When we were offered the chance to ride with F1 driver Valtteri Bottas and pro cyclist Tiffany Cromwell, who were we to turn that opportunity down! While in Australia Alex got the chance to meet them both for a gravel adventure.
From BikeRadar.com
By Ben Delaney
Two parallel trends exist in the United States at the moment: road racing, especially at the professional level, has been on a steep decline, while gravel racing, which is primarily an amateur, participatory sport, is going gangbusters.
Gone in the US are major pro stage races such as the Amgen Tour of California, the Tour de Georgia, the Tour of Utah and others – and with them the number of pro teams has dwindled.
Ten years ago, the US had 19 professional teams at the UCI level. This year, there are 11, and the major squads such as EF Education and Lidl-Trek operate almost exclusively in Europe.
At the amateur level, participation in road racing is also on the decline.
Meanwhile, gravel events continue to explode around the US, with Unbound Gravel attracting 5,000 riders, SBT GRVL selling out at 3,000 riders and scores of other events catering almost entirely to amateur participants.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
From LA.streetsblog.org
South Pasadena’s City Council voted Wednesday night to retain 0.6 miles of bike lanes on Grand Avenue that were previously slated for removal. The vote passed 3-2, with councilmembers Primuth, Cacciotti, and Zneimer in support of keeping the lanes, and councilmembers Donovan and Braun against.
This project previously took a lot of scorn from residents opposing it in March, who at the time greatly outnumbered supporters. Their biggest grievances were that it had weak outreach, that it “uglified” the neighborhood and made driving more difficult with delineators and bulbouts, and encouraged “entitled” behavior from cyclists and joggers (using the bike lane for its intended purpose).
Back then, the council killed the project unanimously, with the caveat that a short uphill bike lane on Hermosa Street would be kept. So how did the Grand bike lanes come back up on the dais?
Agenda item 16 for this week’s meeting was a recommendation that council provide direction on maintaining or removing bike lanes in the project (including Hermosa).
Photo by Dário Gomes on Unsplash
In this video, we show you how to remove the rear wheel from your bike, whether you have a disc brake, rim brake, thru-axle or quick release. We cover it all!
From MomentumMag.com
In recent years, the notion of the ’15-Minute City’ has emerged as a hopeful idea for urban planners and residents alike, offering a vision of cities that are not only more sustainable but also more livable and accessible. At its core, the concept is elegantly simple: design cities where everything essential to daily life—work, education, recreation, and more—is within a 15-minute reach by walking, biking, or public transit.
Originating from the visionary mind of Paris-based urbanist Carlos Moreno, the 15-minute city embodies the ideal neighborhood where every necessity, from employment to cultural activities, is conveniently close. Paris, under the stewardship of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, has embraced this concept wholeheartedly, setting a shining example for cities worldwide.
While various transportation modes contribute to the realization of the 15-minute city, bicycles stand out as particularly conducive to its principles. Here’s how:
Efficiency in Motion
Bicycles offer a swift and efficient means of transportation, especially for short to medium distances. With dedicated bike lanes and routes, cyclists can navigate through urban landscapes with ease, sidestepping traffic congestion and reaching their destinations swiftly—perfect for the ethos of a 15-minute city.
Photo by Maksim Chernishev on Unsplash
From La.Urbanize.city
By STEVEN SHARP
Four miles of new east-west and north-south bike and walk routes
New traffic calming measures are coming to a number of South Los Angeles corridors, according to a notice issued by the Department of Transportation.
The South LA Stress-Free Connections project is being delivered as the result of a $35 million grant awarded to Community Partners, which is the fiscal partner of the South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment Zone. The money, in addition to funding electric vehicle and electric bike resources, will go toward the installation of new bike boxes, speed humps, and leading pedestrian intervals at five intersections.
Those project elements will be key to the creation of a new three-mile, east-west route for pedestrians and cyclists, which would run along segments of 51st Street and 50th Place between Western Avenue and Central Avenue, as well as a new 1.2-mile north-south route along Budlong Avenue between Vernon Avenue and 60th Street. Additionally, plans call for reconfiguring a one-block segment of Hoover Between 51st Street and 50th Place with a protected bike lane to connect the east-west route.
Invitation only, the world’s best gravel riders compete for a $300,000 prize purse in Life Time Grand Prix – the toughest gravel racing series there is. So how did Simon manage to get an invite? Thanks to Pinarello and a mega-bike influenced by Tom Pidcock, he’s going to take on some of the top pros in the Sea Otter Classic event. But can he survive this brutal course?
From PasadenaCSC.org
The idea of a 15-minute city is simple: a livable city should have most of the things that most people need accessible within 15 minutes by walking, biking, or riding public transit. In a 15-minute city, it should be easy and convenient to walk to a restaurant, ride a bike to the park, or take a bus to the grocery store. This includes safe options for kids to walk to school, and for at least some adults, places nearby where they could work.
This isn’t a hard thing to envision. We could debate about exactly what cities are or are not 15-minute cities, but you don’t have to look far to get the idea. Many East Coast cities have urban cores that could be called 15-minute cities. For example, someone living in Manhattan or Boston is very likely to walk or use public transportation for most of their daily trips. In Paris, many residents don’t own a car, and it’s easy to get around on a subway that goes everywhere and has typical wait times of just three or four minutes. A number of other American cities also score well as 15-minute cities, including San Francisco, Long Beach, and Seattle.
Pasadena is a well designed city
Though Pasadena is part of the megalopolis of Los Angeles, it is also a self-contained city. People who live here know that Pasadena is a wonderful place to live, and for lots of reasons. Many stem from the fact that much of Pasadena was developed in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries before automobiles became dominant. As a consequence, Pasadena has great bones, including an easy-to-navigate street grid with walkable sidewalks in most places, and a mix of land uses. As a mature city, Pasadena has areas that combine dense commercial uses and housing like Old Pasadena and the Playhouse District; high levels of employment at dispersed locations around the city; educational facilities that include not only local-serving K-12 schools but also institutions of higher learning; a major cluster of medical facilities; nice park space; and a well-developed public transportation system. So – in terms of a 15-minute city – Pasadena has many assets. In fact, most of the elements of a 15-minute city are already here!
But, there’s an important thing missing. These elements need to be more effectively linked together to create a safe, inviting, and amenable public realm that promotes walkability and bikeability. If the purpose of a city is to minimize distance and maximize choice, putting these elements together are key to fully realizing the 15-minute city in Pasadena.
Why celebrate the bicycle?
Regular physical activity of moderate intensity – such as walking, cycling, or doing sports – has significant benefits for health. At all ages, the benefits of being physically active outweigh potential harm, for example through accidents. Some physical activity is better than none. By becoming more active throughout the day in relatively simple ways, people can quite easily achieve the recommended activity levels.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), safe infrastructure for walking and cycling is also a pathway for achieving greater health equity. For the poorest urban sector, who often cannot afford private vehicles, walking and cycling can provide a form of transport while reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, diabetes, and even death. Accordingly, improved active transport is not only healthy; it is also equitable and cost-effective.
Meeting the needs of people who walk and cycle continues to be a critical part of the mobility solution for helping cities de-couple population growth from increased emissions, and to improve air quality and road safety. The COVID-19 pandemic has also led many cities to rethink their transport systems.
Cycling and sustainable development
World Bicycle Day draws attention to the benefits of using the bicycle — a simple, affordable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation. The bicycle contributes to cleaner air and less congestion and makes education, health care and other social services more accessible to the most vulnerable populations. A sustainable transport system that promotes economic growth, reduces inequalities while bolstering the fight against climate change is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
On 15 March 2022, the General Assembly adopted the resolution on integration of mainstream bicycling into public transportation systems for sustainable development. It emphasized that the bicycle is an instrument of sustainable transportation and conveys a positive message to foster sustainable consumption and production, and has a positive impact on climate.
Photo by Dário Gomes on Unsplash
Matt Beers is one of the best gravel cyclists in the world & has won Cape Epic three times. He then turned his attention to other goals, among them, the Lifetime Grand Prix Series. Matt joins us today from training camp where he is training with Keegan Swenson and preparing for the biggest gravel race of them all – Unbound. Matt talks about what their training looks like – the volume, the type of intervals and we uncover how the very best in gravel racing prepare for the biggest race of the year.
