Who's got time to yeild to bicyclists, even if it is the law and that bike path is designed for safe travel...right?!

an article from NY1 about a cyclist injured on the Greenway Thursday, June 22nd at 11:30pm

Cyclist In Critical Condition After Colliding With Tow Truck
A 56-year-old man is fighting for his life after being struck by an NYPD tow truck while riding his bicycle on the West Side Highway bike path at around 11:30 Thursday night.

The tow truck was headed southbound and making a right turn into the Pier 76 pound facility with a vehicle in tow when it struck the cyclist, who was heading northbound with a companion on the bike path near 12th Avenue.

According to standard procedure, the tow truck driver was given a breathalyzer. No arrests were made and no tickets were issued.

However, the incident does raise some critical questions, including why the driver wasn't issued a ticket for failure to yield the right of way. Drivers in the area have to pass a big sign saying they have to yield to cyclists, and even if the cyclist had a red light, the tow truck in this case would have also had a red light.

Cyclists along the path say they have become accustomed to being constantly on the lookout.

“I’ve been using this path for years riding from 86th down,” said bicyclist Ruth Spencer. “Now that there’s two accidents in my building and now this, I’ll be even more careful.”

While NY1 reporter Gary Anthony Ramsay was conducting an interview with one cyclist, another cyclist off camera was hit by a car making a right turn into the piers. The cyclist was unharmed, other than some cuts and bruises, but he stood up after the incident and shouted to the driver that he had the right of way.

“It happens a lot,” said the cyclist Paul Barenholz. “People don’t respect the right of way, they don’t watch when they’re turning here. I just got back from Denmark. They respect bicyclists there, they respect lanes, people look to the right when they make a right turn. All the automobiles do it.”

While the NYPD has been unable to completely resolve the circumstances of Thursday night's incident, it does appear to highlight what has become a dangerous intersection.

Skids and Sprints

Besides the 24th annual Mermaid Parade at Coney Island it is also the 8th Annual Skids and Sprints for Cash!!

Article about bike messenger coop in Chicago

Photo of Rene Cudal, Jen Greenberg, Josh Corby, Jack McLaughlin and Mike Morell, of 4 Star Courier in Chicago. Photo by Jon Randolph.

4 star courier is not like other messenger companies. It is worker owned and operated, the only one in Chicago and only the third in the country.

Here is an article about it in the Chicago Reader.

More Rumble photos and Bicycle Film Festival in LA

Kevin Dillard of demoncats has done it again. Kevin is a really good photographer and has posted some sharp photos of the recent rumble thru the Bronx. Check it out photos for rumble
------------------------
Upcoming Events...(let's review)

Friday, June 23rd Pittsburgh-Track day and BBQ flyer for BBQ

then an alleycat on the 24th-War Haul Flyer

Saturday, June 24th-NYC, Mermaid Parade, track bike tricks, alleycat from Coney Island to Wiliamsburg
Time's Up is talking about a ride out there...more details to come...last minute.

Philadelphia-Rocky 4..."I must break you"

next week:
Photo from last years Bicycle Fetish Day in WIlliamsburg Brookyln

July 1st, Bicycle fetish day and alleycat with prizes including 10 tickets for the North American Cycle Courier Championships in Philly.

------------------
Bicycle Film Festival is in LA June 21st-June 24th

Bicycle Film Fest Rolls into LA
June 21 -24
http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

WENDESDAY, JUNE 21
JOY RIDE: art show celebrating bikes
with Swoon, Michel Gondry, Shepard Fairey, Steve MacDonald.
Valet bicycle parking provided by Bikestation Coalition Don O'Melveny Gallery
5472 Wilshire Blvd. Near La Brea | Los Angeles

BIKES ROCK!!
THURSDAY, JUNE 22
The Smell
247 South Main Street
Los Angeles

Yikes (member of Coachwhips, OCS and Pink And Brown from SF) Silver Daggers Fuck Wolf (SF) The Pope

JUNE 23-24
BIKE MOVIES
Get your tickets!!
http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com

Corrections on Rumble and upcoming events...

What an amazing weekend...again.

Rumble thru the bronx was a great event. A fast paced crazy scramble through the bronx with hills, traffic, stairs, off roading in the park, freeways and a phat beach party at the end.

Here are some corrections on the winners:

best checkpoints:
Ninja and the dude in the Van Cortland Park, all alone. Prize, two large bottles of alchol.

Top Girl:
Erin Dyer-Time: 1:13:51, Prize: Gift Certificate for Fetish Cycle of her choice, Fetish Cycle T.

2nd Place Girl
Ellen--Prize: Custom bag by Crumpler and Fetish Cycles T-shirt

3rd Place Girl
Brooke Dubiu--Prize: Surly Hubs and T-shirt

Outoftowners

1st Place-from Portand, Scotty. Prize Gift certificate for Bike Frame from Fetish Cycles

2nd Place-from Boston, Jacob. Prize: Livewrong tshirt and Messenger bag from Crumpler

3rd Place-from Boston, Craig Roth, Prize: Surly Tshirt and wheel set provided by Trackstar.

Top Dudes:

1st Place-Alfred won 2 monster tracks and now 2 rumbles...won custom Reload bag and a bike.

2nd Place-Austin from 4916, Time: 1:03:24-Prize bike frame from Fetish

3rd Place-Ken from Pensaltucky...Prize: Level Hubs and tshirts
--------------------

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Squid and Puma were hosting a veledrome race series for two tickets to the Cycle Messenger world Championships in Sydney Australia. The Top male was Alex Farioletti from NYC and team 4916. The top female was Meghan from LA. Both won plane tickets to Sydney.

There are two more chances to win in Chicago and NYC. Check here for more details on the series.

----------------------

This weekend is the 24th annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade on Saturday, June 24th. If you want to be in the parade, register on line or show up at 10:00am. Parade starts at 2:00pm Rain or Shine. Once again, this years parade will start on the boardwalk go down to the BOARDWALK, till 16th street and then down Surf ave.

Then while your out there...Hugo from 4916, is hosting skids and a track bike tricks contest for cash. Footdown, trackstands, skids...show off your skillz. After that will be an alley cat.
--------------------------

In Philly, will be Rocky 4 a race involving a two man team with a sprinter and a stair climber. June 24 - Philly
2pm at the steps at the Art Museum (22nd and the Ben Franklin Parkway "roughly"). $20 for teams. (including after party BBQ). All proceeds will go to PBMA to help with the NACCC. Contact dailey@phillybma.org

and in Pittsburg...War-haul
June 24 -
Registration: 4:00PM at the Warhol Museum. Race: 5:00PM . Cost: $5. Info: dave@pghalleycat.com





and then on the 25th in Philly...Tall Bikes and the Juice Deux race.
------------------------
Then the weekend after that is July 4th weekend. July 1st is a Saturday and it's Bicycle Fetish Day and an old skool alley cat. Bicycle Fetish day is put on by the city reliquary and is basically a permited block party to show off your bicycle. Think old school schwin club and tallbikes and bands and beer. Then there will be an alleycat. Fun, right!? Check out pictures from last years Bicycle Fetish day 2005.

A few more pictures of Rumble

rumble pix

Good advice on avoiding bike theft

I saw this thread started on 6-01-06 on bike forums

There is good advice here on how to avoid bike theft

the thread

I'm starting this thread in order to help people not get their bike stolen. I've explained this stuff to countless friends and customers when I worked in bike shops.

We all hate it. And most of us have had a bike stolen at least once in our lifetime.

Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:

- Number 1 rule: Bike theft is a crime of opportunity 99% of the time. "Crime of opportunity" means that those that stole your bike weren't planning, tracking, and scheming on how to get your bike. They probably saw an unattended bike and went for it. To a theif, an unattended nice bike is like finding a $100 on the ground.

- Crackhead theives like to steal bikes with names like "Trek" "Cannondale" etc... That's why some people de-badge their bikes to look like cheap bikes.

- Crackheads will steal ANYTHING that they think they can sell for $20. Cocaine is a heluva drug.

- No lock is 100% safe. Locks just buy time. A $20 cable lock will buy you about 5 seconds. A Kryptonite NY Fagidaboutit will by you about 15 minutes or much much less to a theif with the right tools.

- An ounce of common sense goes a long way with you keeping your bike. Don't leave your bike unlocked while you "just run in for a second" to ANYWHERE.

- Believe it or not, there are teams of theives that patrol major cities and college campuses in vans/trucks that steal 20+ bikes a night using pro tools. They then take them and sell them in other cities or online.

- 99% of bystanders won't stop a theif if they see one stealing a bike either because they don't realize that it's being stolen or don't want to get involved.

- Learn how to properly lock your bike. Locking a $1500 bike to a tree with a 2" trunk that can be snapped in two by a reasonably strong person isn't smart.

- Thieves will take your bike from inside your house, apt, garage if it is unlocked.

- Don't be surprised if your $80 Thomson post and your $150 Fizik seat are gone if you had just an allen bolt holding it on.

- If they REALLY want your bike. They will get it sooner or later. Especially if you have a routine.

- This is life in the big city. If you get caught slipping, you'll have to pay a "stupid tax".

- Avoid locking your bike in a place were someone can work on your lock without being seen.

- If you can, take your bike in with you to your job or whatever. Ask nicely.


If you guys have anything to add, feel free.

Rumble thru the jungle.

Hodari and Mike Dee just threw an amazing time in the Bronx. Saturday June 17th was the third annual Rumble thru the Bronx.
It was a long ass course with serious hills and lots of distance. The Road bike came in handy.

1st place men's:
Alfred

2nd:
Austin-Team 4916

3rd:
Scotty from Portland

1st place women's
Erin

2nd place:
Ellen

3rd place:
Brooke

some pictures at fllckr

End of the month...Pirate Critical Mass

Aye mates, June's critical mass is Friday the 30th and its going to be a Pirate themed ride. So get your felt pirate hat (the pirate theme is like the easiest costume) and stuffed parrot and lets Plunder. There will be an after party...TBD. Because its summer, the mermaid parade is this month and the city has way too many Carrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrz!

Till then, heres a joke...
"A pirate and his parrot, were adrift in a lifeboat following a dramatic escape from a valiant battle. While rummaging through the boat's provisions, the pirate stumbled across an old lamp. Secretly hoping that a Genie would appear, he rubbed the lamp vigorously. To the amazement of the castaways, a Genie came forth. This particular Genie, however, stated that he could only deliver one wish, not the standard three. Without giving any thought to the matter the pirate blurted out, "Make the entire ocean into rum!" The Genie clapped his hands with a deafening crash, and immediately the entire sea turned into the finest rum ever sampled by mortals. Simultaneously, the Genie vanished. Only the gentle lapping of rum on the hull broke the stillness as the two considered their circumstances. The parrot looked disgustedly at the pirate and after a tension-filled moment spoke: "Now yee've done it!! Now we're goon to have to pee in the boat."

Promo video for Rumble.

So this Saturday is the 3rd Annual Rumble Thru the Bronx...Check out this promo video from play in traffic productions...

THE VIDEO

Video of Tour De Brookyln

Bike TV presents a 13 minute video of this years Tour De Brookyln.

enjoy.

Thanks again Clarence.

Race results from Ottawa 6+6+06 race

There were a ton of alley cats in various cities on the day of Satan's seed rising in the form of Brad and Angelina's baby...6-6-06.

Here is a report from Ottawa:

Ottawa's 666 Alley Cat, "Storming the Kingdom of Heaven"went down as our biggest weekday race ever. We had twenty five racers show up, mostly messengers but we also had our 'civy fixie brigade make an appearance. We might not all be messengers but we all share the one dark Lord! Twenty one people finished, three DNFed and one just never came back, sacrificed so the rest of us can live on. No one was seriously hurt, but i think most of us were hurtin' the next day whether that was from the race, the bar or a combination of both.
2 manifests, 2 provinces, 6 bridges crossings, 5 different 'hoods x2. Some of us still trying to recover.
Here are the final results of the race.
Manifest 1 Finish
1. Alexis, Son of Satan 44:45 1:18:45
2. Angelo 45:10 1:20:35
3. Choco 49:15 1:22:20
4. Eric 50:20 1:22:30
5. Patrice 50:20 1:22:40
6. Jacob, Satan's Concubine 50:20 1:25:55
7. Rambo 48:50 1:26:20
8. Chris 52:00 1:27:00
9. Steve L 48:45 1:28:00
10.Trauma 55:30 1:30:30
11.James 57:00 1:31:20
12.Brian W 58:50 1:37:34
13.Jen 1:02:50 1:41:45
14.Dong 55:35 1:45:00
15.Isa 1:02:55 1:46:50
16.Cory 1:09:40 1:50:35
17.Crazy Dave (3 flats) 1:13:35 1:50:55
18.A.K. 1:08:00 1:51:40
19.Brian O 1:08:20 1:54:15
20.Eric (mtl) 1:12:50 2:01:10
DFL.. Steve 1:16:50 2:28:17

DNF Lunchbox
DNF General
DNF Uylesse
Big thanx to Dave and Kent at the Moose phat moose cycles, Yan and everybody at Bertrands. gmbertrand All of you have been very supportive of all our races.
Yan, don't let those non-belivers who call on the phone stray you from your faith!
Big thanx to all the check point people. You're the best!!!!
Props to Johnny for envisioning this race in January, and making it one of our best.
Oh if you already didn't pre pay for a t-shirt, your out of luck, they all got sold within two hours at the Aloha Room on Friday night. I want to make another run....maybe some hoodies. They'll look shit hot. Thanx Jacob!
Stay Tuned for Capital Punishment III coming in August. It's looking like it's going to be Mayhem
------------------------

I would like to do a shout out to all the 6-6-06 races...send me pictures, links to photopages, videos and stories...

Screening of Contested Streets

On June 27 New York's business leaders, elected officials and taste makers will convene at the Independent Film Center for the world premiere of the long-awaited documentary film Contested Streets: Breaking NYC Gridlock. Until then, Transportation Alternatives is making a limited number of DVDs available for purchase and to those interested in hosting living room screenings.
Contested Streets is a Transportation Alternatives co-produced documentary film that chronicles how New York City was overwhelmed by vehicular traffic and explores how, by learning from recent innovations in London, Paris and Copenhagen, New York City can reclaim its public spaces, boost street performance and secure its place at the forefront of the global economy.

"If New York is focused on this [traffic congestion] and paying any attention at all, then they've got a good model to follow in London."

The film features interviews with:

Bob Kiley, former CEO, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and recent Commissioner of Transport for London
Kenneth T. Jackson, President, New York Historical Society; author, Encyclopedia of New York
Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO, Partnership for New York City
Majora Carter, Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx, recent recipient of MacArthur Genius Award
Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces
And many more. See who else is featured in the film and check out the trailer.

Want to see it for yourself? There are two easy ways.

Buy the DVD. The DVD contains the 57-minute documentary as well as extras such as extended interviews and a short film about Enrique Peñalosa, the visionary former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. Special rates for T.A. members.

Host a living room screening. The power and vision of this documentary can help transform New York City streets, but only if people actually watch it. For this we need your help. Gather up a few friends, colleagues, members of your block association, etc. and host a screening in your living room, local coffee shop or community center. We'll provide you with a copy of the DVD and all the materials you'll need to host a successful event. It's a great excuse to bring folks together and start the conversations that will forever change the way people think of streets and transportation.

Word on Bill...

Bill shown on the right at Bridge Battle 2,

is recovering well and had this to say..."I'm on the mend, and out of the hospital...

I've posted a short tale of the excitement on my myspace page, if anyone's inclined to read it: http://www.myspace.com/bldzr

mostly I just want to tell everyone here that I'm doing well now, resting in Portland for a couple weeks before heading home to Brooklyn, and that I am eternally grateful for the outpouring of love and compassion that I've been shown in the last week. If this fucking stupid thing had to happen to me, I'm glad it happened here, where I have so many generous friends. And I thank Jeebus that my saintly girlfriend Brie was here to help me recover. She makes the blessed virgin look like a street whore. Without her I'd still be in the hospital.

Total account of injuries:

1 separated sternum
3 broken ribs
1 severed artery (left mammary....heheheheh, mammary)
1 collapsed lung, left
3 liters blood loss

1 KICKASS scar that barely misses my "Axles of Evil Bike Polo" chest tattoo

I'm planning on using the downtime to edit footage for the upcoming West Side Invite Doctumentary, which has footage of the whole god damn thing. Can't wait for the movie!!!!

lastly... I'm retired from Bike Polo. Time to be a coach. Can't think of a thing I'm better at than yelling at folk from the sideline.

Again, Thanks for all your thoughts, visits, and good wishes. I owe you all my life."
--------

Glad to hear your better Bill.

Tomorrow the world ends

or we get a bunch of alleycat races and some bad horror movie remakes...in the meantime enjoy this video of Tom Waits on a bike

La Veledrome Series is just 2 weeks away.

PUMA is sponsering a veledrome series for messengers to win two tickets to the CMWC in Sydney Australia. Top Male and Top Female.

June 17th, Los Angeles

Bill Dozer injured...6+6+06 races in other cities.

So no 666 race in NYC. Josh Whitesnake and Bill Dozer of messnyc, were set to organize the race but they had schedule conflicts. Both of them were out in Portland Oregon for the Westside Invitational.

Bill suffered a broken rib while playing bike polo...Bill has been a real asset to the Messenger community both organizing races, polo and events in Portland and now doing the same hard work in NYC.

Josh describes the scene on what went down:

"On Monday, (5-31-06) during the West Side Polo tourney, Bill Dozer was involved in a t-bone collision with another cyclist that resulted in Bill flying off his bike, and landing square onto the end of the other guy's handlebars.

He was able to stand up, walk to the bench, and then passed out. He got to ride in an ambulance, and then was rushed in to emergency surgery. Bill broke a rib at his sternum, puncturing his lung, and I believe lacerating one of the arteries that runs through his lung. His blood pressure was dropping, as his lung filled with blood.

The doctors did an electro- or echo-cardiogram (which i think is a kraftwerk song from the Tour de France lp) that showed that they had stopped the bleeding.

Bill is still in the hospital, no longer on breathing machine, no longer in ICU, but still under observation. He still has a chest tube, and some pumping machines and all sorts of wires and the like protruding from his body, which is held together by staples... (I'm putting someone from PDX on assignment to get photos of this -- do you have a camera? get some flattering pictures of my boy. )

I spoke to him yesterday, he sounded like himself. A sedated sort of normal. Bill being quiet is pretty disturbing though, despite the morphine.

I don't really know anything else. I am sure he will be fine, because I can't really deal with any other possible future. I don't have much religion, so I won't ask for your prayers. I do believe in the power of positive thinking though, so maybe you want to give some loving thoughts to your friend.

Remember to be safe. I love my family, and hate it when you're hurt."

JSW

-------

Portland's Bike Messenger Association has set up a way to help donate to Bill and his medical costs...

Donations
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Since then there has been an update on his condition written by Joel-

"from stopping by to visit bill this afternoon, youve basically got
the story right. one of his lungs was collapsed, but im pretty sure
he didnt actually puncture the lung (which is a very, very good
thing), but the bit about the artery is right. that got fixed, and he
now has a nice 3 inch scar-to-be just below his axles of evil tattoo,
a nice little complement to it.

hes resting better today - im told he was having trouble sleeping
after going off the morphine drip (still on oxycontin pills or some
such), but seemed to have no trouble dropping off of a bit while i
was there.

hes had a steady stream of visitors, and his mom is in town, so
theres no shortage of well-wishers and good thoughts - but more never
hurts.

he took a pretty solid hit - i saw it happen, and frankly it was
pretty scary. a damn good argument for handlebar end caps and such if
i ever saw one - i saw no real cuts on his chest other than the one
for surgery.

im just happy hes alive - his mom said the doctor told her that when
he arrived, he didnt have much left, which is pretty freaking scary.
bottom line is hes doing well, resting up, and will probably be in
the hospital for another week or so, and unable to travel for another
few after that. hell be fine in the end, im sure, but its just gonna
take a while to heal up - rib/sternum injuries are a "ok, hold still
for a couple months" type of thing. if youre in portland, stop by
legacy emmanuel hospital. bill dillon is the name. visiting hours are
11am - 10pm, if im remembering correctly.

hes definitely a very sedate bill, though he was able to flip me off,
which is a good sign in my book. good to see hes got his normal color
back, rather than the blue he turned after the wreck.

im told that the collection taken for him at the polo tourney got a
good chunk of money together to pay for his ambulance ride, and i
beleive that some of the westside monies are getting chipped in as
well.

another reminder that it can happen when you least expect it - no
reason to stop doing what you love, but be safe, everyone...

-joel
------------

Bill, speedy recovery.



Dolomite 1000 has pictures up from the polo invitational
-------------------

6+6+06 is a date and a great number for all those fans of Satanic fantasy like Hollywood's frieghtening lack of originality and has to keep remaking old stories like the Omen. But it is also a great day to terrorize your city with an alleycat during rushhour.

If not in NYC, you can go to alleycats in other towns like Ottawa:

The Legion of Rebel Angels will be storming the Kingdom of Heaven at 6:66 pm 06/06/06, revolting against creation and overthrowing the Lord our God.

Because it is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven.

Visit the website

Or go to Boston-- Boston 666


or Atlanta is hosting Six Six Sick


and Kansas City Missouri the Sweetest Plum


and Chicago:

anyone I missed? give a shout out...

Beer for Bags

I'm just gonna copy from the NYBMA site, cause they got all the info:

Crumpler Bags, that loveable messenger bag company who sponsers us in our events like alleycats and goldsprints is giving you a chance to get free stuff...for Beer.

That's right, trade Coopers, Fosters, Chimay (which is French for expensive) for Crumpler Bags, cell phone cases and other of their products.

I will also bite from Gothamist ...I should get a free bag!!

For the next week, the Crumpler stores are running their famous beer for bags program. The idea is simple: you bring in a specified amount of beer, and they give you a bag. At the end of the week, all the beer is used to fuel a huge party. The nice lady who runs the Spring Street branch told us they've been doing this for years in Australia, but this is the first time they've tried the program in New York. Here is the full trade-in schedule, courtesy of Thrillist (which is:--***thrillist***is a quick, free, 4-times-weekly email that sifts through the crap to find guys the best in gadgets, services, events, restaurants, bars, and travel. Thrillist has two editions: Thrillist New York, which covers everything specific to NY, and Thrillist Nation, which serves up info that every man in America can take advantage of.

The Winkler: 4 cans Boddingtons
The Bundle: 40oz OE + 12-pack PBR
The Aggott: 12-pack Brooklyn Lager
The McBains: 12 cans Guinness
The Moderate Embarrassment: 1 case Sapporo + 1 bottle Soy Sauce
The Barney Rustle: 1 case Coopers + 2 Fosters Oil Cans
The Complete Seed: 1 case Leffe + 1 bottle Chimay
The Holy Bean Bag Chair: 1 case Pacifico + 1 bag Limes

No word yet on the giveaway party, but we'll post details when they become available.

Now remember kids, a case is 24 bottles...not sold at your local Bodega and will feel like a big truck run..so calculate the time and money it takes to get this stuff. If its a big party, I mean they gotta do something with all that Beer. So it might be worth it.

We're talking two Crumpler stores in Manhattan---Crumpler, 45 Spring St., at Mulberry St. (212-334-9391)
and 49 Eighth Ave., at W. 4th St. (212-242-2537).

I believe this runs all week through the 11th of June (next Sunday) but check it out before you lug a case of Coopers cross town.

Feel free to let me know more details or how your experience went.